Bō

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. Other staff-related weapons are the '' jō'', which does not have a standard length , and the ''hanbō'' (half ''bō''), which is long.

Types

The ''bō'' is usually made with unfinished (no varnish, stain, etc) hardwood or a flexible wood, such as red or white oak, although bamboo and pine wood have been used; more common still is rattan 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 picked up from the side of the road to ornately decorated works of art.

Martial arts

The Japanese martial art of wielding the ''bō'' is ''bōjutsu''. 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. 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, 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 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'' ("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
*Budō
*Gun (staff)
*Hanbō
* Jō
*Kanabō
*List of martial arts weapons
* Nami
*Okinawan kobudō
*Quarterstaff
*Stick-fighting
* Tahtib
* Tanbō
* Yubi-bo
* Ruyi Jingu Bang
*Donatello
*Jade
* Gambit

References

External links

Martialarm.com

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Weapons of Okinawa
Japanese martial arts terminology
Samurai staff weapons
Staff weapons of Japan
Non-lethal weapons

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