Jodo is a Japanese martial art that is over 400 years old; consisting of a four foot stick against a Samurai sword. This art was developed by a Bo Master who had a non-lethal duel with a famous Samurai of the time.
His Bo (staff) was six feet in length and yet he still lost the match. He retreated to the mountains for a year, cut off a two-foot length from the Bo and developed a series of new defensive as well as offensive techniques and forms, and challenged the Samurai to a second match. He won this match easily, and so the Jodo we practice today was derived from that very Jo Master.
We use the same style stick (Jo) today but we use wooden swords, not real ones. The primary reason is for safety, but also because real swords could not stand up to the bashing and abuse that they would recieve from Jodo techniques.
Jodo is an excellent introduction to the weapons class of the Martial Arts. No previous training of any kind is necessary to learn the art of Jodo. Jodo is great for developing mind, hand and eye co-ordination, as well as a very effective method of Self-Defence.