Help using the bo staff in ninjutsu

[creaturegrl]

hey everyone. I study To-Shin Do which is ninjustsu using modern day situations ( check out www.skhquest.com if your interested )
It was started by Steven K Hayes, the first american to go to japan and master the art of ninjustsu under the teachings of grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi.

Anyway, I recently went to a bo staff seminar at my dojo and learned some cool stuff. I'd like to learn more and maybe teach myself a bit if possible.

Can anyone reccomend some good books or videos for learning the bo staff the way it is used in ninjutsu?

[Jags]

i found this i hope it helps
Stick Fighting
by Masaaki Hatsumi,
it is a book, i wont say how much it costs cos then Knight wil say how i am a troll for paying for things.....

i thought this would be good since its buy masaaki hatumi
:)

[SilentNightfall]

Creaturegrl, there are lots of various resources you could use for learning more bo staff work. For example, you could visit ninjutsu.com and search all the various videos that Shihan Van Donk sells. I know one of the videos in his Black Bely Home Study Course contains bo work, and I believe he sells videos of Soke that focus on bo work as well. You'll have to explore the site for yourself in order to see. The book mentioned above is also a fairly good source, though it is quite difficult to learn from print. Good luck in your quest.

[creaturegrl]

I've bought the Hatsumi book, thanks. It had more to do with shorter staffs. I'll check into that Ninjutsu.com, i've never heard of it before. thanks:D

[SilentNightfall]

Not a problem. You're most welcome. You'll find that Ninjutsu.com has some pretty nifty things in the way of training references and tools. And it works for you as well since Toshindo is fairly similar to ninjutsu, though time has clearly seperated the two. Nonetheless, they are similar enough that Bujinkan videos and such will be very valuable in your training. Glad I could be of help.

[Brad Ellin]

While books can be of great help, why not ask your instructor? While not a student of To-Shin Do, I know that it is based largely on the same methods used in the Bujinkan (although some of my fellow practioners may disagree), after all as you pointed out, Mr. Hayes was one of Hatsumi's students and to the best of my knowledge, still is. If his instructors are half as skilled as he was when I first met him 21 years ago, then you have the best source for learning right in front of you.

[creaturegrl]

I don't train with Mr. Hayes (although i would love to) I train with an instructor that he has trained. The problem is that bo staff training is limited at the moment to occasional seminars. Although in the future there will be specific classes for bojutsu, right now i'm just looking for something that i can follow up on at home. I do have dr. hatsumi's book and i was looking for other books related to the ninjutsu style of bo staff training.

So far i've only been able to find it as a kind of european sport, so i was just asking around for anyone that knows good material for it for the ninjutsu style.

when I first met him 21 years ago

you met Dr. Hatsumi?! wow, i've always wanted to meet him. He is an amazing person. And from what I've seen of him on videos he has a great sense of humor too. :D

[SilentNightfall]

Actually, I think Brad was referring to having met Mr. Hayes 21 years ago, but I could be wrong, as usual. LoL.

[Andrew Green]

AAARRRGGG!!!!

It's not a "bo staff", it's a "bo", or a "staff", or even a "bo/staff", "bo staff" sounds silly.

As for ninjitsu methods - not a clue.

[SilentNightfall]

Actually, it's a Rokuskaku Bo, but who wants to be technical? :D

[Andrew Green]

Not if it where a goshaku bo, or a nanashaku bo :p

[SilentNightfall]

Well, with ninjutsu I've only ever heard the term Rokushaku Bo applied. Perhaps we don't use the others much, eh? Care to elaborate upon the difference?

[Andrew Green]

Go - 5
Roku - 6
nana - 7

shaku - measurment unit, pretty close to 1 foot.

Basically "rokushaku bo" means "six foot stick"

[SilentNightfall]

There's why. Never used anything but the 6 ft. staff. And then of course the jo and hanbo, but that's an entirely different subject.

[Andrew Green]

Could call them a yonshaku bo and a san shaku bo if that would help?

[SilentNightfall]

If I did, I believe I would confuse a great many people who are unfamiliar with Japanese terminology. I'll save that fun lil' endeavor for after I spend my year in Japan. Then I can come back and act as if it's all unintentional. Just a mere result from cultural transition. Everyone will buy that. Heh heh heh.

