Anyone recommend a jo?

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[JamesC]

I'm looking to buy a white oak jo(and possibly bokken). Just wondering if there are any companies that you guys recommend.

[Sy Labthavikul]

SDK Supplies, which is run by Kim Taylor, a respected iaidoka and jodoka.

http://sdksupplies.netfirms.com/

I have several of his white oak weapons (jo and bokken) and they are top-notch: great wood, great balance, and will take a hell of a beating.

I had one of his white oak jo that was too short for me and I decided to torture test it (after ordering a new one). I practiced full powered tsuki and shomenuchi on concrete cinder blocks till the concrete broke: the jo was pretty scuffed up but did not break. Great craftsmanship.

[Janet Rosen]

Another vote for Kim Taylor as a weapons-crafter and a businessman.

[Michael Hackett]

I've been really happy with the quality and craftsmanship of my bokken and jo from Tozando. The finest jo I've ever handled though was from Kingfisher.

[salim]

Great site for Aiki weapons:

http://aikiwood.com/

[lifeafter2am]

I've been really happy with the quality and craftsmanship of my bokken and jo from Tozando. The finest jo I've ever handled though was from Kingfisher.

I was wondering about Kingfisher my self. They always looked to have very high quality products to me. :)

[mwpowell]

I've been really happy with the quality and craftsmanship of my bokken and jo from Tozando. The finest jo I've ever handled though was from Kingfisher.

Since we live in Qatar & cannot get bokken / jo locally, my entire dojo ordered ours online from Tozando at http://www.bokkenshop.com.

Fast delivery & great quality...

[Michael Hackett]

Really expensive by comparison for the top of the line stuff, but the bokken and jo I've used have been of the finest quality. When I finally wear down what I have, I'm gonna order Kingfisher replacements.

[jennifer paige smith]

I was wondering about Kingfisher my self. They always looked to have very high quality products to me. :)

They are beautiful, hardwood tools of the trade. I might suggest having them as demonstration weapons on top of a white oak variety of weapon for everyday use. They are so much harder than most dojo-mates tools that they often dent them.If y'all don't mind that.......they are beautiful and well balanced. Practically breath in your hands.

[Beard of Chuck Norris]

Anyone recommend a jo?Jo Duncan, only Jo i've ever needed ;)

On a more practical note:

http://www.gascoals.net/Portals/1/087/CAL-T&T-300-FrenchStreetBroom.jpg

Just take the bottom bit off and away you go! :uch:

[Kind of serious about that btw, for those on a budget, a broom handle is great! :D]

[lifeafter2am]

Jo Duncan, only Jo i've ever needed ;)

On a more practical note:

http://http://www.gascoals.net/Portals/1/087/CAL-T&T-300-FrenchStreetBroom.jpg

Just take the bottom bit off and away you go! :uch:

[Kind of serious about that btw, for those on a budget, a broom handle is great! :D]

You have a double "http://" in that link which causes it to fail. You might want to edit it.

:)

[Sy Labthavikul]

Careful with broom handles though: most are made of a type of wood called ramin. Ramin has extremely long, straight grain, which is normally a good wood quality in weapons, and is quite hard, but its extremely brittle: those long wonderful grain fibers don't seem to be interconnected at all! If you do any hard contact with your jo, a ramin broomstick might shatter and cause injury. But for little to no contact for kata, a broomstick is pretty good.

[jennifer paige smith]

Careful with broom handles though: most are made of a type of wood called ramin. Ramin has extremely long, straight grain, which is normally a good wood quality in weapons, and is quite hard, but its extremely brittle: those long wonderful grain fibers don't seem to be interconnected at all! If you do any hard contact with your jo, a ramin broomstick might shatter and cause injury. But for little to no contact for kata, a broomstick is pretty good.

A thick dowel from the hardware store is made of stronger wood. It does require a little bit of sanding and you should buy two if you buy one. That way you and your training mate are equally equipped and broken sticks and the ensuing storm of splinters are less likely. That's my experience, at least.

[Michael Hackett]

Gee, I don't know about the dowel or broomstick ideas for any striking. I've seen two jo break under contact and one of them sent long shards of sharply pointed wood flying across the dojo. No other damage and no injury, but it could have been nasty. These were both good quality jo and relatively new. Selecting weapons isn't a good place to go on the cheap. Buy the best you can afford and take care of them.

[jennifer paige smith]

Gee, I don't know about the dowel or broomstick ideas for any striking. I've seen two jo break under contact and one of them sent long shards of sharply pointed wood flying across the dojo. No other damage and no injury, but it could have been nasty. These were both good quality jo and relatively new. Selecting weapons isn't a good place to go on the cheap. Buy the best you can afford and take care of them.

Yeah, I wouldn't particularly recommend them for striking, either. But they are good for Jo-Kata with light contact.

My laminated Bujin Jo did me fine for about 15 years until someone else apparently liked it more than I did and found a home for it with them. I still miss it. I remember as a Noob Nerd (which I still can proudly claim ;) ) repeatedly heating up the tip of a coat hanger on my gas stove and burnishing the butt of the Jo with the kanji for Masgatsu.

