A bo (棒) is a long stick usually made out of wood or bamboo. A full-size bo is also sometimes called rokushakubo (六尺棒). This name derives from the Japanese words roku (meaning "six"), shaku (a Japanese measurement equivalent to 30.3 centimetres) and bo (meaning "staff"). Thus, rokushakubo refers to a staff about 6 shaku (181.8cm, about 6ft) long. Other types of bo
range from heavy to light, rigid to highly flexible, simply a piece of wood picked up off the side of the road to ornately decorated works of art.
The martial art of wielding the bo is called bojutsu. The basic premise of the bo is to increase the force delivered in a strike through leverage. Imagine that you are standing in the center of a circle, with your bo representing a radius of the circle. By moving your hands a small degree, slowly, the tip of the bo moves a good deal farther and faster. The bo can also be used to thrust, basically letting you punch from long distance. It can also be used for joint-locks, which are used to subdue an enemy without killing them.
In the childrens' television series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the character Donatello used a bo as his main weapon.
See also
Last updated: 06-13-2005 17:31:14