[Andrew Green]

So then why use "rokushaku bo" instead of "6 foot staff"

Why not just have a staff, a short staff, and a big stick instead of bo, jo & hanbo?

I'm guessing you didn't know what rokushaku bo meant and you used it?

[SilentNightfall]

Got used to the term after having it written in so many of my resources, as well as stated in various videos. But then again, the two most popular weapons out of all the aforementioned are the Rokushaku Bo and the Hanbo, so I really can't give you an answer. I've just never heard or seen any of the other terms used during my time with the Bujinkan. Not really a big deal after all. I prefer to not focus too much on terminology and just "shut up and train."

[Brad Ellin]

Actually, I met both Mr. Hayes and Hatsumi 21 years ago, during Hatsumi's first visit to the USA. Which is why I HAVE to go to this year's Tai Kai.. Hatsumi's last visit to the USA.
When referring to the 6 foot staff, it is correct to say "bo" without any other clarification. Just as "jo" and "hanbo" are all you need to say when referring to the 4 foot and half stick.

[creaturegrl]

Actually, at the quest center dojo where I train, we do call it a bo staff.
we say bo staff
hanbo
and jo staff

i dont think it matters as long as everyone knows what your talking about.

Which is why I HAVE to go to this year's Tai Kai.. Hatsumi's last visit to the USA.

Tai Kai? What is that? I'm not that familiar with many of the conventions and events that go on but it sounds interesting. :p :)

[Brad Ellin]

Tai Kai is Soke's annual visit to the USA and Europe. Stephen Hayes' Shadows of Iga Ninja Festivals (yes, I'm that old!) were the precursor to the current Tai Kais'. There is really nothing wrong with saying bo staff or jo staff. Yes, it is redundant, but harmless. Kina like saying pistol gun. As long as you and I know what we are talking about you could call it a wang doodle stick, and I wouldn't care.

"Is it truly violence if my opponent's head JUST happens to be where the tip of my staff is?"
Stephen K. Hayes

[Airyu]

Hello,

Soke Hatsumi produced an excellent Kukishinden ryu rokushakubojutsu video. It should be a mainstay of your fundamental practice. Sensei Tanemura, also produced an early rokushakubojutsu video, which is no longer produced, but is really good. I think I got a copy back in 1993 or so.

For Hanbojutsu - Soke Hatsumi's book Stickfighting is clearly a classic.

Bufu Ikkan

Shidoshi Steve Lefebvre
www.Bujinkandojo.net

[jonmusk]

There seems to be a lot of patronising going on in this thread about the various names of the Bo, so I'm going to get straight to the point and say that I agree with Creaturegrl that it doesn't matter too much what you call it, so long as everyone knows what you're talking about.

I think if you are looking for a book specifically on using the Bo in your specific martial arts style, then I don't really think that is the best thing to do.

Remember that the Bo possibly originates from being the support for carrying water buckets over your shoulders, so at some point it wasn't a weapon at all. Therefore I suggest that the best thing to do if you want to teach yourself a particular weapon isn't to say I'll learn it in my martial arts style, but instead to say that you will try to teach yourself the weapon itself. There are only so many ways that you can hold and use a Bo, so to learn all of them would be the best and most effective goal, not just to learn a handful of methods derived for your specific most practiced art. The more you know about the weapon the better - The other advantage of learnign all different styles of the weapon is you will see the similarities and differences between them and possibly even derrive your own unique style which is the best way to become a master of any weapon. This will lead to you being un-predictive in a fight and possibly being the stronger opponent.

So to teach yourself I suggest buying ANY book on the Bo such as:

Bo, Karate Weapon of Self Defence - by Fumio Demura.

I'd also suggest possibly buying books on the Jo since it was developed from the Bo, as we all know to defeat Musashi Miyamoto and SOME of the same techniques, thoughts behind the movements are the same or similar.

Jo, The Japanese Short Staff - by Dan Zer & Tom Lang

I hope this helps you Creaturegrl and any other person wanting to learn any weapon, not just the Bo.

[xplasma]

Rokushaku Bo(6')
Sanjaku Jo(5')
Sanjaku Bo(commonly referred as Hanbo) (3')


These are the correct names of the japanese staffs.