485BPOS

As filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on October 14, 2014

1933 Act File No. 002-48925
1940 Act File No. 811-02402

U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 x
PRE-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. ¨
POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 82
and/or

 REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 x
AMENDMENT NO. 65
(CHECK APPROPRIATE BOX OR BOXES)

JOHN HANCOCK SOVEREIGN BOND FUND
(EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN CHARTER)

601 CONGRESS STREET
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02210-2805
(ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES) (ZIP CODE)

REGISTRANT'S TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE
 (617) 663-2999

JOHN J. DANELLO, ESQ.
601 CONGRESS STREET
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02210-2805
(NAME AND ADDRESS OF AGENT FOR SERVICE)

COPIES OF COMMUNICATIONS TO:

MARK P. GOSHKO, ESQ.

K & L GATES LLP
ONE LINCOLN STREET
BOSTON, MA 02111-2950

APPROXIMATE DATE OF PROPOSED PUBLIC OFFERING: As soon as practicable after the

effective date of this Registration Statement.

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):

x immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485

¨ on [date] pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485

¨ 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 485

¨ on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 485

¨ 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485

¨ on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485

If appropriate, check the following box:

¨ this post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EX-101 INSTANCE DOCUMENT

EX-101 SCHEMA DOCUMENT

EX-101 CALCULATION LINKBASE DOCUMENT

EX-101 LABELS LINKBASE DOCUMENT

EX-101 PRESENTATION LINKBASE DOCUMENT

EX-101 DEFINITION LINKBASE DOCUMENT

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this Amendment to the Registration Statement under Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this Amendment to the Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of Boston, and The Commonwealth of Massachusetts on the 14^th day of October, 2014.

JOHN HANCOCK SOVEREIGN BOND FUND
By:	/s/ Andrew G. Arnott
Name:	Andrew G. Arnott
Title:	President

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this amendment to the Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the date(s) indicated.

Signature	Title	Date
/s/ Andrew G. Arnott	President	October 14, 2014
Andrew G. Arnott
/s/ Charles A. Rizzo	Chief Financial Officer	October 14, 2014
Charles A. Rizzo	(Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)
/s/ Charles L. Bardelis *	Trustee	October 14, 2014
Charles L. Bardelis
/s/ Craig Bromley *	Trustee	October 14, 2014
Craig Bromley
/s/ Peter S. Burgess *	Trustee	October 14, 2014
Peter S. Burgess
/s/ William H. Cunningham *	Trustee	October 14, 2014
William H. Cunningham
/s/ Grace K. Fey *	Trustee	October 14, 2014
Grace K. Fey
/s/ Theron S. Hoffman *	Trustee	October 14, 2014
Theron S. Hoffman
/s/ Deborah C. Jackson *	Trustee	October 14, 2014
Deborah C. Jackson
/s/ Hassell H. McClellan *	Trustee	October 14, 2014
Hassell H. McClellan
/s/ James M. Oates *	Trustee	October 14, 2014
James M. Oates
/s/ Steven R. Pruchansky *	Trustee	October 14, 2014
Steven R. Pruchansky
/s/ Gregory A. Russo *	Trustee	October 14, 2014
Gregory R. Russo
/s/ Warren A. Thomson *	Trustee	October 14, 2014
Warren A. Thomson

*By: Power of Attorney
*By:	/s/ Nicholas J. Kolokithas
	Nicholas J. Kolokithas Attorney-In-Fact
	*Pursuant to Power of Attorney previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 81 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on September 25, 2014

Exhibit Index

EX-101.INS	XBRL Instance Document
EX-101.SCH	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
EX-101.CAL	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
EX-101.LAB	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase Document
EX-101.PRE	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
EX-101.DEF	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

XML

(Bond Fund - Classes A, B and C) | (Bond Fund)

Investment objective

To seek a high level of current income consistent with prudent investment risk.

Fees and expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts on Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the John Hancock family of funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial representative and on pages 17 to 18 of the prospectus under "Sales charge reductions and waivers" or pages 119 to 122 of the fund's Statement of Additional Information under "Initial sales charge on Class A shares."

Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees ­ (Bond Fund) (USD $)	Class A		Class B	Class C
Maximum front-end sales charge (load) on purchases, as a % of purchase price	4.00%		none	none
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) as a % of purchase or sale price, whichever is less	1.00%	[1]	5.00%	1.00%
Small account fee (for fund account balances under $1,000)	20		20	20

Annual fund operating expenses (%) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses ­ (Bond Fund)		Class A	Class B	Class C
Management fee		0.47%	0.47%	0.47%
Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees		0.30%	1.00%	1.00%
Other expenses		0.21%	0.21%	0.21%
Total annual fund operating expenses		0.98%	1.68%	1.68%
Contractual expense reimbursement	[1]	(0.05%)	(0.05%)	(0.05%)
Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursements		0.93%	1.63%	1.63%

Expense example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. Please see below a hypothetical example showing the expenses of a $10,000 investment in the fund for the time periods indicated assuming you redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. For Class B and Class C shares, the expense examples may differ if shares are sold or kept at the end of the period. The example assumes a 5% average annual return. The example assumes fund expenses will not change over the periods. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

Sold

Expense Example (Bond Fund) ­ (USD $)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Class A	491	695	915	1,549
Class B	666	825	1,108	1,797
Class C	266	525	908	1,983

Kept

Expense Example, No Redemption (Bond Fund) ­ (USD $)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Class B	166	525	908	1,797
Class C	166	525	908	1,983

Portfolio turnover

The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund's performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 77% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of bonds. These may include, but are not limited to, corporate bonds and debentures, as well as U.S. government and agency securities. Most of these securities are investment grade, although the fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in debt securities rated, at the time of acquisition, below investment grade (i.e., junk bonds) as low as CC by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (S&P) and Ca by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. (Moody's), or in unrated securities determined by the fund's investment advisor or subadvisor to be of comparable credit quality. The fund contemplates that at least 75% of the value of its net assets will be in investment-grade debt securities and cash and cash equivalents. There is no limit on the fund's average maturity.

In managing the fund's portfolio, the subadvisor concentrates on sector allocation, industry allocation, and security selection, deciding which types of bonds and industries to emphasize at a given time, and then which individual bonds to buy. When making sector and industry allocations, the subadvisor tries to anticipate shifts in the business cycle, using top-down analysis to determine which sectors and industries may benefit over the next 12 months.

In choosing individual securities, the subadvisor uses bottom-up research to find securities that appear comparatively undervalued. The subadvisor looks at bonds of all quality levels and maturities from many different issuers, potentially including foreign governments and corporations denominated in U.S. dollars or foreign currencies. The fund will not invest more than 10% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies. It is anticipated that under normal market conditions, the fund will not invest more than 25% of its total assets in U.S. dollar-denominated foreign securities (excluding U.S. dollar-denominated Canadian securities).

The fund intends to keep its exposure to interest-rate movements generally in line with those of its peers. The fund may invest in mortgage-related securities and derivatives, which include futures contracts on securities and indexes; options on futures contracts, securities, and indexes; interest-rate, foreign currency, and credit default swaps; and foreign currency forward contracts, in each case for the purposes of reducing risk, obtaining efficient market exposure, and/or enhancing investment returns. The fund's investments in U.S. government and agency securities may or may not be supported by the full faith and credit of the United States.

Under normal circumstances, the fund may not invest more than 10% of its assets in cash or cash equivalents (except cash segregated in relation to futures, forward, and options contracts).

