Abō (棒) (pong (Korean);pang (Cantonese);bang (Mandarin);[1][2]kun (Okinawan)) is astaff weapon used in Okinawa.Bō are typically around 1.8 m (71 in) long and used inOkinawan martial arts, while being adopted into Japanese arts such particularbōjutsu. Other staff-related weapons are thejō, which is 1.2 m (47 in) long, and thehanbō (halfbō), which is 90 cm (35 in) long.[3][4][5]
Thebō is usually made with unfinished (novarnish,stain, etc) hardwood or a flexible wood, such as red or white oak, althoughbamboo and pine wood have been used; more common still israttan wood for its strength flexibility.[6] The modernbō may be tapered in that it can be thicker in the center (chukon-bu) than at the ends (kontei)[7] and is usually round or circular (maru-bo). Some bō are very light, with metallic sides, stripes and a grip which are used forXMA and competitions/demonstrations. Older bō were round (maru-bo), square (kaku-bo), hexagonal[8] (rokkaku-bo) or octagonal (hakkaku-bo). The average size of a bō is 6shaku (around 6 ft (1.8 m)) but they can be as long as 9 ft (2.7 m) (kyu-shaku-bō).[2]
A 6 ft (1.8 m)bō is usually called arokushakubō (六尺棒). This name derives from theJapanese wordsroku (六), meaning "six";shaku (尺); andbō. Theshaku 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. Thebō 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.[2]
In some cases for training purposes or for a different style, and in more recent years, rattan is used.[9] Some were inlaid or banded with strips of iron or other metals for extra strength.[8]Bō range from heavy to light, from rigid to highly flexible, and from simple pieces ofwood picked up from the side of the road to ornately decorated works of art.
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TheJapanese martial art of wielding thebō isbōjutsu. The basis ofbō technique iste, or hand, techniques derived fromquanfa 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 thebō is merely an "extension of one’s limbs". Consequently, bōjutsu is often incorporated into other styles of empty hand fighting, such askarate. 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.[10]
Thebō 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.[10]
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The earliest form of thebō, 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 theTenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū, one of the martial arts oldest surviving styles. The staff evolved into thebō with the foundation ofkobudō, a martial art using weapons, which emerged in Okinawa in the early 17th century.[11]
Prior to the 15th century,Okinawa, a small island located south of Japan, was divided into three kingdoms:Chuzan,Hokuzan, andNanzan. After much political turmoil, Okinawa was united under theFirst 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.[10][12]
In 1609, the temporary peace established by Sho Shin was violently overthrown when the powerfulShimazu clan ofSatsumainvaded 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 intokobudo, or "ancient martial way" as known today.[13]
Although thebō 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 thetenbin, which is balanced across the middle of the back at the shoulder blades. In poorer agrarian economies, thetenbin remains a traditional farm work implement.[2][14] In styles such asYamanni-ryū orKenshin-ryū, many of the strikes are the same as those used foryari ("spear")[15] ornaginata ("glaive").[16]
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