What Is Jodo and What Equipment Do You Need to Start Training?
Jodo is a Japanese martial art built around the jo, a short wooden staff roughly 1.28 metres (about four shaku, two sun, eight bu) long. You use it to defend against a sword, and you train mostly through paired forms rather than free sparring. The "-do" in the name means "way," so Jodo is the modern, discipline-focused form of what was once called Jojutsu, the older combat-oriented staff art. If you want to start, you need a jo, comfortable training clothes, and a partner or class to practise the paired kata with. Everything else is optional at the beginning.
Jodo vs. Jojutsu: What's the Difference?
The two terms describe the same weapon and overlapping techniques, but they sit in different eras and carry different emphases.
| Jojutsu | Jodo | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | "Art of the staff" (jutsu = technique) | "Way of the staff" (do = path) |
| Focus | Practical combat application | Discipline, form, and self-development |
| Context | Older battlefield and duelling traditions | Modern systematised practice, often tied to a specific school or federation |
| Training emphasis | Effectiveness against an armed opponent | Precision, timing, and correct form in paired kata |
In practice, many schools use the terms loosely, and a dojo teaching Jodo is still teaching the technical content that grew out of Jojutsu. The distinction matters most when you are reading about history or choosing a school whose curriculum is described one way or the other.
Why the Jo Staff Matters
The jo was developed as a response to the sword: it is long enough to keep a swordsman at distance, short enough to move quickly, and simple enough to be carried almost anywhere. Its standard length is about 1.28 m, though some traditions adjust this to the practitioner's height. Most training jo are made of hardwood — white oak (shiro kashi) and hickory are the two materials SDKsupplies lists as its standardised wooden weapon lines, alongside one-of-a-kind custom pieces.
Material and straightness matter more than finish. A warped or overly light jo will teach you bad habits in grip and alignment, so it is worth checking that the staff rolls straight and has a consistent weight along its length.
How Jodo Training Usually Works
Jodo is almost entirely a paired art. The core of practice is kata in which one person wields a sword (often a wooden bokuto rather than a live blade) and the other responds with the jo. This is why Jodo is often studied alongside swordsmanship — the iaido and kenjutsu side of the curriculum teaches you what the sword partner is doing, which makes your staff responses make sense.
A typical session involves:
- Warm-up and basic suburi (swinging drills) to build grip and body mechanics
- Paired kata, alternating roles so you learn both the sword and staff sides
- Correction of distance, timing, and posture by the instructor
- Occasionally, solo forms or weapons-handling drills
Because the sword side is integral, many practitioners cross-train in iaido or kenjutsu at the same school. If you are choosing a dojo, ask whether both sides of the kata are taught — a school that only ever lets you hold the jo will leave gaps in your understanding.
Equipment You Actually Need to Start
You do not need much. The essentials:
- A jo — the one piece of equipment you cannot substitute. Start with a standard-length hardwood staff.
- Training clothes — a gi or any loose, durable clothing you can move in. A hakama is traditional but usually optional for beginners.
- A bokuto (wooden sword) — needed once you start taking the sword side of paired kata. Many beginners borrow one at first.
- Instructional material — a manual or video helps you review kata between classes, especially if your dojo meets only once or twice a week.
Nice to have, but not required to begin: a weapons bag to carry the jo and bokuto, and a display stand if you want to store them at home. SDKsupplies lists weapons bags and display stands among its storage and display categories, along with custom and standard wooden weapons.
Where to Find Jodo Gear and Training Materials
Specialty martial arts suppliers are the practical route, since general sporting goods stores rarely stock a correctly sized jo. SDKsupplies (sdksupplies.netfirms.com) is one example: it carries custom and standardised wooden weapons, including shiro kashi and hickory lines, one-of-a-kind bokuto and suburito, and a catalogue of instructional materials.
A few things worth knowing before you order from a supplier like this:
- The site states that prices usually include taxes and shipping within the USA and Canada, and that it ships worldwide — but you need to email to confirm prices for international orders.
- It notes a tariff-related restriction: shiro kashi items can no longer be shipped to the USA, while Canadian-sourced items such as hickory weapons are expected to be tariffed at a lower rate. This is described as a volatile situation, so confirm before ordering.
- Payment is handled through PayPal, or by Interac bank transfer within Canada. There is no phone contact — the site explicitly says it has no phone number.
For instructional content, the same supplier offers Sei Do Kai training manuals and videos, plus free e-books and free downloadable videos. If you are self-studying or supplementing class time, those are a low-cost way to review forms. A blog by "Unka Kim" is also linked for readers who want more background.
A Practical Starting Path
- Find a class or training partner — Jodo is very hard to learn correctly from video alone because the paired timing is the whole point.
- Get a standard hardwood jo and loose training clothes.
- Borrow a bokuto until you are sure you will continue.
- Pick up one manual or video to review kata between sessions.
- Add a bag and stand later, once carrying and storing your weapons becomes a hassle.
The art is inexpensive to enter and slow to master, which is exactly the point. Start with the staff, find someone to train the paired forms with, and let the rest of the equipment follow.