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The Bo
 The
standard Bo is usually made of Oak and the standard size is
currently 6 feet long. This is called the Rokushaku Bo. The
most common Bo type today is round and tapered from the centre
to both ends.
Other types of bo range in length from four to nine feet, and
can be round (maru-bo); four sided (kaku-bo), six-sided (rokkaku-bo),
or eight-sided (hakkakubo). The most common kata are Shushi-No-Kon,
Choun-No-Kon, Sakugawa-No-Kon, Tsuken-No-Kon and Shiishu-No-Kon.
Other staff type weapons include the hanbo (three foot wooden
sticks), jo (four foot wooden sticks), tetsubo (iron staff),
sansetsu-kon (three sectional staff) and konsaibo, which is
a wooden staff studded with iron nubs.
The Rokushaku Bo of Okinawa may have been introduced from China
but the tapered version, which is called the Kon in Okinawa,
is indigenous to the Ryukyu Islands.
There are many theories behind the creation of the Bo and its
main uses during the turbulent times mentioned above. It is
one belief that the Bo was used as a self-defence weapon by
the common people, who were not allowed to carry weapons. The
Bo is believed to have been carried when walking as they are
or were seldom seen as weapons. The exact origin of the Bo is
not clear due to the fact that the Bo techniques were practiced
and developed in secrecy. One popular theory widely accepted
by modern day practitioners is that the Bo originated from the
Tenbin that was a stick held across the shoulders for carrying
buckets of food, water and other items.
Rokushaku Bo and Kon techniques were not designed for the warrior
class but for farmers and fishermen who needed protection from
the footpaths and brigands.
Rokushakubo and Kon rely on thrusting, swinging and striking
techniques that stem from empty hand styles of Okinawate. Attacks
are often avoided by agile footwork and returning strikes made
at the enemies weak points.
Due to the design of the Kon with its tapered ends it is considered
to have greater penetrating power and is not as easy to ensnare
with chain weapons.
The Japanese Bo (staff) is to be swung in vicious arcs. The
Okinawan staff is to be used to extend the bodies natural weapons,
giving extra range to punches, a rigid bar for blocks, providing
leverage for joint locks and occasionally leverage for throws.
The Bo can be used in both training and in real combat. It may
be twirled, a technique that gives a wide striking arc. Both
ends of the Bo may be grasped or used, and fighters often switch
from one end to the other for greater flexibility when fighting.
Many traditional Okinawan kobudo weapons were developed to defend
against opponents wielding spears or swords.
During the Edo Period (1603-1868), under the Tokugawa military
government, Japan became a more peaceful area.
Peace during the Tokugawa Shogunate and the reduction of unnecessary
loss of life led to an increase in the population. At the same
time weapons became available to not just the samurai but also
to conscript soldiers. As a result the police had to develop
a system called Yaku kobujutsu to deal with the escalating rowdiness.
This include five parts, the first being bojutsu.
The size of the bo made it possible to fight from a stand off
position, using wide swings to knock the opponents feet away,
or short jabs to his solar plexus.
The bo could even break a sword by means of a hard strike to
the flat of the blade. The bo is so tough it can withstand all
but a direct sword cut. Another advantage to the bo was its
smooth finish that made it difficult for the opponent to seize
hold.
However its sheer size and weight could also act as a disadvantage.
It needed a lot of space for the user to deploy the weapon efficiently
and a lot of upper body strength to move the weapon rapidly.
Tonfa, Nunchaku,
Jo, Others.
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