Jodo (Staff Against Sword)
杖道Japanese budo in which a student with a jo staff faces an opponent with a wooden sword. The All Japan Kendo Federation set its present form in 1968, and competition is in kata.
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About Jodo (Staff Against Sword)
Jodo is a Japanese budo in which a practitioner with a jo staff faces an opponent with a wooden sword. According to the All Japan Kendo Federation, one of the pair, uchi, holds the sword and the other, shi, the staff, which serves more to control the opponent in response to his movements than to attack. The federation traces its origin to the Shinto Muso-ryu school, founded by Muso Gonnosuke in the early 17th century.
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The Nipponica encyclopedia states that in 1927 Nakayama Hakudo was the first to receive the title of hanshi in the art of the staff, and that in 1933 a new special unit of the Tokyo police took it into training. In 1940, per the same article, it was renamed jodo. After the war, in 1956, jodo joined the All Japan Kendo Federation together with iaido and naginata. A research committee led, according to Nipponica, by Shimizu Takaji from 1963 (Nipponica reads his name as Ryuji) prepared a set of twelve basic techniques, kihon, and twelve kata, and the federation adopted it in 1968 as the jodo of the All Japan Kendo Federation. Per the federation's manual, the staff is 128 cm long, 2.4 cm in diameter and made of white oak. The wooden sword measures 101.5 cm. In competition, two pairs perform set techniques, practitioners alternate in the roles of uchi and shi, and judges assess, among other things, spirit, posture, accuracy of strikes, distance and timing. The federation awards kyu and dan grades and titles in jodo. Internationally, jodo is spread by the International Kendo Federation, and European championships have been held since 2002.
History
The All Japan Kendo Federation derives jodo from the Shinto Muso-ryu school, founded by Muso Gonnosuke in the early 17th century. The Kodansha biographical dictionary states that Gonnosuke lost to Miyamoto Musashi, went to Mount Homan in Chikuzen, received a divine inspiration there and opened the school. According to English Wikipedia, the school's tradition adds that he then shortened the staff from roughly 185 to 128 cm and in a second duel made Musashi retreat, but Wikipedia cautions that the story may be embellished. According to Kodansha, the school was handed down in the Fukuoka domain.
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The Nipponica encyclopedia describes the road to modern times. In 1927 Nakayama Hakudo received from the Dai Nippon Butokukai the title of hanshi in the art of the staff, the first to do so. In 1933 a new special unit of the Tokyo police for crowd and traffic control took the art into training. In 1940, according to Nipponica, it was renamed jodo and an association was formed that published the first jodo manual, whereas the Daijisen dictionary places the name jodo only in the postwar period. After the war budo was banned and, according to Nipponica, only police work with the staff was allowed to continue for some time. In 1956 jodo joined the All Japan Kendo Federation together with iaido and naginata. In 1963 a research committee was formed, led according to Nipponica by Shimizu Takaji (Nipponica reads the name as Ryuji, the Nichigai and Kodansha dictionaries as Takaji). After several years of work it prepared in 1968 twelve basic techniques, kihon, and twelve kata, and the federation adopted them. The federation's 2003 manual states that the set served for 35 years, was partly revised in 1977 and 1987, and from 2001 the jodo committee revised it for roughly two years without changing its basis. The first Japan championship in jodo was held in 1974.
How it differs
According to English Wikipedia, the jodo of the All Japan Kendo Federation differs from Shinto Muso-ryu in scope and system of grades. It states that the kata of the set were chosen from the first three series of Shinto Muso-ryu, ten with minor changes and two new, and that the old school's licenses are not used in the federation's jodo, kyu, dan and titles applying instead. According to the same Wikipedia, the set has no kata with the short sword kodachi, although Shinto Muso-ryu uses it in some kata. According to the Nipponica encyclopedia, staff schools differed in staff length, whereas the federation prescribes it uniformly. Jodo differs from kendo in that competition is not free sparring but a demonstration of kata, as Japanese Wikipedia states. The same Wikipedia mentions that besides the jodo section of the kendo federation there is a separate All Japan Jodo Federation.
