The Bō is a six-foot long staff. It was perhaps developed from a farming tool called a tenbin: a stick placed across the shoulders, used to lift buckets and sacks that hung off each end. The Bō, along with shorter variations such as the Jō and hanbo could also have been developed from walking sticks used by travelers, especially monks. The Bō was firstly used as the handle to a rake or a shovel. Most techniques the Bō adopted include striking movements. Mostly the Bō was used for non-lethal…
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