I understand this is a sword forum. I am having difficulty locating a forum for Jo. Since Jo follows the 5 stances of traditional sword...can you help?

Originally posted by Lawrence
I understand this is a sword forum. I am having difficulty locating a forum for Jo. Since Jo follows the 5 stances of traditional sword...can you help?

The aikido forum might be appropriate but I would think this forum to be appropriate as well. I don't have any knowledge of the jo.

For jodo, you might also look at E-Budo:
http://www.e-budo.com/
They have an active jo forum.

I just picked up a book on it, when I get home I'll try and post the info. Seemed good. As to where, here might work, once we get a few more folks in to discuss it. :)

I agree with arnisador...the aikido forum may be the place to post inquiries about the jo, since it is used a lot in that style. You could also trying posting in the general forum.

One book I have on the jo that seems halfway decent is the book by Dave Lowry. You should be able to find/order from any major book dealer or MA supplier.

Cthulhu

Hmm...maybe you guys are right... Jo is short staff right? Maybe move this to General talk until we figure it out.

Book I got is "Jo - The Japanese Short Staff" by Don Zier and Tom Lang ISBM0-86568-058-2

Doesnt seem bad, just haven't had time to do much with it yet. :(

Originally posted by Kaith Rustaz
Hmm...maybe you guys are right... Jo is short staff right?

I think a jo is a roughly four foot long staff used in a sword-like manner and a hanbo is a roughly three foot long staff used in a staff-like manner.

Details here, if you can read them:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/books/0865680582/reader/3/104-5365916-2686325#reader-link
A 50" jo:
http://www.karatedepot.com/store/catalog/wp-bo-02.html
Links to jo and other weapons books:
http://users.binary.net/thomcat/BookWeapon.shtml

Ah the jo is a fun weapon. I would recomend Dave Lowrey's "Jo: Art of the Japinise short staff". It is a good resource but a little vauge on the hand switches and a little too much time spent on the katas in my opinion. I also found a great book called "Stick fighting" by Masaaki Hatsumi. A little older of a book but great none the less. It deals with sticks from 4-5 ft (jo) down to a peice of wood about 3 in. long that can be hidden in a closed hand. Some great stuff in that book throws, locks, strikes it can be a little vauge so you need to try the stuff out with people to get a feeling for it.



Despair Bear

Stickfighting has Quinten Chambers and Sensei doing Kukishin ryu Bojutsu waza with Jo, Hanbo and Tanbo. Excellent book...I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in bojutsu.

You mentioned Jojutsu using the 5 kamae of traditional sword....could you ellaborate a bit on that? The styles of Jojutsu that I've seen/studied don't have kamae like Kenjutsu...?

I believe Lowry's book demonstrates kamae with the jo using jodan, chudan, gedan, waki, and hasso kamae positions.

Cthulhu

ah sou desu ka! :)

Makes sense now

Originally posted by Jay Bell
You mentioned Jojutsu using the 5 kamae of traditional sword....could you ellaborate a bit on that? The styles of Jojutsu that I've seen/studied don't have kamae like Kenjutsu...?

I thought that the jo was almost invariably wielded in a sword-like manner, though with a grip that had the hands more separated than one would use with a sword.

In Shindo Muso ryu, it is often used like a sword (with two business ends). The kamae themselves (stances) are what I was referring to.

In Kukishin ryu, it's used more like a short rokushakubo, yet uses more grappling type movements. The kamae in Kukishin ryu with jo are based on the same kamae as rokushakubo (with a couple of exceptions).

I received this week both the book by David Lowry and the book by Don Zier and Tom Lang. The former concentrates on aikijo, that is, the jo art of aikido, and emphasizes how different it is from the (sword-like) jodo traditions. The latter is definitely jodo. Both emphasize defense against the katana; the aikijo book works in aikido throws while holding the jo as well whereas the jodo book is exclusively stickwork (including some throws and sweeps with the jo). Interesting material. I think I like the nature of the jodo over the more flowery aikijo movements based on these texts but I have never seen either performed live.

http://www.jojutsu.com/index.php

http://cgi.ebay.com/Jodo-Stick-Fighting_W0QQitemZ160169687885QQihZ006QQcategoryZ4 7348QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQtrksidZp1638.m118.l12 47QQcmdZViewItem

This is a link to an eBay listing (no, not mine) for a particular book simply titled "Jodo". It's in Japanese with adequate English translation, and is in my opinion the finest reference on SMR / ZNKR Seitei Jo I've seen. Some of the techniques shown differ a bit from what we do in our dojo, but not significantly.

I'm not certain how often the Seitei kata are updated, but I heard it happens form time to time, so you may want to check out an English book right from the source:
Jodo
Zen Nippon Kendo Renmei (ZNKR - All Japan Kendo Federation)
100% ENGLISH Version


You can get it cheaper than eBay at www.budogu.com