Technique
In the jodo of the All Japan Kendo Federation, one of the pair, uchi, holds a wooden sword and the other, shi, the jo staff. The federation states that the staff serves more to control the opponent in response to his movements than to attack. The manual adds that jodo does not attack first but changes according to the opponent's attack and controls him, so most kata begin on the principle of go no sen. The set consists of twelve basic techniques, kihon, and twelve kata. The manual also describes stances with the staff, most with a right and a left form. According to the Nipponica encyclopedia, techniques are performed equally left and right. Japanese Wikipedia states that strikes, thrusts and sweeps stop just short of the target, a strike accompanied by the shout Ei and a thrust by the shout Ho.
Training
The manual of the All Japan Kendo Federation prescribes a jo staff 128 cm (4 shaku 2 sun 1 bu) long and 2.4 cm in diameter, of white oak. The wooden sword measures 101.5 cm in total, with a handle of 24.2 cm, is also of white oak and has a leather guard. According to the Nipponica encyclopedia, the length of the staff varied among old schools and was derived, for example, from the practitioner's height, eye or shoulder height, but Shinto Muso-ryu fixed it at 4 shaku 2 sun 1 bu, about 1.28 m. Basic techniques are also practiced alone, kata in pairs. In kyu examinations, basic techniques are performed as separate movements. The manual names five benefits of training: courtesy, confidence, sincerity and patience, a strong and agile body, good posture, judgment and decisiveness, and cooperation in society. A 2010 paper at the congress of the Japanese Academy of Budo points out that jodo needs no special dojo, only an ordinary gym, a staff and a wooden sword, and is thus cheaper than disciplines with armor or tatami.
Ranks and progression
The All Japan Kendo Federation awards kyu and dan grades in jodo and the titles renshi, kyoshi and hanshi under a common regulation. The third kyu examination includes etiquette with the staff, stances and three basic techniques as separate movements, and for second kyu etiquette with the sword and three separate basic techniques. For first kyu, three kata are added. In all dan examinations, candidates alternate in the roles shi and uchi in kata. According to the International Kendo Federation's directive, candidates for first to fifth dan perform five kata set in advance and candidates for sixth and seventh dan six kata set on the day of the examination. Examinations from first to fifth dan also include a written test.
Competition
Competition in jodo is not free sparring. According to the All Japan Kendo Federation, two pairs perform set techniques, practitioners alternate in the roles of uchi and shi, and judges assess fullness of spirit, correct posture, accurate strikes with appropriate force, distance, timing and etiquette. Japanese Wikipedia adds that the pairs are divided into red and white and the judges decide by majority of flags. According to the Nipponica encyclopedia, the manner of competition and the rules, with regulations for judges, were adopted in June 1981. The federation, however, gives the first Japan championship as early as 1974. The federation's current rules date from June 2023. The European championships have been organized since 2002, when the first edition was held in Papendaal in the Netherlands, by the European Kendo Federation. According to its overview, the twenty-fourth edition was held in 2026 in Mérignac, France.
Today
Today jodo is administered by the All Japan Kendo Federation together with kendo and iaido. Its library published in September 2026 the program of the 53rd Japan championship in jodo. The International Kendo Federation aims to spread kendo, iaido and jodo worldwide and issues examination standards for jodo. A 2010 paper at the congress of the Japanese Academy of Budo describes trial teaching of jodo at lower secondary schools in Higashihiroshima and at Kokugakuin University. Japanese Wikipedia states that the staff techniques were also taken up by the security guard sector, where for some guard categories they are part of compulsory training and the practical examination for the national qualification.
Did you know
According to the Nichigai biographical dictionary, Shimizu Takaji, at the request of Kano Jigoro, head of the Kodokan, taught jodo to judoka from fourth dan up. In 1970 he received ninth dan in jodo and that year toured the United States as an envoy of budo. Britannica states that the standard staff length corresponds to the practitioner's shoulder height.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between jodo and Shinto Muso-ryu?
Shinto Muso-ryu is an old school from which the All Japan Kendo Federation derives jodo. The federation's jodo is a set of twelve basic techniques and twelve kata adopted in 1968 and has its own kyu and dan grades.
How long is the jo staff?
The manual of the All Japan Kendo Federation prescribes a length of 128 cm and a diameter of 2.4 cm, and the staff is white oak.
Is there fighting in jodo?
There is no free sparring in jodo. At competitions two pairs perform set techniques and judges assess spirit, posture, accuracy, distance, timing and etiquette.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.