Jojutsu, according to legend, was created by Muso Gonnosuke 400 years ago. Muso Gonnosuke, using a bo, dueled with Miyamoto Musashi. Musashi, using his two-sword method defeated Gonnosuke but spared his life. Afterwards Gonnosuke spent time in seclusion training and meditating where he had a vision that led to the creation of jojutsu.
Specifically designed for defense against the sword, the jo is a shorter wooden staff, approximately 4 foot long. Its size and length allow for quick varied movements allowing its user the necessary maneuverability to overcome an attacker wielding a sword. Our training consists of suburi (swinging drills), kata (prearranged forms), kumite (sparring), jo-tori (empty hand vs. attacker w/jo), and jo-nage (empty hand attacker vs. defender with jo).