Principal risks

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The fund's shares will go up and down in price, meaning that you could lose money by investing in the fund. Many factors influence a mutual fund's performance.

Instability in the financial markets has led many governments, including the U.S. government, to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that have experienced extreme volatility and, in some cases, a lack of liquidity. Federal, state, and other governments, and their regulatory agencies or self-regulatory organizations, may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which the fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the fund itself is regulated. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the fund's ability to achieve its investment objective. In addition, political events within the United States and abroad, including the U.S. government's ongoing difficulty agreeing on a long-term budget and deficit reduction plan and uncertainty surrounding sovereign debt of European Union members, could negatively impact financial markets and the fund's performance. Further, certain municipalities of the United States and its territories are financially strained and may face the possibility of default on their debt obligations, which could directly or indirectly detract from the fund's performance.

Governments or their agencies may also acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets are unclear, and such a program may have positive or negative effects on the liquidity, valuation, and performance of the fund's portfolio holdings. Furthermore, volatile financial markets can expose the fund to greater market and liquidity risk and potential difficulty in valuing portfolio instruments held by the fund.

The fund's main risk factors are listed below in alphabetical order. Before investing, be sure to read the additional descriptions of these risks beginning on page 6 of the prospectus.

Active management risk. The subadvisor's investment strategy may fail to produce the intended result.

Changing distribution levels risk. The distribution amounts paid by the fund generally depend on the amount of income and/or dividends paid by the fund's investments.

Credit and counterparty risk. The issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, the counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract, or a borrower of a fund's securities may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest, or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations. U.S. government securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk depending upon the nature of their support. Funds that invest in fixed-income securities are subject to varying degrees of risk that the issuers of the securities will have their credit rating downgraded or will default, potentially reducing a fund's share price and income level.

Economic and market events risk. Events in the financial markets have resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. In addition, reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets may adversely affect issuers worldwide. Banks and financial services companies could suffer losses if interest rates were to rise or economic conditions deteriorate.

Fixed-income securities risk. Fixed-income securities are affected by changes in interest rates and credit quality. A rise in interest rates typically causes bond prices to fall. The longer the average maturity or average duration of the bonds held by the fund, the more sensitive the fund is likely to be to interest-rate changes. There is the possibility that the issuer of the security will not repay all or a portion of the principal borrowed and will not make all interest payments.

Foreign securities risk. As compared to U.S. corporate and government issuers, there may be less publicly available information relating to foreign corporate and government issuers. Foreign securities may be subject to foreign taxes. The value of foreign securities is subject to currency fluctuations and adverse political and economic developments.

Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions risk. Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions may increase the volatility of a fund and, if the transaction is not successful, could result in a significant loss to a fund. The use of derivative instruments could produce disproportionate gains or losses, more than the principal amount invested. Investing in derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments and, in a down market, could become harder to value or sell at a fair price. The following is a list of certain derivatives and other strategic transactions that the fund intends to utilize and the main risks associated with each of them:

Credit default swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), interest-rate risk, risk of default of the underlying reference obligation, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving credit default swaps.

Foreign currency forward contracts. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency forward contracts.

Foreign currency swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency swaps.

Futures contracts. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving futures contracts.

Interest-rate swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), interest-rate risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving interest-rate swaps.

Options. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving options. Counterparty risk does not apply to exchange-traded options.

Lower-rated fixed-income securities risk and high-yield securities risk. Lower-rated fixed-income securities and high-yield fixed-income securities (commonly known as junk bonds) are subject to greater credit quality risk and risk of default than higher-rated fixed-income securities. These securities may be considered speculative and the value of these securities can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments and can be difficult to resell.

Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities risk. Different types of mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities are subject to different combinations of prepayment, extension, interest-rate, and/or other market risks.

Sector investing risk. Because the fund may focus on a single sector of the economy, its performance depends in large part on the performance of that sector. As a result, the value of your investment may fluctuate more widely than it would in a fund that is diversified across sectors.

Past performance

The following performance information in the bar chart and table below illustrates the variability of the fund's returns and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund's performance from year to year. However, past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate future results. All figures assume dividend reinvestment. Performance for the fund is updated daily, monthly, and quarterly, and may be obtained at our website, jhinvestments.com/FundPerformance, or by calling 800-225-5291, Monday–Thursday between 8:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M., and on Friday, between 8:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M., Eastern time.

Calendar year total returns. These do not include sales charges and would have been lower if they did. Calendar year total returns are shown only for Class A shares and would be different for other share classes.

Average annual total returns. Performance of a broad-based market index is included for comparison. The average annual total returns shown below reflect the sales charges in effect during the periods shown. The returns for Class A shares have been adjusted to reflect the reduction in the maximum sales charge from 4.50% to 4.00%, effective February 3, 2014.

After-tax returns. These are shown only for Class A shares and would be different for other classes. They reflect the highest individual federal marginal income-tax rates in effect as of the date provided and do not reflect any state or local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns may be different. After-tax returns are not relevant to shares held in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan.

Calendar year total returns—Class A Shares (%)

Year-to-date total return. The fund's total return for the six months ended June 30, 2014, was 5.58%.

Best quarter: Q3 '09, 11.00%

Worst quarter: Q4 '08, –7.29%

Average annual total returns (%) As of 12-31-13

Average Annual Total Returns (Bond Fund) ­	1 Year	5 Years	10 Years
Class A	(3.54%)	10.32%	5.37%
Class A After tax on distributions	(5.40%)	8.13%	3.37%
Class A After tax on distributions, with sale	(1.95%)	7.25%	3.36%
Class B	(5.04%)	10.20%	5.20%
Class C	(1.20%)	10.45%	5.07%
Barclays Government/Credit Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)	(2.36%)	4.40%	4.52%

[1] (on certain purchases, including those of $1 million or more)

[1] The advisor has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse or pay operating expenses of the fund in order to reduce the total annual fund operating expenses for Class A, Class B, and Class C shares by 0.05% of the fund's average daily net assets. These fee waivers and/or reimbursements expire on September 30, 2015, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.

XML

(Bond Fund - Class I) | (Bond Fund)

Investment objective

To seek a high level of current income consistent with prudent investment risk.

Fees and expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund.

Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees (Bond Fund)	Class I ­
Maximum front-end sales charge (load)	none
Maximum deferred sales charge (load)	none

Annual fund operating expenses (%) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (Bond Fund)		Class I ­
Management fee		0.47%
Other expenses		0.19%
Total annual fund operating expenses		0.66%
Contractual expense reimbursement	[1]	(0.05%)
Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursements		0.61%

Expense example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. Please see below a hypothetical example showing the expenses of a $10,000 investment for the time periods indicated and then assuming a redemption of all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example assumes a 5% average annual return. The example assumes fund expenses will not change over the periods. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

Expense Example (Bond Fund) (USD $)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Class I ­	62	206	363	818

Portfolio turnover

The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund's performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 77% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of bonds. These may include, but are not limited to, corporate bonds and debentures, as well as U.S. government and agency securities. Most of these securities are investment grade, although the fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in debt securities rated, at the time of acquisition, below investment grade (i.e., junk bonds) as low as CC by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (S&P) and Ca by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. (Moody's), or in unrated securities determined by the fund's investment advisor or subadvisor to be of comparable credit quality. The fund contemplates that at least 75% of the value of its net assets will be in investment-grade debt securities and cash and cash equivalents. There is no limit on the fund's average maturity.

