- Sep 8
- 3 min read
The History of the Bō Staff and its Uses
Written by Adam
With the reveal of the Claws of Awaji expansion for Assassin's Creed Shadows, we learned that Naoe will also get a new weapon type: the Bō. As you probably have guessed, the Bō is a staff and like most weapons, is thought to have originated as a tool. In this case, the tenbin. The tenbin is a long pole used to balance buckets and baskets.
The earliest form of the Bō is thought to have been used throughout Asia for self-defence by monks and commoners. The staff was an integral part of Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu, one of martial arts oldest surviving styles. However, the main jitsu (technique) of this ryu (school of thought) is Kenjitsu, which is sword combat. Not to be confused with Kendo, which is used for sport. It then evolved as part of kubudō, a martial art using weapons that emerged in Okinawa in the 17th century.
Iizasa Ienao who founded Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū in 1447
Prior to this in the 15th century, Okinawa was divided into three kingdoms: Chuzan, Hokuzan, and Nanzan. After much strife, they were united under the First Cho Dynasty in 1429. Years later in 1477, Emperor Sho Shin banned feudalism and weapons in a bid to consolidate his power.
The peace enjoyed under Emperor Sho Shin was shattered when the Shimazu clan of Satsuma invaded and conquered Okinawa in 1609. Helpless against Samurai weaponry, the farmers turned to their tools to defend themselves. This use of weapons is known as kubodō as mentioned above. The Japanese term for wielding the Bō is unsurprisingly named Bōjutsu. Thrusting, swinging and striking all resemble empty hand movements and like using a sword, the Bō is thought of as an extension of oneself.
Some techniques with the Bō see it used similar to a sword and spear, with upward swings and a slashing motions across the body. The user can grip one end of the staff and increase its range like a spear. Techniques include a variety of entrapments, blocks, sweeps and strikes.
Like any other weapon, there are variations of the Bō, with their own lengths and purposes. There’s the Jō, which doesn’t have a standard length and is used by some Japanese police forces today. Then there’s the hanbō, or half-bō, which is 90 cm or 35 inches long.
The average staff is 6ft (1.8m) for our American friends. This is a rokushakubō. Roku meaning six and shaku being the unit of measurement. Now, Naoe is probably around 5ft 1inches, so this size bō would probably work well for her, allowing her to pivot and manipulate it easily.
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