February 29th, 2008
What Is The Hanbo, And Why To We Use It?
The hanbo is a staff weapon used in the martial arts of Japan. It is very popular with the members of the Bujinkan Taijutsu martial art. The hanbo is a stick about three feet long with a diameter of about an inch. The name of the weapon comes from the name of another weapon, the rokushaku-bo, the “six-shaku-stick.” A shaku is about twelve inches. So when we say, “hanbo,” which means, “half-stick,” we are acknowledging the existence of a larger weapon. This is truly very significant!