Jo

杖

Medium-length wooden staff (approx. 128 cm) used in Jodo and Aikido.

Quick Facts

CategoryEquipment

Pronunciation/[joh]/

Alternative NamesMedium wooden staff, Short staff

Definition

Jo is a polished wooden staff measuring roughly 128 cm in length. Created by samurai Muso Gonnosuke to counter Musashi's sword, it combines spear thrusts, sword strikes, and sweeping strikes in Aikido and Jodo.

Related Terms

Hakama袴

Traditional wide pleated trousers worn in certain Japanese martial arts.

Tai Sabaki体さばき

Art of fluid whole-body movement to step off the attacker's line of force.

Bokken / Bokuto木剣 / 木刀

Traditional wooden sword shaped like a katana for safe practice in Kenjutsu, Aikido, and Iaido.

Associated Martial Arts

Yoshinkan Aikido Tomiki Aikido Iwama Ryu Yoseikan Aikido Jodo Real Aikido Six Harmonies Praying Mantis (Liuhe Tanglangquan)