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A (''pong'' (Korean); ''pang'' (Cantonese); ''bang'' (Mandarin); ''kun'' (Okinawan)) is a staff weapon used in Okinawa. ''Bō'' are typically around long and used in Okinawan martial arts and Japanese arts such as
bōjutsu () is the martial art of stick fighting using a bō, which is the Japanese word for staff. Staffs have been in use for thousands of years in Asian martial arts like Silambam. Some techniques involve slashing, swinging, and stabbing with the ...
. Other staff-related weapons are the '' '', which does not have a standard length , and the ''
hanbō The ''hanbō'' (半棒, "half-staff") is a Stick fighting, staff used in martial arts. Traditionally, the ''hanbō'' was approximately three ''Shaku (unit), shaku'' or about long, half the length of the usual staff, the ''rokushakubō'' ("six ' ...
'' (half ''bō''), which is long.


Types

The ''bō'' is usually made with unfinished (no
varnish Varnish is a clear Transparency (optics), transparent hard protective coating or film. It is not to be confused with wood stain. It usually has a yellowish shade due to the manufacturing process and materials used, but it may also be pigmente ...
,
stain A stain is a discoloration that can be clearly distinguished from the surface, material, or medium it is found upon. They are caused by the chemical or physical interaction of two dissimilar materials. Accidental staining may make materials app ...
, etc) hardwood or a flexible wood, such as red or white oak, although
bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
and pine wood have been used; more common still is
rattan Rattan, also spelled ratan (from Malay language, Malay: ''rotan''), is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the clos ...
wood for its strength and flexibility. The modern ''bō'' may be tapered in that it can be thicker in the center (''chukon-bu'') than at the ends (''kontei'') and is usually round or circular (''maru-bo''). Some bō are very light, with metallic sides, stripes and a grip which are used for XMA and competitions/demonstrations. Older bō were round (''maru-bo''), square (''kaku-bo''), hexagonal (''rokkaku-bo'') or octagonal (''hakkaku-bo''). The average size of a bō is 6 shaku (around ) but they can be as long as (''kyu-shaku-bō''). A ''bō'' is usually called a . This name derives from the Japanese words , meaning "six"; ; and ''bō''. The ''shaku'' is a Japanese measurement equivalent to 30.3 centimeters (0.994 ft). Thus, ''rokushakubō'' refers to a staff about 6-''shaku'' (1.82 m; 5.96 feet) long. The ''bō'' is typically 3 cm (1.25 inch) thick, sometimes gradually tapering from the middle (''chukon-bu'') to 2 cm (0.75 inch) at the end (''kontei''). Traditional bō are not tapered. This thickness allows the user to make a tight fist around it in order to block and counter an attack. In some cases for training purposes or for a different style, and in more recent years, rattan is used. Some were inlaid or banded with strips of iron or other metals for extra strength. ''Bō'' range from heavy to light, from rigid to highly flexible, and from simple pieces of
wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...
picked up from the side of the road to ornately decorated works of art.


Martial arts

The
Japanese martial art Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts. The usage ...
of wielding the ''bō'' is ''
bōjutsu () is the martial art of stick fighting using a bō, which is the Japanese word for staff. Staffs have been in use for thousands of years in Asian martial arts like Silambam. Some techniques involve slashing, swinging, and stabbing with the ...
''. The basis of ''bō'' technique is ''te'', or hand, techniques derived from '' quanfa'' and other martial arts that reached Okinawa via trade and Chinese monks. Thrusting, swinging, and striking techniques often resemble empty-hand movements, following the philosophy that the ''bō'' is merely an "extension of one’s limbs". Consequently, bōjutsu is often incorporated into other styles of empty hand fighting, such as
karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...
. The "bō" is also used as a spear and long sword in some of its motions, such as upward swing and slashing motion across the body as well as extensions by gripping one end and thus increasing its length as thus making it similar to a spear. The ''bō'' is typically gripped in thirds, with one palm facing the opposite direction of the other palm, enabling the staff to rotate and to secure the weapon when blocking. The power is generated by the back hand pulling the staff, while the front hand is used for guidance. ''Bō'' technique includes a wide variety of blocks, strikes, sweeps, and entrapments.


