Jōdō
/ˈdʑoːdoː/noun
A Japanese martial art that uses a short staff called a jō against a sword or other weapon.
Did you know?Jōdō grew from jōjutsu, a martial tradition associated with Musō Gonnosuke, who legend says defeated the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi using a staff.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Chinese
杖
“A staff, cane, or rod; the source of the Japanese reading jō.”
Classical Chinese
Chinese
道
“A road, path, method, or way; the philosophical root behind the Japanese reading dō.”
Ancient Japan
Japanese
jō
“A staff or stick, written with the character 杖.”
Ancient Japan
Japanese
dō
“A way, path, or disciplined tradition, written with 道.”
Early Modern Japan
Japanese
jōjutsu
“Techniques or art of using the jō as a weapon.”
20th Century
Japanese
jōdō
“The “way of the staff,” the modern name for the organized martial art derived from jōjutsu.”