Jodo is a modern budo discipline, which is practiced under the ZNKR (Zen Nihon Kendo Renmei). It is based on the teachings of the ancient Japanese martial arts school Shindo Muso Ryu. In this sense jodo differs from ZNKR iaido, which is based on the teachings of several different iai schools. The history of Shindo Muso Ryu can thus also be called the history of Seitei jodo.

In the beginning of the 17th century a samurai called Muso Gonnosuke Katsukichi lost a battle against the legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. Gonnosuke used a "bo", a staff as long as a man and Musashi used two swords. After his defeat Gonnosuke retreated to a temple on the mountain Homa where he meditated and is told to have had an epiphany. Inspired by this he shortened the bo and made it thinner, thus creating a "jo".

Jo simply means "stick". It is usually made of oak wood. In most schools the length of the jo depends on the user but nowadays it has been defined as having 127,6 cm in length and 2,42 cm in girth. In the beginning Muso Gonnosuke created five techniques for the jo. Over the years more techniques have been developed and Shindo Muso ryu jojutsu, the art of stick fighting was established on the foundation of these techniques.

According to information passed down from generation to generation, Muso Gonnosuke went out to seek Musashi for a rematch and this time defeated the swordsman, whom many thought invincible. Gonnosuke moved to Fukuoka to serve under the daimyo Kuroda Nagamasa and the jojutsu he developed lived on as Kuroda clan's private form of combat up until the 1930's.

Shimizu Takaji(1876-1978) was from the Kuroda clan's ancient territory in Fukuoka. He was the 25th sôke of Shindo Muso Ryu. In the turn of the 1930's the Japanese police force became interested in the application of jo techniques into the use of night sticks. Many jo techniques are meant for restraining and tying people down which can be used effectively in a police arrest. The cooperation between Shimizu and many highly skilled kendo teachers started at that time. In 1940 he changed the name of the school and jojutsu became jodo, the way of the stick.

The post-war occupation brought with it among other things a prohibition of the practice of martial arts. This didn't include jodo, because it was practiced by the police, whose task it was to keep order. This is why many kendo teachers practiced with a jo during those years. In 1960 Shimizu came up with 12 different kata and a preparatory program which included exercises to be performed both individually and pairwise. These kata were requested by the Zen Nihon Kendo Renmei, the Japanese Kendo Federation. ZNKR jodo was accepted as an official discipline of the ZNKR in 1969 and was introduced to the public in the same event as ZNKR iaido.

The practice of jodo is based on the basic exercises developed by Shimizu Takaji. The basic exercises or kihon are divided into 12 individual exercises (tandoku dosa) and 12 pair exercises (sotai dosa). In the pair exercises the shidachi ("the sword that performs", refers to the first opponent) or more correctly shijo ("the stick that performs") uses a jo and the uchidachi ("the sword that strikes", refers to the other opponent) uses a bokken or a wooden sword. The mastery of the techniques prepares the jodoka for the 12 seitei kata (lit. form, choreographed exercise), which are always performed pairwise. The jodo kata are powerful and versatile.

In jodo there are no protectors and there is no sparring with an opponent as in kendo. The most important thing in the practice of jodo is the exact control of the movements and the contact. The hitting range of a jo is much wider and as a weapon it's more flexible than a sword. The distance can be changed rapidly and both ends of the jo can be used for striking or thrusting. This ensures a lot of variety in combat. A jo can also be used as a shield and to tie down the opponent. The practice of jodo is very affordable and is well suited for people of all ages, who are interested in the art of combat. The Finnish Kendo Association made jodo a part of its official programme in autumn 2002.