In managing the fund's portfolio, the subadvisor concentrates on sector allocation, industry allocation, and security selection, deciding which types of bonds and industries to emphasize at a given time, and then which individual bonds to buy. When making sector and industry allocations, the subadvisor tries to anticipate shifts in the business cycle, using top-down analysis to determine which sectors and industries may benefit over the next 12 months.

In choosing individual securities, the subadvisor uses bottom-up research to find securities that appear comparatively undervalued. The subadvisor looks at bonds of all quality levels and maturities from many different issuers, potentially including foreign governments and corporations denominated in U.S. dollars or foreign currencies. The fund will not invest more than 10% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies. It is anticipated that under normal market conditions, the fund will not invest more than 25% of its total assets in U.S. dollar-denominated foreign securities (excluding U.S. dollar-denominated Canadian securities).

The fund intends to keep its exposure to interest-rate movements generally in line with those of its peers. The fund may invest in mortgage-related securities and derivatives, which include futures contracts on securities and indexes; options on futures contracts, securities, and indexes; interest-rate, foreign currency, and credit default swaps; and foreign currency forward contracts, in each case for the purposes of reducing risk, obtaining efficient market exposure, and/or enhancing investment returns. The fund's investments in U.S. government and agency securities may or may not be supported by the full faith and credit of the United States.

Under normal circumstances, the fund may not invest more than 10% of its assets in cash or cash equivalents (except cash segregated in relation to futures, forward, and options contracts).

Principal risks

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The fund's shares will go up and down in price, meaning that you could lose money by investing in the fund. Many factors influence a mutual fund's performance.

Instability in the financial markets has led many governments, including the U.S. government, to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that have experienced extreme volatility and, in some cases, a lack of liquidity. Federal, state, and other governments, and their regulatory agencies or self-regulatory organizations, may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which the fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the fund itself is regulated. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the fund's ability to achieve its investment objective. In addition, political events within the United States and abroad, including the U.S. government's ongoing difficulty agreeing on a long-term budget and deficit reduction plan and uncertainty surrounding sovereign debt of European Union members, could negatively impact financial markets and the fund's performance. Further, certain municipalities of the United States and its territories are financially strained and may face the possibility of default on their debt obligations, which could directly or indirectly detract from the fund's performance.

Governments or their agencies may also acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets are unclear, and such a program may have positive or negative effects on the liquidity, valuation, and performance of the fund's portfolio holdings. Furthermore, volatile financial markets can expose the fund to greater market and liquidity risk and potential difficulty in valuing portfolio instruments held by the fund.

The fund's main risk factors are listed below in alphabetical order. Before investing, be sure to read the additional descriptions of these risks beginning on page 6 of the prospectus.

Active management risk. The subadvisor's investment strategy may fail to produce the intended result.

Changing distribution levels risk. The distribution amounts paid by the fund generally depend on the amount of income and/or dividends paid by the fund's investments.

Credit and counterparty risk. The issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, the counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract, or a borrower of a fund's securities may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest, or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations. U.S. government securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk depending upon the nature of their support. Funds that invest in fixed-income securities are subject to varying degrees of risk that the issuers of the securities will have their credit rating downgraded or will default, potentially reducing a fund's share price and income level.

Economic and market events risk. Events in the financial markets have resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. In addition, reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets may adversely affect issuers worldwide. Banks and financial services companies could suffer losses if interest rates were to rise or economic conditions deteriorate.

Fixed-income securities risk. Fixed-income securities are affected by changes in interest rates and credit quality. A rise in interest rates typically causes bond prices to fall. The longer the average maturity or average duration of the bonds held by the fund, the more sensitive the fund is likely to be to interest-rate changes. There is the possibility that the issuer of the security will not repay all or a portion of the principal borrowed and will not make all interest payments.

Foreign securities risk. As compared to U.S. corporate and government issuers, there may be less publicly available information relating to foreign corporate and government issuers. Foreign securities may be subject to foreign taxes. The value of foreign securities is subject to currency fluctuations and adverse political and economic developments.

Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions risk. Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions may increase the volatility of a fund and, if the transaction is not successful, could result in a significant loss to a fund. The use of derivative instruments could produce disproportionate gains or losses, more than the principal amount invested. Investing in derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments and, in a down market, could become harder to value or sell at a fair price. The following is a list of certain derivatives and other strategic transactions that the fund intends to utilize and the main risks associated with each of them:

Credit default swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), interest-rate risk, risk of default of the underlying reference obligation, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving credit default swaps.

Foreign currency forward contracts. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency forward contracts.

Foreign currency swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency swaps.

Futures contracts. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving futures contracts.

Interest-rate swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), interest-rate risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving interest-rate swaps.

Options. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving options. Counterparty risk does not apply to exchange-traded options.

Lower-rated fixed-income securities risk and high-yield securities risk. Lower-rated fixed-income securities and high-yield fixed-income securities (commonly known as junk bonds) are subject to greater credit quality risk and risk of default than higher-rated fixed-income securities. These securities may be considered speculative and the value of these securities can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments and can be difficult to resell.

Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities risk. Different types of mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities are subject to different combinations of prepayment, extension, interest-rate, and/or other market risks.

Sector investing risk. Because the fund may focus on a single sector of the economy, its performance depends in large part on the performance of that sector. As a result, the value of your investment may fluctuate more widely than it would in a fund that is diversified across sectors.

Past performance

The following performance information in the bar chart and table below illustrates the variability of the fund's returns and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund's performance from year to year. However, past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate future results. All figures assume dividend reinvestment. Performance for the fund is updated daily, monthly, and quarterly, and may be obtained at our website: jhinvestments.com/InstitutionalPerformance, or by calling 888-972-8696 between 8:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M., Eastern time, on most business days.

Average annual total returns. Performance of a broad-based market index is included for comparison.

After-tax returns. These reflect the highest individual federal marginal income-tax rates in effect as of the date provided and do not reflect any state or local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns may be different. After-tax returns are not relevant to shares held in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan.

Calendar year total returns—Class I (%)

Year-to-date total return. The fund's total return for the six months ended June 30, 2014, was 5.74%.

Best quarter: Q3 '09, 11.07%

Worst quarter: Q4 '08, –7.26%

Average annual total returns (%) As of 12-31-13

Average Annual Total Returns (Bond Fund) ­	1 Year	5 Years	10 Years
Class I	0.81%	11.69%	6.25%
Class I After tax on distributions	(1.29%)	9.31%	4.07%
Class I After tax on distributions, with sale	0.51%	8.30%	3.99%
Barclays Government/Credit Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)	(2.36%)	4.40%	4.52%

[1] The advisor has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse or pay operating expenses of the fund in order to reduce the total annual fund operating expenses for Class I shares by 0.05% of the fund's average daily net assets. This fee waiver and/or reimbursement expires on September 30, 2015, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.

XML

Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Document Type	dei_DocumentType	485BPOS
Document Period End Date	dei_DocumentPeriodEndDate	May 31, 2014
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	JOHN HANCOCK SOVEREIGN BOND FUND
Central Index Key	dei_EntityCentralIndexKey	0000045288
Amendment Flag	dei_AmendmentFlag	false
Document Creation Date	dei_DocumentCreationDate	Sep. 25, 2014
Document Effective Date	dei_DocumentEffectiveDate	Oct. 01, 2014
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Oct. 01, 2014

XML

(Bond Fund - Class R2) | (Bond Fund)

Investment objective

To seek a high level of current income consistent with prudent investment risk.

Fees and expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund.

Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees (Bond Fund)	Class R2 ­
Maximum front-end sales charge (load)	none
Maximum deferred sales charge (load)	none

Annual fund operating expenses (%) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (Bond Fund)		Class R2 ­
Management fee		0.47%
Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees		0.25%
Service plan fee	[1][2]	0.25%
Remainder of other expenses	[1]	0.09%
Total other expenses	[1]	0.34%
Total annual fund operating expenses		1.06%
Contractual expense reimbursement	[3]	(0.05%)
Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursements		1.01%

Expense example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. Please see below a hypothetical example showing the expenses of a $10,000 investment for the time periods indicated and then assuming a redemption of all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example assumes a 5% average annual return. The example assumes fund expenses will not change over the periods. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

Expense Example (Bond Fund) (USD $)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Class R2 ­	103	332	580	1,290

Portfolio turnover

The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund's performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 77% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of bonds. These may include, but are not limited to, corporate bonds and debentures, as well as U.S. government and agency securities. Most of these securities are investment grade, although the fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in debt securities rated, at the time of acquisition, below investment grade (i.e., junk bonds) as low as CC by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (S&P) and Ca by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. (Moody's), or in unrated securities determined by the fund's investment advisor or subadvisor to be of comparable credit quality. The fund contemplates that at least 75% of the value of its net assets will be in investment-grade debt securities and cash and cash equivalents. There is no limit on the fund's average maturity.

In managing the fund's portfolio, the subadvisor concentrates on sector allocation, industry allocation, and security selection, deciding which types of bonds and industries to emphasize at a given time, and then which individual bonds to buy. When making sector and industry allocations, the subadvisor tries to anticipate shifts in the business cycle, using top-down analysis to determine which sectors and industries may benefit over the next 12 months.

In choosing individual securities, the subadvisor uses bottom-up research to find securities that appear comparatively undervalued. The subadvisor looks at bonds of all quality levels and maturities from many different issuers, potentially including foreign governments and corporations denominated in U.S. dollars or foreign currencies. The fund will not invest more than 10% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies. It is anticipated that under normal market conditions, the fund will not invest more than 25% of its total assets in U.S. dollar-denominated foreign securities (excluding U.S. dollar-denominated Canadian securities).

The fund intends to keep its exposure to interest-rate movements generally in line with those of its peers. The fund may invest in mortgage-related securities and derivatives, which include futures contracts on securities and indexes; options on futures contracts, securities, and indexes; interest-rate, foreign currency, and credit default swaps; and foreign currency forward contracts, in each case for the purposes of reducing risk, obtaining efficient market exposure, and/or enhancing investment returns. The fund's investments in U.S. government and agency securities may or may not be supported by the full faith and credit of the United States.

Under normal circumstances, the fund may not invest more than 10% of its assets in cash or cash equivalents (except cash segregated in relation to futures, forward, and options contracts).

Principal risks

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The fund's shares will go up and down in price, meaning that you could lose money by investing in the fund. Many factors influence a mutual fund's performance.

Instability in the financial markets has led many governments, including the U.S. government, to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that have experienced extreme volatility and, in some cases, a lack of liquidity. Federal, state, and other governments, and their regulatory agencies or self-regulatory organizations, may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which the fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the fund itself is regulated. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the fund's ability to achieve its investment objective. In addition, political events within the United States and abroad, including the U.S. government's ongoing difficulty agreeing on a long-term budget and deficit reduction plan and uncertainty surrounding sovereign debt of European Union members, could negatively impact financial markets and the fund's performance. Further, certain municipalities of the United States and its territories are financially strained and may face the possibility of default on their debt obligations, which could directly or indirectly detract from the fund's performance.

Governments or their agencies may also acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets are unclear, and such a program may have positive or negative effects on the liquidity, valuation, and performance of the fund's portfolio holdings. Furthermore, volatile financial markets can expose the fund to greater market and liquidity risk and potential difficulty in valuing portfolio instruments held by the fund.

The fund's main risk factors are listed below in alphabetical order. Before investing, be sure to read the additional descriptions of these risks beginning on page 6 of the prospectus.

Active management risk. The subadvisor's investment strategy may fail to produce the intended result.

Changing distribution levels risk. The distribution amounts paid by the fund generally depend on the amount of income and/or dividends paid by the fund's investments.

Credit and counterparty risk. The issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, the counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract, or a borrower of a fund's securities may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest, or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations. U.S. government securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk depending upon the nature of their support. Funds that invest in fixed-income securities are subject to varying degrees of risk that the issuers of the securities will have their credit rating downgraded or will default, potentially reducing a fund's share price and income level.

Economic and market events risk. Events in the financial markets have resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. In addition, reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets may adversely affect issuers worldwide. Banks and financial services companies could suffer losses if interest rates were to rise or economic conditions deteriorate.

Fixed-income securities risk. Fixed-income securities are affected by changes in interest rates and credit quality. A rise in interest rates typically causes bond prices to fall. The longer the average maturity or average duration of the bonds held by the fund, the more sensitive the fund is likely to be to interest-rate changes. There is the possibility that the issuer of the security will not repay all or a portion of the principal borrowed and will not make all interest payments.

Foreign securities risk. As compared to U.S. corporate and government issuers, there may be less publicly available information relating to foreign corporate and government issuers. Foreign securities may be subject to foreign taxes. The value of foreign securities is subject to currency fluctuations and adverse political and economic developments.

Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions risk. Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions may increase the volatility of a fund and, if the transaction is not successful, could result in a significant loss to a fund. The use of derivative instruments could produce disproportionate gains or losses, more than the principal amount invested. Investing in derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments and, in a down market, could become harder to value or sell at a fair price. The following is a list of certain derivatives and other strategic transactions that the fund intends to utilize and the main risks associated with each of them:

Credit default swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), interest-rate risk, risk of default of the underlying reference obligation, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving credit default swaps.

Foreign currency forward contracts. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency forward contracts.

Foreign currency swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency swaps.

Futures contracts. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving futures contracts.

Interest-rate swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), interest-rate risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving interest-rate swaps.

Options. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving options. Counterparty risk does not apply to exchange-traded options.

Lower-rated fixed-income securities risk and high-yield securities risk. Lower-rated fixed-income securities and high-yield fixed-income securities (commonly known as junk bonds) are subject to greater credit quality risk and risk of default than higher-rated fixed-income securities. These securities may be considered speculative and the value of these securities can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments and can be difficult to resell.

Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities risk. Different types of mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities are subject to different combinations of prepayment, extension, interest-rate, and/or other market risks.

Sector investing risk. Because the fund may focus on a single sector of the economy, its performance depends in large part on the performance of that sector. As a result, the value of your investment may fluctuate more widely than it would in a fund that is diversified across sectors.

Past performance

The following performance information in the bar chart and table below illustrates the variability of the fund's returns and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund's performance from year to year. However, past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate future results. All figures assume dividend reinvestment. Performance for the fund is updated daily, monthly, and quarterly, and may be obtained at our website: jhinvestments.com/RetirementPerformance, or by calling 888-972-8696 between 8:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M., Eastern time, on most business days.

Average annual total returns. Performance of a broad-based market index is included for comparison.

After-tax returns. These reflect the highest individual federal marginal income-tax rates in effect as of the date provided and do not reflect any state or local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns may be different. After-tax returns are not relevant to shares held in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan.

November 9, 1973, is the inception date for the oldest class of shares, Class A shares. Class R2 shares of the fund were first offered on March 1, 2012; the returns prior to that date are those of Class A shares that have been recalculated to apply the estimated gross fees and expenses of Class R2 shares. Returns for Class R2 shares would have been substantially similar to returns of Class A shares because both share classes are invested in the same portfolio of securities and returns would differ only to the extent that expenses of the classes are different.

