When I was young and foolish (you should pardon the tautology), I spent a lot of time studying Aikido. This does not count as one of my stupid/foolish activities. One of the weapons Aikido teaches is called a jo. A bo is about the equivalent of a quarterstaff. A jo is a shorter staff; typically sized to reach from the floor to your armpit.

I got a solid piece of Pao Brazil—a dense tough tropical wood with an interlaced grain pattern. Not only was it billed as being really strong and tough and impact resistant, it was also a beautiful vermillion red. I made a walking staff out of that wood. Except for the smooth finish and the ornamental head, you could not tell the difference between it and an Aikido jo. I loved that stick, and carried it for years.

Time passed and stuff happened, and somebody stole my street jo. By then Brazil had forbidden the export of Pao Brazil lumber. That was not good news, but I don’t object to attempts to conserve on endangered species. My next stick was made of purpleheart. It is also a South American hardwood, with a similar tough grain. On the Amazon river they used it to make piers and bollards because it stands up to impact shock so well. It was supposed to be a wood that was as tough for fighting stick purposes as Pao Brazil. Rather than the deep red of Pao Brazil though, purpleheart is colored more…purple. It still looks good, with a tight grain and a good color. I made myself another walking staff, the duplicate of my original one in a different wood. I still have that one, and I still love it.

Last summer the word went round that Bark River was planning another run of Goloks. I’d seen Mike’s stuff, and he has made knives using purpleheart handles in the past. So I called DLT and asked for a Golok with purpleheart grips. I do like that wood. My Golok is supposed to be on its way to me now. But if you check DLT Trading Company, and look up Bark River Goloks, there’s still a picture of mine in the lineup.