White Oak Jo

White Oak Jo - Short Staff

The Japanese Jo is an approximately four-foot (1.28 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 shorter than the bo. The jo is still used by some Japanese police forces. The techniques for jo were reportedly invented by Muso Gonnosuke after he was defeated by Miyamoto Musashi (sometime between 1608 and 1611, according to Kenji Tokitsu) in a duel.

The usage of various stick weapons has existed in one form or another long before Muso Gonnosuke invented his techniques, but his school, Shinto Muso-ryu, was probably the first known professional school that dedicated itself to the art of using a jo against a swordsman. Several traditional Japanese koryu (traditional warrior styles) used the jo like a sword.

The added length of the jo was meant to give it an advantage over the sword. Further, its wood construction allowed a fighter to improvise a jo quickly from a tree, branch, or other pole.