Calendar year total returns—Class R2 (%)

Year-to-date total return. The fund's total return for the six months ended June 30, 2014, was 5.52%.

Best quarter: Q3 '09, 11.00%

Worst quarter: Q4 '08, –7.30%

Average annual total returns (%) As of 12-31-13

Average Annual Total Returns (Bond Fund) ­	1 Year	5 Years	10 Years
Class R2	0.48%	11.27%	5.81%
Class R2 After tax on distributions	(1.47%)	9.05%	3.79%
Class R2 After tax on distributions, with sale	0.32%	8.02%	3.71%
Barclays Government/Credit Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)	(2.36%)	4.40%	4.52%

[1] "Other expenses" have been restated from fiscal year amounts to reflect current fees and expenses.

[2] "Service plan fee" has been restated to reflect maximum allowable fees.

[3] The advisor has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse or pay operating expenses of the fund in order to reduce the total annual fund operating expenses for Class R2 shares by 0.05% of the fund's average daily net assets. These fee waivers and/or reimbursements expire on September 30, 2015, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.

XML

(Bond Fund - Class R6) | (Bond Fund)

Investment objective

To seek a high level of current income consistent with prudent investment risk.

Fees and expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund.

Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees (Bond Fund)	Class R6 ­
Maximum front-end sales charge (load)	none
Maximum deferred sales charge (load)	none

Annual fund operating expenses (%) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (Bond Fund)		Class R6 ­
Management fee		0.47%
Other expenses		0.09%
Total annual fund operating expenses		0.56%
Contractual expense reimbursement	[1][2]	(0.07%)
Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursements		0.49%

Expense example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. Please see below a hypothetical example showing the expenses of a $10,000 investment for the time periods indicated and then assuming a redemption of all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example assumes a 5% average annual return. The example assumes fund expenses will not change over the periods. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

Expense Example (Bond Fund) (USD $)	1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
Class R6 ­	50	172	306	695

Portfolio turnover

The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund's performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 77% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of bonds. These may include, but are not limited to, corporate bonds and debentures, as well as U.S. government and agency securities. Most of these securities are investment grade, although the fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in debt securities rated, at the time of acquisition, below investment grade (i.e., junk bonds) as low as CC by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (S&P) and Ca by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. (Moody's), or in unrated securities determined by the fund's investment advisor or subadvisor to be of comparable credit quality. The fund contemplates that at least 75% of the value of its net assets will be in investment-grade debt securities and cash and cash equivalents. There is no limit on the fund's average maturity.

In managing the fund's portfolio, the subadvisor concentrates on sector allocation, industry allocation, and security selection, deciding which types of bonds and industries to emphasize at a given time, and then which individual bonds to buy. When making sector and industry allocations, the subadvisor tries to anticipate shifts in the business cycle, using top-down analysis to determine which sectors and industries may benefit over the next 12 months.

In choosing individual securities, the subadvisor uses bottom-up research to find securities that appear comparatively undervalued. The subadvisor looks at bonds of all quality levels and maturities from many different issuers, potentially including foreign governments and corporations denominated in U.S. dollars or foreign currencies. The fund will not invest more than 10% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies. It is anticipated that under normal market conditions, the fund will not invest more than 25% of its total assets in U.S. dollar-denominated foreign securities (excluding U.S. dollar-denominated Canadian securities).

The fund intends to keep its exposure to interest-rate movements generally in line with those of its peers. The fund may invest in mortgage-related securities and derivatives, which include futures contracts on securities and indexes; options on futures contracts, securities, and indexes; interest-rate, foreign currency, and credit default swaps; and foreign currency forward contracts, in each case for the purposes of reducing risk, obtaining efficient market exposure, and/or enhancing investment returns. The fund's investments in U.S. government and agency securities may or may not be supported by the full faith and credit of the United States.

Under normal circumstances, the fund may not invest more than 10% of its assets in cash or cash equivalents (except cash segregated in relation to futures, forward, and options contracts).

Principal risks

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The fund's shares will go up and down in price, meaning that you could lose money by investing in the fund. Many factors influence a mutual fund's performance.

Instability in the financial markets has led many governments, including the U.S. government, to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that have experienced extreme volatility and, in some cases, a lack of liquidity. Federal, state, and other governments, and their regulatory agencies or self-regulatory organizations, may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which the fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the fund itself is regulated. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the fund's ability to achieve its investment objective. In addition, political events within the United States and abroad, including the U.S. government's ongoing difficulty agreeing on a long-term budget and deficit reduction plan and uncertainty surrounding sovereign debt of European Union members, could negatively impact financial markets and the fund's performance. Further, certain municipalities of the United States and its territories are financially strained and may face the possibility of default on their debt obligations, which could directly or indirectly detract from the fund's performance.

Governments or their agencies may also acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets are unclear, and such a program may have positive or negative effects on the liquidity, valuation, and performance of the fund's portfolio holdings. Furthermore, volatile financial markets can expose the fund to greater market and liquidity risk and potential difficulty in valuing portfolio instruments held by the fund.

The fund's main risk factors are listed below in alphabetical order. Before investing, be sure to read the additional descriptions of these risks beginning on page 6 of the prospectus.

Active management risk. The subadvisor's investment strategy may fail to produce the intended result.

Changing distribution levels risk. The distribution amounts paid by the fund generally depend on the amount of income and/or dividends paid by the fund's investments.

Credit and counterparty risk. The issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, the counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract, or a borrower of a fund's securities may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest, or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations. U.S. government securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk depending upon the nature of their support. Funds that invest in fixed-income securities are subject to varying degrees of risk that the issuers of the securities will have their credit rating downgraded or will default, potentially reducing a fund's share price and income level.

Economic and market events risk. Events in the financial markets have resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. In addition, reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets may adversely affect issuers worldwide. Banks and financial services companies could suffer losses if interest rates were to rise or economic conditions deteriorate.

Fixed-income securities risk. Fixed-income securities are affected by changes in interest rates and credit quality. A rise in interest rates typically causes bond prices to fall. The longer the average maturity or average duration of the bonds held by the fund, the more sensitive the fund is likely to be to interest-rate changes. There is the possibility that the issuer of the security will not repay all or a portion of the principal borrowed and will not make all interest payments.

Foreign securities risk. As compared to U.S. corporate and government issuers, there may be less publicly available information relating to foreign corporate and government issuers. Foreign securities may be subject to foreign taxes. The value of foreign securities is subject to currency fluctuations and adverse political and economic developments.

Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions risk. Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions may increase the volatility of a fund and, if the transaction is not successful, could result in a significant loss to a fund. The use of derivative instruments could produce disproportionate gains or losses, more than the principal amount invested. Investing in derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments and, in a down market, could become harder to value or sell at a fair price. The following is a list of certain derivatives and other strategic transactions that the fund intends to utilize and the main risks associated with each of them:

Credit default swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), interest-rate risk, risk of default of the underlying reference obligation, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving credit default swaps.

Foreign currency forward contracts. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency forward contracts.

Foreign currency swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency swaps.

Futures contracts. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving futures contracts.

Interest-rate swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), interest-rate risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving interest-rate swaps.

Options. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving options. Counterparty risk does not apply to exchange-traded options.