I'm thinkin' ' I would like to burnish the butt of the person who walked off with it the same'. What a jerk.....hahahahah.

[Ron Tisdale]

So THAT is what that character means... :D

Just kidding..

Ron ;)

[jennifer paige smith]

So THAT is what that character means... :D

Just kidding..

Ron ;)

Depending on how you write the character, or write on the character, as the case may be.....Good One.;)

[lifeafter2am]

My laminated Bujin Jo did me fine for about 15 years until someone else apparently liked it more than I did and found a home for it with them. I still miss it. I remember as a Noob Nerd (which I still can proudly claim ;) ) repeatedly heating up the tip of a coat hanger on my gas stove and burnishing the butt of the Jo with the kanji for Masgatsu.
h.

Ahem, kids, don't try this at home! :p

Speaking of which, that is a good idea though! :D

[Michael Hackett]

Jennifer,

Remember you'll have to burnish both cheeks in order to achieve a state of harmony. This brings a whole new meaning to WWJD! What Would Jennifer Do?

Don't blame you a bit.

[Bronson]

The Kingfisher stuff is really very good. But heed the warning about damaging your dojo mate's stuff. I've broken nearly half a dozen red oak bokken with my hickory Kingfisher :o

If you just want an entry level set of white oak weapons I've always had good luck with e-bogu (http://www.ebogu.com/).

Bronson

[Beard of Chuck Norris]

You have a double "http://" in that link which causes it to fail. You might want to edit it.

:)

Ahhh, I saw the image didn't come up but my blood-caffeine levels must have been too low to spot why!

can't edit it anymore. :crazy:

And as for the responses, we don't do a lot of striking with the jo round these parts.. primarily for kata and aikido stuffs, not so much kumijo. And so, a broom handle is fine! Even when we do striking (jo to jo or jo to bokken) it is never at full pelt ;)

Breakages can and will happen, regardless of price paid! You can minimise the chances by being gentle (I have had 2 shinai last for nearly 3 years in kendo) but if the wood wants to break...

[Mark Uttech]

Any hardware store should carry a supply of barn broom handles. I found them at Farm/Fleet. They are generally hickory and the price is $6-$10.

In gassho,

Mark

[xuzen]

Just ordered a Jo of the highest quality money can buy from Kingfisher. USD 154.00 for a little stick.

Can't wait to cause mayhem and destruction... Bad guys beware.

Boon.

[lifeafter2am]

Just ordered a Jo of the highest quality money can buy from Kingfisher. USD 154.00 for a little stick.

Can't wait to cause mayhem and destruction... Bad guys beware.

Boon.

Nice!

Be sure to let us know what you think!

:)

[xuzen]

Nice!

Be sure to let us know what you think!

:)

I have tried using a broom stick as a jo substitute before. I tried striking it on a coconut three and the broom stick split in two.

Next I used cane/rattan as a jo substitute. It is a good surrogate and very durable. My rattan Jo has taken much punishment and still it is in good condition. However I find that it has a major flaw.

It is too light. To get the power in the strike, I tend to use too much upper body strength and I know that it is not the proper way to use Jo.

I would continue to use this rattan simply at that moment I could not find an even better alternative until I come across this thread and kingfisher brand.

I hope Kingfisher will not disappoint me... or else my quest for the perfect Jo will have to continue.

Boon

[Lyle Bogin]

My expensive kingfisher lasted about as long as the ten buck piece of crap I started out with. It was so beautiful that I kept the tip to admire as a piece of craftsmanship, and I sawed the handle off to make a bokken for son to play ninja with.

Once a pack of dojo mates and myself ordered some bokken and jo (man, they were gorgeous dark wood). Looking them over I realized that some had a grain the full length of the wood and others did not. I picked the one with the longest and most complete grain and it is hard as iron and has lasted for years. Most of the others have broken.

I think the problem is that you need to see a fine weapon in person to inspect it for flaws. Had I seen that kingfisher, I would have noticed that the wood grain had a curve to it that peaked right at the spot it broke.

In the future I will never by an expensive weapon without picking it in person. So my grade for kingfisher is C-...pretty but you have to get lucky to get one that won't break, therefore overpriced and inappropriate for mail order purchase.

[jennifer paige smith]

Bujin still gets my vote for everyday reliable tools.

[xuzen]

I just get an email from Kingfisher it will take them 3 weeks to finish my product (I ordered the hand crafted version). Mine is haute couture, not pret-a-porter.

Coming from a McDonald generation... 3 weeks is hell long of a wait. I want my BigMac now.. now! Now!

Pray that my jo meets my expectation. Or else....

I will have to continue my search for my perfect jo, sigh!

Boon.

[Marc Abrams]

I have had my kingfisher jo for at least 15 years now. Brad is a fine man and an excellent craftsman. I have a complete set of his stuff (bokken, kotachi, jo, bo, tanto). Will be getting his weapons rack and having my students order their hickory weapons from him.

Marc Abrams

[xuzen]

Just got mine from the mail 20 days from whence I put my order.

