Hu (ritual baton)

Originally, the hu was held by officials in court to record significant orders and instructions by the emperors.

During the Tang dynasty, court etiquette required officials to wear the hu in their belts when riding horses.

The hu used by lower rank mandarins were made of bamboo and were angled at the top and square at the bottom.

In contemporary times, the hu is mostly used by as part of the traditional outfit of daoshi during formal and ceremonial functions such as the performing of rites.

[5] The character's unusual pronunciation seems to derive from the fact the baton is approximately one shaku (an old unit of measurement equivalent to 30.3 cm (11.9 in)) in length.

[5] A shaku or teita (手板) is a baton or scepter about 35 cm (14 in) long, held vertically in the right hand, and was traditionally part of a nobleman's formal attire (the sokutai.

[7] The Engishiki, a Japanese book of laws and regulations written in 927, permits to all the use of shaku of unfinished wood, except when wearing special ceremonial clothes called reifuku (礼服).