Lower-rated fixed-income securities risk and high-yield securities risk. Lower-rated fixed-income securities and high-yield fixed-income securities (commonly known as junk bonds) are subject to greater credit quality risk and risk of default than higher-rated fixed-income securities. These securities may be considered speculative and the value of these securities can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments and can be difficult to resell.

Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities risk. Different types of mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities are subject to different combinations of prepayment, extension, interest-rate, and/or other market risks.

Sector investing risk. Because the fund may focus on a single sector of the economy, its performance depends in large part on the performance of that sector. As a result, the value of your investment may fluctuate more widely than it would in a fund that is diversified across sectors.

Past performance

The following performance information in the bar chart and table below illustrates the variability of the fund's returns and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund's performance from year to year. However, past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate future results. All figures assume dividend reinvestment. Performance for the fund is updated daily, monthly, and quarterly, and may be obtained at our website: jhinvestments.com/InstitutionalPerformance, or by calling 888-972-8696 between 8:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M., Eastern time, on most business days.

Average annual total returns. Performance of a broad-based market index is included for comparison.

After-tax returns. These reflect the highest individual federal marginal income-tax rates in effect as of the date provided and do not reflect any state or local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns may be different. After-tax returns are not relevant to shares held in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan.

November 9, 1973, is the inception date for the oldest class of shares, Class A shares. Class R6 shares were first offered on September 1, 2011; the returns prior to that date are those of Class A shares that have been recalculated to apply the gross fees and expenses of Class R6 shares. Returns for Class R6 shares would have been substantially similar to returns of Class A shares because both share classes are invested in the same portfolio of securities and returns would differ only to the extent that expenses of the classes are different.

Calendar year total returns—Class R6 (%)

Year-to-date total return. The fund's total return for the six months ended June 30, 2014, was 5.80%.

Best quarter: Q3 '09, 11.14%

Worst quarter: Q4 '08, –7.19%

Average annual total returns (%) As of 12-31-13

Average Annual Total Returns (Bond Fund) ­	1 Year	5 Years	10 Years
Class R6	0.96%	11.78%	6.31%
Class R6 After tax on distributions	(1.17%)	9.47%	4.25%
Class R6 After tax on distributions, with sale	0.59%	8.39%	4.10%
Barclays Government/Credit Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)	(2.36%)	4.40%	4.52%

[1] The advisor has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse all class-specific expenses for Class R6 shares of the fund, including transfer agency fees and service fees, as applicable, to the extent they exceed 0.00% of average annual net assets (on an annualized basis) attributable to Class R6 shares (the class expense waiver). The class expense waiver expires on September 30, 2015, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.

[2] The advisor has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse or pay operating expenses of the fund in order to reduce the total annual fund operating expenses for Class R6 shares by 0.05% of the fund's average daily net assets. These fee waivers and/or reimbursements expire on September 30, 2015, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.

XML

Label

Element

Value

(Bond Fund - Classes A, B and C)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

To seek a high level of current income consistent with prudent investment risk.

Expense [Heading]

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and expenses

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts on Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the John Hancock family of funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial representative and on pages 17 to 18 of the prospectus under "Sales charge reductions and waivers" or pages 119 to 122 of the fund's Statement of Additional Information under "Initial sales charge on Class A shares."

Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text]

rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts

You may qualify for sales charge discounts on Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the John Hancock family of funds.

Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount]

rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount

$ 100,000

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

rr_ShareholderFeesCaption

Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual fund operating expenses (%) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination

September 30, 2015

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Expense example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. Please see below a hypothetical example showing the expenses of a $10,000 investment in the fund for the time periods indicated assuming you redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. For Class B and Class C shares, the expense examples may differ if shares are sold or kept at the end of the period. The example assumes a 5% average annual return. The example assumes fund expenses will not change over the periods. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

Expense Example by, Year, Caption [Text]

rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption

Sold

Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text]

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption

Kept

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio turnover

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund's performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 77% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

77.00%

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of bonds. These may include, but are not limited to, corporate bonds and debentures, as well as U.S. government and agency securities. Most of these securities are investment grade, although the fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in debt securities rated, at the time of acquisition, below investment grade (i.e., junk bonds) as low as CC by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (S&P) and Ca by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. (Moody's), or in unrated securities determined by the fund's investment advisor or subadvisor to be of comparable credit quality. The fund contemplates that at least 75% of the value of its net assets will be in investment-grade debt securities and cash and cash equivalents. There is no limit on the fund's average maturity.

In managing the fund's portfolio, the subadvisor concentrates on sector allocation, industry allocation, and security selection, deciding which types of bonds and industries to emphasize at a given time, and then which individual bonds to buy. When making sector and industry allocations, the subadvisor tries to anticipate shifts in the business cycle, using top-down analysis to determine which sectors and industries may benefit over the next 12 months.

In choosing individual securities, the subadvisor uses bottom-up research to find securities that appear comparatively undervalued. The subadvisor looks at bonds of all quality levels and maturities from many different issuers, potentially including foreign governments and corporations denominated in U.S. dollars or foreign currencies. The fund will not invest more than 10% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies. It is anticipated that under normal market conditions, the fund will not invest more than 25% of its total assets in U.S. dollar-denominated foreign securities (excluding U.S. dollar-denominated Canadian securities).

The fund intends to keep its exposure to interest-rate movements generally in line with those of its peers. The fund may invest in mortgage-related securities and derivatives, which include futures contracts on securities and indexes; options on futures contracts, securities, and indexes; interest-rate, foreign currency, and credit default swaps; and foreign currency forward contracts, in each case for the purposes of reducing risk, obtaining efficient market exposure, and/or enhancing investment returns. The fund's investments in U.S. government and agency securities may or may not be supported by the full faith and credit of the United States.

Under normal circumstances, the fund may not invest more than 10% of its assets in cash or cash equivalents (except cash segregated in relation to futures, forward, and options contracts).

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The fund's shares will go up and down in price, meaning that you could lose money by investing in the fund. Many factors influence a mutual fund's performance.

Instability in the financial markets has led many governments, including the U.S. government, to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that have experienced extreme volatility and, in some cases, a lack of liquidity. Federal, state, and other governments, and their regulatory agencies or self-regulatory organizations, may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which the fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the fund itself is regulated. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the fund's ability to achieve its investment objective. In addition, political events within the United States and abroad, including the U.S. government's ongoing difficulty agreeing on a long-term budget and deficit reduction plan and uncertainty surrounding sovereign debt of European Union members, could negatively impact financial markets and the fund's performance. Further, certain municipalities of the United States and its territories are financially strained and may face the possibility of default on their debt obligations, which could directly or indirectly detract from the fund's performance.

Governments or their agencies may also acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets are unclear, and such a program may have positive or negative effects on the liquidity, valuation, and performance of the fund's portfolio holdings. Furthermore, volatile financial markets can expose the fund to greater market and liquidity risk and potential difficulty in valuing portfolio instruments held by the fund.

The fund's main risk factors are listed below in alphabetical order. Before investing, be sure to read the additional descriptions of these risks beginning on page 6 of the prospectus.

Active management risk. The subadvisor's investment strategy may fail to produce the intended result.

Changing distribution levels risk. The distribution amounts paid by the fund generally depend on the amount of income and/or dividends paid by the fund's investments.

Credit and counterparty risk. The issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, the counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract, or a borrower of a fund's securities may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest, or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations. U.S. government securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk depending upon the nature of their support. Funds that invest in fixed-income securities are subject to varying degrees of risk that the issuers of the securities will have their credit rating downgraded or will default, potentially reducing a fund's share price and income level.

