1.
bamboo pole
A long, straight section of bamboo used as a pole — for laundry, fishing, vaulting, or supporting plants. Often written 竹竿 with kanji.
Compound of 竹 (bamboo) + 竿 (pole, rod). Note the rendaku: さお → ざお. Often written with the kanji 竹竿.
Usage
A traditional household and outdoor tool. Familiar Japanese sights: laundry hung on a 竹ざお stretched between two posts, the long pole used by the 竹ざお売り (itinerant bamboo-pole seller, whose distinctive call was once common in residential neighborhoods).