is a

Japanese language is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been ma ...

term, translated as "supplementary exercises", that refers to conditioning exercises used in

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

, especially in

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

. training was designed to develop ambidextrous physical strength, stamina, muscle coordination, speed, and posture. This style of training uses simple, traditional devices made from wood and stone.

Weighted items

The weighted items used in this training are also known as

, meaning "stone mallet" or "weighted levers", are concrete weights attached to a wooden pole. The practitioner grips the end of the wooden pole opposite the concrete weight, and moves the wrist and arms in motions used in techniques normally used in

kata ''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practised ...

or against opponents. This weighted training mostly helps to strengthen the fingers, hands, arms, shoulder, and chest.

are hand-held weights in the shape of padlocks, traditionally made of stone. They are also known as () in

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

are worn like sandals, but require gripping the clogs with one's toes. The practitioner moves around and kicks while wearing them. The extra weight required to move the foot strengthens the leg for kicks. GETA - M 8x10

are ceramic jars filled with sand to different weights. The jars are gripped around a lipped rim. The practitioner moves in varying stances while holding the jar in order to strengthen the arms, shoulders, back, and legs.

The is a weight hanging by a rope from a wooden handle. The practitioner grasps the handle with the weight hanging in the middle, and twists the handle to wrap the rope around the handle. The handle is raised and lowered throughout the twisting to strengthen the wrists.

A , meaning "to shoulder" or "to carry on one's back", is similar to a modern barbell, made with a wood post and concrete weights on both ends.

Conditioning

The is a striking board used to practice striking a target that provides resistance. There are two types of : (hung from the ceiling) and the more common (secured in the ground). Of the , there are two variations: flat and round. The flat is a board mounted in the ground with some type of padding on the top. The practitioner stands in front of the and strikes the top. The round has a similar construction, but is round on all sides. This allows additional techniques to be practiced.

The is a box or bowl filled with smooth stones. Before this, the box is filled with

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...

, known as . At the beginning of this exercise, the box is filled with dry

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

that is used by striking one's fingers into it. This conditions the fingers and fingertips.

The is a metal bar formed into an oval that can vary in weight and is used to condition the arms, legs, strengthen the wrists and core. This was used by wrestlers in Hawaii, and adopted into the by Chojun Miyagi.

A , also known as , is simply a bundle of bamboo tied together either at both the top and bottom or tied in the middle. This is used similar to the by striking the fingers into it.

References

External links

Burlington Karate & Kobudo Hojo undo

The poor man's guide to hojo undo equipment
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hojo undo Japanese martial arts equipment Karate Okinawan karate