History

The earliest form of the ''bō'', a staff, has been used throughout Asia since the beginning of recorded history. Used for self-defense by monks or commoners, the staff was an integral part of the Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū, one of the martial arts oldest surviving styles. The staff evolved into the ''bō'' with the foundation of kobudō, a martial art using weapons, which emerged in Okinawa in the early 17th century. Prior to the 15th century,
Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...
, a small island located south of Japan, was divided into three kingdoms: Chuzan, Hokuzan, and Nanzan. After much political turmoil, Okinawa was united under the First Sho Dynasty in 1429. In 1477, Emperor Sho Shin came into power. Determined to enforce his philosophical and ethical ideas, while banning feudalism, the emperor instituted a ban on weapons. It became a crime to carry or own weapons such as swords, in an attempt to prevent further turmoil and prevent an uprising. In 1609, the temporary peace established by Sho Shin was violently overthrown when the powerful
Shimazu clan The were the ''daimyō'' of the Satsuma han, which spread over Satsuma, Ōsumi and Hyūga provinces in Japan. The Shimazu were identified as one of the '' tozama'' or outsider ''daimyō'' familiesAppert, Georges ''et al.'' (1888). in contr ...
of Satsuma invaded and conquered Okinawa. The Shimazu lords placed a new weapons ban, leaving the Okinawans defenseless against samurai weaponry. In an attempt to protect themselves, the people of Okinawa looked to simple farming implements, which the samurai would not be able to confiscate, as new methods of defense. This use of weapons developed into kobudo, or "ancient martial way" as known today. Although the ''bō'' is now used as a weapon, its use is believed by some to have evolved from the long stick ( ''tenbin'') which was used to balance buckets or baskets. Typically, one would carry baskets of harvested crops or buckets of water or fish, etc., one at each end of the ''tenbin'', which is balanced across the middle of the back at the shoulder blades. In poorer agrarian economies, the ''tenbin'' remains a traditional farm work implement. In styles such as Yamanni-ryū or ''Kenshin-ryū'', many of the strikes are the same as those used for ''
yari is the term for a traditionally-made Japanese blade (日本刀; nihontō) in the form of a spear, or more specifically, the straight-headed spear. The martial art of wielding the is called . History The forerunner of the is thought to be a ...
'' ("spear") or '' naginata'' ("glaive").


Gallery

File:Bō.jpg, Japanese ''bō'' 6 ft tall File:Bō 2.JPG, Japanese bō, close up of one end or tip (''kontei'') File:Various antique Japanese bo (staff) showing the (kontei).jpg, Various antique Japanese ''bo'' showing the ''kontei'' (end or tip)


See also

* Arnis *
Bōjutsu () is the martial art of stick fighting using a bō, which is the Japanese word for staff. Staffs have been in use for thousands of years in Asian martial arts like Silambam. Some techniques involve slashing, swinging, and stabbing with the ...
*
Budō is a Japanese language, Japanese term describing modern Japanese martial arts. It is commonly translated as "Martial Way", or the "Way of Martial Arts". Etymology is a compound of the root ( or ; ), meaning "war" or "martial"; and ( or ; ), ...
*
Gun (staff) A ''gun'' (pronunciation , English approximation: , ) or ''bang'' () is a long staff weapon used in Chinese martial arts. It is known as one of the four major weapons in Chinese martial arts, along with the ''qiang'' (spear), ''dao'' (sabre) ...
*
Hanbō The ''hanbō'' (半棒, "half-staff") is a Stick fighting, staff used in martial arts. Traditionally, the ''hanbō'' was approximately three ''Shaku (unit), shaku'' or about long, half the length of the usual staff, the ''rokushakubō'' ("six ' ...
* *
Kanabō The , or 'metal club') is a spiked or studded two-handed war club used in feudal Japan by samurai. Other related weapons of this type are the ''nyoibō'', ''konsaibō'', , and ''ararebō''.Mol, Serge (2003). ''Classical weaponry of Japan: spec ...
*
List of martial arts weapons Weapons used in the world's martial arts can be classified either by type of weapon or by the martial arts school using them. By weapon type Handheld weapons * Bladed weapons **Swords: see Types of swords ** Knives **Daggers: see List of dagger ...
* Nami *
Okinawan kobudō , literally "old martial way of Okinawa", is the weapon systems of Okinawan martial arts. Etymology and definition Okinawan Kobudō is a Japanese term that can be translated as "''old martial way of Okinawa''". It is a generic term coined in th ...
*
Quarterstaff A quarterstaff (plural quarterstaffs or quarterstaves), also short staff or simply staff is a traditional European polearm, which was especially prominent in England during the Early Modern period. The term is generally accepted to refer to a s ...
*
Stick-fighting Stick-fighting, stickfighting, or stick fighting, is a variety of martial arts which use blunt, hand-held "sticks" for fighting, most typically a simple, non-lethal, wooden staff or baton. Schools of stick-fighting exist for a variety of weapon ...
* Tahtib * Tanbō * Yubi-bo * Ruyi Jingu Bang *
Donatello Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi ( – 13 December 1466), known mononymously as Donatello (; ), was an Italian Renaissance sculpture, Italian sculptor of the Renaissance period. Born in Republic of Florence, Florence, he studied classical sc ...
*
Jade Jade is an umbrella term for two different types of decorative rocks used for jewelry or Ornament (art), ornaments. Jade is often referred to by either of two different silicate mineral names: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in t ...
* Gambit


References


External links


Martialarm.com


{{DEFAULTSORT:Bo Weapons of Okinawa Japanese martial arts terminology Samurai staff weapons Staff weapons of Japan Non-lethal weapons nn:Bo sv:Japanska stavvapen#Bo