A bo-staff is, as one might expect, a staff. You know, a single item, between 6 and 9 feet long, straight line, round, wood? Staves are used in martial arts around the world, but the Bō specifically comes from the indigenous people of Okinawa (and was later incorporated into several other Japanese styles); it was first developed when the natives were forbidden from owning weapons of any kind in order to prevent uprising against their colonizers, so they trained in combat with farm implements and simple poles in order to defend themselves.
And a blade in this shape would have very little reach and move along limited and predictable paths in order to avoid eviscerating the wielder, so it would be easier to defend against than a typical knife-fighter.
edit: The word “buugeng” was made up by Dai Murata, a Japanese entertainer, in 2001. They’re derived from the “s-staff” used in a 1991 PBS special “In Motion with Michael Moschen”, which was essentially a juggling act. The word is derived from the terms for ‘martial art’ and ‘illusion’ and refers to how they’re great for making cool visual effects and optical illusions on stage but not actually hitting things.
There is a real weapon vaguely reminiscent of these, blades from China known variously as deer horn knives, crescent moon knives, or duck blades. They allow a fighter with light, easily concealed weapons to match up against spears and long blades by providing a solid hand-guard and lots of angles to trap an opponent’s weapon in while you advance, and allow for very rapid, precise strikes and easy adoption into unarmed combat styles since they never extend more than a few inches from the hand.
The best rule of thumb for identifying whether a supposed weapon was actually used in obscure martial arts or if it was just made to look good is to ask yourself “could I swing this in combat without cutting my own hand off?”
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