Bo

A bo is a six foot bamboo or hardwood fighting stick, and the martial art of wielding the bo is called bojutsu. A bo is a fighting staff used for self defense, to non-fatally subdue an opponent. A full-size bo is also sometimes called a rokushakubo, and is used by those practicing Tae Kwon Do.

The bo is one of the five weapons systematized by the early Okinawan developers of the style known as te (hand). In feudal Japan it was part of the bugei (early Japanese martial arts) and was used by samurai, priests, and commoners alike. Its length made it an apt weapon against swordsmen, disarming the opponent while allowing the user to remain at a safe distance.