King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Bōjutsu vs Judo

Bōjutsu and Judo side by side, from the facts recorded for each art.

BōjutsuJudo
Country of originRyukyu KingdomJapan
Created—1882
Founder—Kanō Jigorō
Typebudō and jutsucombat sport, martial arts and Olympic sport
Competition at the Olympics—Yes – 64 Olympic events recorded
Notable practitioners here13052
Top countries of practitionersJapanJapan, Russia and United States
Equipment and weapons—judogi and tatami
Belt ranks—Yes
Weight classes—Yes
Energy use (MET)—11.3 MET (Judo)

Bōjutsu

Bōjutsu (Japanese: 棒術, lit. 'staff technique') is the martial art of stick fighting using a bō, which is the Japanese word for staff. Staffs have been in use for thousands of years in Asian martial arts like Silambam. Some techniques involve slashing, swinging, and stabbing with the staff. Others involve using the staff as a vaulting pole or as a prop for hand-to-hand strikes.

From the Wikipedia article Bōjutsu (CC BY-SA 4.0).

More about Bōjutsu →

Judo

Judo (Japanese: 柔道, Hepburn: Jūdō; lit. 'gentle way') is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), Paralympic sport (since 1988) and Commonwealth Games sport (since 1990). Judo is the most prominent form of Samurai throws and self-defense competed internationally. Judo was created in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō (嘉納 治五郎) as an eclectic martial art, distinguishing itself from its predecessors (primarily Tenjin Shinyo-ryu jujutsu and Kitō-ryū jujutsu) due to an emphasis on "randori" (乱取り, lit. 'free sparring') instead of kata (形, kata; pre-arranged forms) alongside its removal of striking and weapon training elements. Judo rose to prominence for its dominance over established jujutsu schools in tournaments hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (警視庁武術大会, Keishicho Bujutsu Taikai), resulting in its adoption as the department's primary martial art. A judo practitioner is called a "judoka" (柔道家, jūdōka), and the judo uniform is called "judogi" (柔道着, jūdōgi; "judo attire").

From the Wikipedia article Judo (CC BY-SA 4.0).

More about Judo →

Facts from Wikidata (CC0): Q961126, Q11420. Practitioner counts are the people with a profile on this site. Data retrieved 2026-10-22.

Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.

Last posts

  1. Best Escrima Sticks for Kids Under Ten
  2. How Many Kali Sticks Should You Own for Training
  3. Best Stick Striking Gear Tire Stands vs Training Dummies
  4. Best Forearm Guards for Stick Drills and Impact Protection
  5. Best Burned-Pattern Rattan Sticks for Gift Giving
  6. Choosing a Stick-Fighting Helmet for Club Sparring
  7. How to Stop Escrima Sticks Slipping with Sweaty Hands
  8. Choosing Soft Sticks for Kids Games and Safe Play
  9. Best Padded Sticks for Self-Defense Training and Safety
  10. Best Lightweight Escrima Sticks for Speed and Quick Strikes