Economic and market events risk. Events in the financial markets have resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. In addition, reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets may adversely affect issuers worldwide. Banks and financial services companies could suffer losses if interest rates were to rise or economic conditions deteriorate.

Fixed-income securities risk. Fixed-income securities are affected by changes in interest rates and credit quality. A rise in interest rates typically causes bond prices to fall. The longer the average maturity or average duration of the bonds held by the fund, the more sensitive the fund is likely to be to interest-rate changes. There is the possibility that the issuer of the security will not repay all or a portion of the principal borrowed and will not make all interest payments.

Foreign securities risk. As compared to U.S. corporate and government issuers, there may be less publicly available information relating to foreign corporate and government issuers. Foreign securities may be subject to foreign taxes. The value of foreign securities is subject to currency fluctuations and adverse political and economic developments.

Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions risk. Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions may increase the volatility of a fund and, if the transaction is not successful, could result in a significant loss to a fund. The use of derivative instruments could produce disproportionate gains or losses, more than the principal amount invested. Investing in derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments and, in a down market, could become harder to value or sell at a fair price. The following is a list of certain derivatives and other strategic transactions that the fund intends to utilize and the main risks associated with each of them:

Credit default swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), interest-rate risk, risk of default of the underlying reference obligation, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving credit default swaps.

Foreign currency forward contracts. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency forward contracts.

Foreign currency swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency swaps.

Futures contracts. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving futures contracts.

Interest-rate swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), interest-rate risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving interest-rate swaps.

Options. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving options. Counterparty risk does not apply to exchange-traded options.

Lower-rated fixed-income securities risk and high-yield securities risk. Lower-rated fixed-income securities and high-yield fixed-income securities (commonly known as junk bonds) are subject to greater credit quality risk and risk of default than higher-rated fixed-income securities. These securities may be considered speculative and the value of these securities can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments and can be difficult to resell.

Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities risk. Different types of mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities are subject to different combinations of prepayment, extension, interest-rate, and/or other market risks.

Sector investing risk. Because the fund may focus on a single sector of the economy, its performance depends in large part on the performance of that sector. As a result, the value of your investment may fluctuate more widely than it would in a fund that is diversified across sectors.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

The fund's shares will go up and down in price, meaning that you could lose money by investing in the fund

Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text]

rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following performance information in the bar chart and table below illustrates the variability of the fund's returns and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund's performance from year to year. However, past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate future results. All figures assume dividend reinvestment. Performance for the fund is updated daily, monthly, and quarterly, and may be obtained at our website, jhinvestments.com/FundPerformance, or by calling 800-225-5291, Monday–Thursday between 8:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M., and on Friday, between 8:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M., Eastern time.

Calendar year total returns. These do not include sales charges and would have been lower if they did. Calendar year total returns are shown only for Class A shares and would be different for other share classes.

Average annual total returns. Performance of a broad-based market index is included for comparison. The average annual total returns shown below reflect the sales charges in effect during the periods shown. The returns for Class A shares have been adjusted to reflect the reduction in the maximum sales charge from 4.50% to 4.00%, effective February 3, 2014.

After-tax returns. These are shown only for Class A shares and would be different for other classes. They reflect the highest individual federal marginal income-tax rates in effect as of the date provided and do not reflect any state or local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns may be different. After-tax returns are not relevant to shares held in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

Calendar year total returns—Class A Shares (%)

Bar Chart Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text]

rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads

Calendar year total returns. These do not include sales charges and would have been lower if they did.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Year-to-date total return. The fund's total return for the six months ended June 30, 2014, was 5.58%.

Best quarter: Q3 '09, 11.00%

Worst quarter: Q4 '08, –7.29%

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

Average annual total returns (%) As of 12-31-13

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate

They reflect the highest individual federal marginal income-tax rates in effect as of the date provided and do not reflect any state or local taxes.

Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred

rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred

Your actual after-tax returns may be different. After-tax returns are not relevant to shares held in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan.

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

However, past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate future results.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following performance information in the bar chart and table below illustrates the variability of the fund's returns and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund's performance from year to year.

Performance Additional Market Index [Text]

rr_PerformanceAdditionalMarketIndex

Average annual total returns. Performance of a broad-based market index is included for comparison.

Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text]

rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown

After-tax returns. These are shown only for Class A shares and would be different for other classes.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

jhinvestments.com/FundPerformance

Performance Availability Phone [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone

800-225-5291

(Bond Fund - Classes A, B and C) | Barclays Government/Credit Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(2.36%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

4.40%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

4.52%

(Bond Fund - Classes A, B and C) | Class A

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge Over Other

rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOther

4.00%

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge Over Other

rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther

1.00%

^[1]

Small account fee (for fund account balances under $1,000)

rr_ShareholderFeeOther

20

Management fee

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.47%

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.30%

Other Expenses Over Assets

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.21%

Total annual fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.98%

Contractual expense reimbursement

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.05%)

^[2]

Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursements

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.93%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

491

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

695

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

915

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,549

Annual Return 2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

4.53%

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

2.38%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

4.45%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

4.90%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(11.92%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

28.43%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

12.84%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

4.86%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

11.49%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

0.46%

Year to Date Return, Label

rr_YearToDateReturnLabel

Year-to-date total return. The fund's total return for the six months ended June 30, 2014, was 5.58%.

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn

5.58%

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2014

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best quarter: Q3 '09, 11.00%

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

11.00%

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter: Q4 '08, -7.29%

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(7.29%)

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(3.54%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

10.32%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.37%

(Bond Fund - Classes A, B and C) | Class A | After tax on distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(5.40%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

8.13%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

3.37%

(Bond Fund - Classes A, B and C) | Class A | After tax on distributions, with sale

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.95%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

7.25%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

3.36%

(Bond Fund - Classes A, B and C) | Class B

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge Over Other

rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOther

none

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge Over Other

rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther

5.00%

Small account fee (for fund account balances under $1,000)

rr_ShareholderFeeOther

20

Management fee

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.47%

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

1.00%

Other Expenses Over Assets

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.21%

Total annual fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.68%

Contractual expense reimbursement

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.05%)

^[2]

Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursements

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

1.63%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

666

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

825

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

1,108

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,797

Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01

166

Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03

525

Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05

908

Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10

1,797

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(5.04%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

10.20%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.20%

(Bond Fund - Classes A, B and C) | Class C

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge Over Other

rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOther

none

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge Over Other

rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther

1.00%

Small account fee (for fund account balances under $1,000)

rr_ShareholderFeeOther

20

Management fee

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.47%

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

1.00%

Other Expenses Over Assets

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.21%

Total annual fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.68%

Contractual expense reimbursement

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.05%)

^[2]

Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursements

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

1.63%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

266

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

525

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

908

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,983

Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01

166

Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03

525

Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05

908

Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10

1,983

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.20%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

10.45%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.07%

(Bond Fund - Class I)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

To seek a high level of current income consistent with prudent investment risk.

Expense [Heading]

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and expenses

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund.

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

rr_ShareholderFeesCaption

Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual fund operating expenses (%) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination

September 30, 2015

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Expense example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. Please see below a hypothetical example showing the expenses of a $10,000 investment for the time periods indicated and then assuming a redemption of all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example assumes a 5% average annual return. The example assumes fund expenses will not change over the periods. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio turnover

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund's performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 77% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

77.00%

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of bonds. These may include, but are not limited to, corporate bonds and debentures, as well as U.S. government and agency securities. Most of these securities are investment grade, although the fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in debt securities rated, at the time of acquisition, below investment grade (i.e., junk bonds) as low as CC by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (S&P) and Ca by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. (Moody's), or in unrated securities determined by the fund's investment advisor or subadvisor to be of comparable credit quality. The fund contemplates that at least 75% of the value of its net assets will be in investment-grade debt securities and cash and cash equivalents. There is no limit on the fund's average maturity.

