The bo is a staff weapon usually made of wood. The bo is used in the Japanese martial art bojutsu, and Okinawan martial arts. The bo has been used throughout Asia since the beginning of recorded history.
Some historians believe that the bo evolved from the tenbin which is a wooden staff that some Asian people use to balance buckets or baskets when they carry them. One bucket or basket is at each end of the tenbin while the person carries the tenbin across his back at the shoulder blades. Bo staffs range in length from 1.8 to 2.7 meters(5’10.9”-8’10.3”), and are usually made of wood. A wooden bo may be made of either red oak, white oak, bamboo, pine, or rattan. Metals such as aluminum, steel, iron, silver, or gold are also used to craft bo staffs. New students to bojutsu can purchase a bo staff covered in foam. Some bo staffs are collapsible and are easier to store. Many martial arts equipment stores even sell lighted led bo staffs; however these may not be as effective in a real life self-defense situation. A bo can be used for thrusting, swinging, and striking. Bojutsu is sometimes used in martial arts that are normally empty handed fighting styles such as karate, and is also taught in kobudo which is a martial art that focuses primarily on the use of weapons. The bo can also be used as a substitute for a sword or a spear.
Popular Culture
- The bo staff is used by Red Robin; a costumed crimefighting hero who appears in comic books published by DC. Comics.
- Donatello is one of the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; the bo staff is the weapon he uses when fighting crime.
- Estelle Bright is a bo wielding video game character who appears in “The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky” video game which was developed by Nihon Falcom.
