Muso Gonnosuke Katsuyoshi, founder of Shinto Muso Ryu Jo
Shinto Muso Ryu Jo is said to be the original Japanese art involving the combative use of the jo, a round, oak stick of approximately 4 feet in length. This martial arts was founded approximately 400 years ago by Muso Gonnosuke Katsuyoshi, a fully licensed member of the Tenshinsho-den Katori Shinto Ryu and, later, an exponent of Kashima Shin Ryu.
Gonnosuke is said to have been the only warrior to have defeated the famed Miyamoto Musashi in a duel. He did so using the jo. Naturally, Shinto Muso Ryu Jo is comprised mostly of stick versus sword forms; however, advanced instruction includes a number of auxiliary weapons systems including swordsmanship, short stick, and kusari-gama (sickle with weighted chain), among others.
