The bō is a nearly 6 feet long stick. The Okinawan version, called a kon in the native Okinawan language, is tapered towards both ends, unlike most Chinese and Japanese staves. It is the most common implement in the kobudo syllabus.
The Matayoshi system also uses a kyushaku, or nearly 3 meter, bō, and occasionally a shorter 1-1.5 meter bō, or jo. These weapons are practiced using kon kata, properly modified for the different length, though there is a separate kata for the jo.
Bo is the first weapon that students are introduced to when they begin training in Matayoshi Kobudo Kodokan because it is the foundation of the system. The Bo was probably the most inconspicuous weapons of all because in daily life it was just a pole to carry loads on the shoulders. The practice of Bo involves training in kihon or basic techniques, kata or pre-arranged imaginary fight, kumi or sparring, and bunkai or applications. Each one of these training elements are equally important and all of them are very interrelated with each other. Even though there are different sizes of Bo the most commonly used and known is the roku shaku Bo which is almost 6 feet. Besides the 6 foot Bo, there are 3 feet and 4 feet Bo as well as long ones ranging from 8 feet to 9 feet to 13 feet.
There are 5 basic classical kata for the bo in the Matayoshi syllabus. They are:
- Shushi no kon
- Choun no kon
- Chikin no kon
- Sakugawa no kon
- Shiisu no kon
Shushi no kon is the basic kata for the system, and is common to most Okinawan kobudo systems, in slightly different iterations. Choun non kon is a slightly less common bo form on Okinawa, being done in Yamane Ryu and some Taira linage schools, and is said to be about 250 years old. Sakugawa no kon is named for its creator, “Tode” Sakugawa, a very famous Okinawan martial artist. Tsuken no kon is named for the island it comes from, Tsuken jima, a small island off Okinawa. It is also common to a couple of Okinawan systems. Shishi no kon is the last kata in the system, and is also taught in some Taira lineage schools, possibly coming from Yabiku Moden. It is supposedly named for its creator, though a stone reference in the name also refers to the technique of tossing small stones with the feet that is contained in the kata.
There are also a number of other bō kata that have been trained or taught at one time or another in the Matayoshi dojo, though they were not considered a core part of the system. These include: Ufutun no kon, a village form the name of which refers to the police; it also has another name that reads something along the lines of “circular method”; Tokumine no kon, which was created by Tokumine sensei and passed on by Kyan Chotoku; Yonegawa no kon, a left handed kon kata also included in the Taira lineage schools from Yabiku Moden; Kubo no kon; and Yara no kon, which may be related to Chatanyara no kon from the Taira lineage. Kimo sensei also teaches the kata Papuhaku sho and dai as training kata for the bo, together with 2 person bunkai kumite for these training kata .
Training with the bō will develop a sense of Maai (間合い), distance. This is extremely important for the development of coordinated blocks and strikes with other weapons.
It takes approximately 3 months to get “a feel” for the bō. After six months of training, participants should be able to perform their first kata (form), called Shushi no kon.