Jodo is the Japanese martial art of using a short staff, or Jo, to defend oneself against an opponent armed with a sword. The curriculum of ZNKR Seitei Jodo is an excellent complement to our study of Iaido and Kendo. Jodo practice offers insight into Maai, attack, and defense as illuminated through the application of paired Kata.
The legendary history of the Jo staff dates back to the vision given to Muso Gonnosuke Katsukichi in the 17th century after he was defeated while using a long staff by the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. A vision guided Muso Gonnosuke to develop a shorter staff and its school Shindo (Shinto) Muso Ryu Jojutsu. The teaching remained primarily with the Kuroda clan for most of its history. The influential demonstration of the use of the Jo is credited to Shimizu Takaji who was asked to introduce it to the Kodokan Judo Dojo as well as the Tokyo Metropolitan Police in the late 1920s and 1930s. Due to its effectiveness as an instrument of control, it became a weapon of the Tokyo Police and this training continued along with Kendo and Judo until modern times.
Shimizu Takaji took up the challenge to refine the teaching of Jo by means of 12 Kihon Waza and 12 Seitei kata. These were demonstrated to the Chair of the ZNKR in 1968 and were approved and presented to the public in 1969.
The main purpose or aim of Jodo lies in defeating the opponent without attacking. Its spirit is not to injure the opponent, but to utilize the techniques thereby demonstrating the true versatility of the weapon. The meaning of this spirit lies outside the normal understanding of the image of combat.
Taylor, Kim. A Brief History of ZNKR Jodo, Journal of Non-lethal Combatives, Sept 2000
Zen Nihon Kendo Renmei Jodo Manual (English version), 2003