Japan Karate Federation

INTRODUCTION
The Bo is part of a collection of Okinawan farm tools that were also used as weapons. Some of these other farm tools were the sai, and the tonfo. The Bo itself is a stick about the height of the individual. It was used as a staff. The Bo is also a way to carry heavy loads, such as water buckets, with the Bo proportioned across the back of the neck and shoulders and the loads suspended from each end of the Bo. Okinawan farmers became very skillful in handling the Bo because it was an object they used every day and was readily accessible. To them, it was an extension of their hands. In self-defense situations, the Bo had several advantages besides its accessibility:

covered the length of the body
could roll blows off
longer extension than the arms
hard striking surface
two hands have greater user power
hard for opponent to grasp the Bo
hard for opponent to set up defenses since Bo user has range of attacks covering 360 degrees
easy to gain power on the weak side (for most people, their left side)

Today one can find similarities with the Bo in broom handles, walking canes, closet poles, dowels and rifle/bayonet.

HISTORY
Whether factual or not, one popular theory states that around 517 A.D. The Zen Buddhist priest Daruma Daishi, the leader of the Shorin-ji Temple in China, brought into effect fluent use of the Bo. The Bo-jitsu techniques Daruma ordered his disciples to master and perfect greatly influenced the later development of Ryukyu Kobu-Do. Ryukyu Kobu-Do, the Okinawan art of using karate weapons such as the Bo, the sai, the kama (sickle) and the nunchaku, first gained prominence around 1314 A.D. when the Japanese government passed two laws which deeply outraged the people of Okinawa. First, it barred all inhabitants of the island from owning or possessing any sort of lethal weapon. Second, it imposed on them a monumental increase in taxes. The Bo itself originated with the tenbin, a stick held across the shoulders, usually with buckets hanging from each end that was used to convey food or water. When the need arose, the tenbin was manipulated to strike or block in techniques either based on or very similar to those used by Daruma and his disciples.

More than karate or any other popular martial art, sources of information on Kobu-Do are scarce. Many styles, Kata and techniques have accompanied their creators into eternal oblivion because records of the art's development are virtually non-existent.

BASICS

You must be able to use weapons, but never depend on them.
Bo is called Kon (kuhn) in Okinawa.
Carrying a Bo across the Dojo. Always carry it in your right hand, vertically, and behind your back.
Let the Bo do the work. There is no need to force it.
During most techniques, the center and centerline of the Bo will not move very far. Simply allow the Bo to rotate about its axis.
During most techniques, one end of the Bo will be securely anchored to your hip, or shoulder, or armpit.


	Don't have a death grip on the Bo. Hold it loosely and just like a punch, only tighten up momentarily at the end of a technique. Hold Bo in one-third, one-third, one-third. Holding the Bo with your hands slightly closer to the center will allow the Bo to spin faster around its center.

	The Bo is simply an extension of you. Tip should travel from point A to Point B in the most straightforward manner possible. Even the natural energy of a Bo is circular, try to keep all your lines straight. (the natural energy of Karate is linear) Watch your angles. Try to keep the Bo straight or at right angles or in-line with your body. This holds true even if the Bo is travelling in circles.
	Copyright(c) 2001-02, Daryl Welch, All Rights Reserved e-mail: admin@jkfnw.com