So far it has good weight, and is straight ... wish it could be heavier.

The Jo is not entirely smooth which is great because it will give me a firm and confidence grip.

Boon.

[Ryokan]

When I trained kobudo, we ordered our weapons from Crane Mountain. Really nice stuff.

http://www.crane-mountain.com/

[Mark Uttech]

Onegaishimasu. I would like to point out something; that a 'heavy jo' is not always a good idea because it can cause calcium buildups on the wrists. I am speaking from experience here.

In gassho,

Mark

[Randy Sexton]

I bought a Kingfisher bokken last year (hand cut and top of the line hickory. Feels great and has stood up to many beatings over the year. Ask me if it was really worth the money in five years.
Bought a triple laminated Jo from Bujin and it is rock solid. My dojo whacks your jo pretty hard at times! It looks really good and was cut to my specifications to height (total cost less than $70)
Bought Shinai and Shoto and Tanto from Bujin as well.
Great stuff at good prices!
Hey, nice slogan. Think I can get Bujin owner Ikeda Sensei to use it?
Doc

[xuzen]

Onegaishimasu. I would like to point out something; that a 'heavy jo' is not always a good idea because it can cause calcium buildups on the wrists. I am speaking from experience here.

In gassho,

Mark

Mark,

What is calcium build up? What symptoms to look out for?

Boon.

[Mark Uttech]

Mark,

What is calcium build up? What symptoms to look out for?

Boon.

Onegaishimasu. A calcium buildup is a bony lump on the inside of the wrist. Mine went away after I quit swinging heavy bokken or jo. I trained with a straight crowbar for awhile and that may have aggravated the condition more than anything else. So now you know.

In gassho,

Mark

[xuzen]

I was not entirely please with my first jo from Kingfisher, so I went to reorder another one, this time, I ordered their hand cut version top of the line variant (read: most expensive one)

After 3 weeks, the jo arrived.

Below is a description:

It is made from hickory, milky/cream/off white in colour.

According to its specs: it has a gravity specificity of not less than 0.97. Higher value correlates to hardness.

It is very smoothly hand cut and has a nice feel to it. It is not slippery at all even with sweaty palms.

It feels full and has excellent grip and very good for the shifting techniques used in SMR syllabus.

It has good weight and balance.

All in all, I am mighty please with this second jo.

Boon

[Aviv]

We focus on the fact that the jo is a training tool. We use hickory jo that are quite durable and cost only $25.

[jennifer paige smith]

We focus on the fact that the jo is a training tool. We use hickory jo that are quite durable and cost only $25.

And where do you acquire this reasonably priced training tool?

Best,
Jen

[Mark Uttech]

Onegaishimasu. At Farm/Fleet one can find a hickory barn broom handle for $10 or less. These barn broom handles are generally 72 inches in length. I remember when they used to be under 6 bucks!

In gassho,

Mark

[makuchg]

My money always goes to Kiyota Company in Maryland. No web site, but they'll mail you a catalogue if you call: (410) 366-8275.

Very reputable products, very reputable service. Top notch quality and design.

[Cynrod]

I've been using the E-Bogu white oak Jo and I've been happy with it.

A friend of mine told me about the Sandata Crafts in the Philippines. I checked their website and I was impressed by the quality of their wooden weapons. The website is www.sandatacrafts.com and you can check all of their products there.

[CitoMaramba]

I've been using the E-Bogu white oak Jo and I've been happy with it.

A friend of mine told me about the Sandata Crafts in the Philippines. I checked their website and I was impressed by the quality of their wooden weapons. The website is www.sandatacrafts.com and you can check all of their products there.

Mahiwagang Sandata! Tangkilikin ang produktong Pilipino!
(Enchanted Weapons! Support Philippine products!)

[Jon Shickel]

They are beautiful, hardwood tools of the trade. I might suggest having them as demonstration weapons on top of a white oak variety of weapon for everyday use. They are so much harder than most dojo-mates tools that they often dent them.If y'all don't mind that.......they are beautiful and well balanced. Practically breath in your hands.

I've used ones from e-bogu ( http://www.e-bogu.com/Top_Quality_50_White_Oak_Jo50_p/yut-wea-jo-tqjo-white-50.htm ) and was pretty happy with it. But then I got a "Standard", not "Hand Cut" Jo from Kingfisher .. but with a higher grade of wood. It's very, very nice. It's feels much more lively to me than the one from e-bogu.

[James Edwards]

I just got a 2.4cm diameter shiro kashi jo from nine circles.
http://www.ninecircles.co.uk/product_details.asp?ProdID=332&CatID=17

Very smooth, no splinters and not too light.

[Demetrio Cereijo]

I use big broom handles.... no problem with them.

[Michael O'Brien]

Another vote for Bujin. I ordered a jo to size and matching bokken several years ago and they have both served me incredibly well.

My wife is finally starting to train with me after getting tired of being a dojo widow :) so for Christmas she will probably get her a set of her own as well.

For now she is using my old hand me downs since I have way too many bokken, jo, bo, and miscellaneous other weapons lying around the house.

Mike