Jo (weapon) - Definition and Overview

A jo (Japanese: 杖 jō) is a four-foot (1.2 m) long wooden staff, used in some Japanese martial arts. The martial art of wielding the jo is called jojutsu or jodo; aiki-jo is a set of techniques in aikido which uses the jo to illustrate aikido's principles with a weapon. The jo staff is usually shorter than the bo.

Japanese stick techniques (jo) were reportedly invented by Muso Gonnosuke after he was defeated by Miyamoto Musashi in a duel. Struck by his defeat, he invented techniques to fight against Musashi's two swords using only a stick, and defeated Musashi on their next encounter. According to this legend, this was the only time Musashi was defeated.

See also

• bo
• hanbo
• tambo
• quarterstaff
• List of martial arts weapons