In managing the fund's portfolio, the subadvisor concentrates on sector allocation, industry allocation, and security selection, deciding which types of bonds and industries to emphasize at a given time, and then which individual bonds to buy. When making sector and industry allocations, the subadvisor tries to anticipate shifts in the business cycle, using top-down analysis to determine which sectors and industries may benefit over the next 12 months.

In choosing individual securities, the subadvisor uses bottom-up research to find securities that appear comparatively undervalued. The subadvisor looks at bonds of all quality levels and maturities from many different issuers, potentially including foreign governments and corporations denominated in U.S. dollars or foreign currencies. The fund will not invest more than 10% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies. It is anticipated that under normal market conditions, the fund will not invest more than 25% of its total assets in U.S. dollar-denominated foreign securities (excluding U.S. dollar-denominated Canadian securities).

The fund intends to keep its exposure to interest-rate movements generally in line with those of its peers. The fund may invest in mortgage-related securities and derivatives, which include futures contracts on securities and indexes; options on futures contracts, securities, and indexes; interest-rate, foreign currency, and credit default swaps; and foreign currency forward contracts, in each case for the purposes of reducing risk, obtaining efficient market exposure, and/or enhancing investment returns. The fund's investments in U.S. government and agency securities may or may not be supported by the full faith and credit of the United States.

Under normal circumstances, the fund may not invest more than 10% of its assets in cash or cash equivalents (except cash segregated in relation to futures, forward, and options contracts).

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The fund's shares will go up and down in price, meaning that you could lose money by investing in the fund. Many factors influence a mutual fund's performance.

Instability in the financial markets has led many governments, including the U.S. government, to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that have experienced extreme volatility and, in some cases, a lack of liquidity. Federal, state, and other governments, and their regulatory agencies or self-regulatory organizations, may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which the fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the fund itself is regulated. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the fund's ability to achieve its investment objective. In addition, political events within the United States and abroad, including the U.S. government's ongoing difficulty agreeing on a long-term budget and deficit reduction plan and uncertainty surrounding sovereign debt of European Union members, could negatively impact financial markets and the fund's performance. Further, certain municipalities of the United States and its territories are financially strained and may face the possibility of default on their debt obligations, which could directly or indirectly detract from the fund's performance.

Governments or their agencies may also acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets are unclear, and such a program may have positive or negative effects on the liquidity, valuation, and performance of the fund's portfolio holdings. Furthermore, volatile financial markets can expose the fund to greater market and liquidity risk and potential difficulty in valuing portfolio instruments held by the fund.

The fund's main risk factors are listed below in alphabetical order. Before investing, be sure to read the additional descriptions of these risks beginning on page 6 of the prospectus.

Active management risk. The subadvisor's investment strategy may fail to produce the intended result.

Changing distribution levels risk. The distribution amounts paid by the fund generally depend on the amount of income and/or dividends paid by the fund's investments.

Credit and counterparty risk. The issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, the counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract, or a borrower of a fund's securities may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest, or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations. U.S. government securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk depending upon the nature of their support. Funds that invest in fixed-income securities are subject to varying degrees of risk that the issuers of the securities will have their credit rating downgraded or will default, potentially reducing a fund's share price and income level.

Economic and market events risk. Events in the financial markets have resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. In addition, reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets may adversely affect issuers worldwide. Banks and financial services companies could suffer losses if interest rates were to rise or economic conditions deteriorate.

Fixed-income securities risk. Fixed-income securities are affected by changes in interest rates and credit quality. A rise in interest rates typically causes bond prices to fall. The longer the average maturity or average duration of the bonds held by the fund, the more sensitive the fund is likely to be to interest-rate changes. There is the possibility that the issuer of the security will not repay all or a portion of the principal borrowed and will not make all interest payments.

Foreign securities risk. As compared to U.S. corporate and government issuers, there may be less publicly available information relating to foreign corporate and government issuers. Foreign securities may be subject to foreign taxes. The value of foreign securities is subject to currency fluctuations and adverse political and economic developments.

Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions risk. Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions may increase the volatility of a fund and, if the transaction is not successful, could result in a significant loss to a fund. The use of derivative instruments could produce disproportionate gains or losses, more than the principal amount invested. Investing in derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments and, in a down market, could become harder to value or sell at a fair price. The following is a list of certain derivatives and other strategic transactions that the fund intends to utilize and the main risks associated with each of them:

Credit default swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), interest-rate risk, risk of default of the underlying reference obligation, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving credit default swaps.

Foreign currency forward contracts. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency forward contracts.

Foreign currency swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency swaps.

Futures contracts. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving futures contracts.

Interest-rate swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), interest-rate risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving interest-rate swaps.

Options. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving options. Counterparty risk does not apply to exchange-traded options.

Lower-rated fixed-income securities risk and high-yield securities risk. Lower-rated fixed-income securities and high-yield fixed-income securities (commonly known as junk bonds) are subject to greater credit quality risk and risk of default than higher-rated fixed-income securities. These securities may be considered speculative and the value of these securities can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments and can be difficult to resell.

Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities risk. Different types of mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities are subject to different combinations of prepayment, extension, interest-rate, and/or other market risks.

Sector investing risk. Because the fund may focus on a single sector of the economy, its performance depends in large part on the performance of that sector. As a result, the value of your investment may fluctuate more widely than it would in a fund that is diversified across sectors.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

The fund's shares will go up and down in price, meaning that you could lose money by investing in the fund

Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text]

rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following performance information in the bar chart and table below illustrates the variability of the fund's returns and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund's performance from year to year. However, past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate future results. All figures assume dividend reinvestment. Performance for the fund is updated daily, monthly, and quarterly, and may be obtained at our website: jhinvestments.com/InstitutionalPerformance, or by calling 888-972-8696 between 8:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M., Eastern time, on most business days.

Average annual total returns. Performance of a broad-based market index is included for comparison.

After-tax returns. These reflect the highest individual federal marginal income-tax rates in effect as of the date provided and do not reflect any state or local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns may be different. After-tax returns are not relevant to shares held in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

Calendar year total returns—Class I (%)

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Year-to-date total return. The fund's total return for the six months ended June 30, 2014, was 5.74%.

Best quarter: Q3 '09, 11.07%

Worst quarter: Q4 '08, –7.26%

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

Average annual total returns (%) As of 12-31-13

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate

After-tax returns. These reflect the highest individual federal marginal income-tax rates in effect as of the date provided and do not reflect any state or local taxes.

Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred

rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred

Your actual after-tax returns may be different. After-tax returns are not relevant to shares held in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan.

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

However, past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate future results.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following performance information in the bar chart and table below illustrates the variability of the fund's returns and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund's performance from year to year.

Performance Additional Market Index [Text]

rr_PerformanceAdditionalMarketIndex

Average annual total returns. Performance of a broad-based market index is included for comparison.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

jhinvestments.com/InstitutionalPerformance

Performance Availability Phone [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone

888-972-8696

(Bond Fund - Class I) | Barclays Government/Credit Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(2.36%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

4.40%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

4.52%

(Bond Fund - Class I) | Class I

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge Over Other

rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOther

none

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge Over Other

rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther

none

Management fee

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.47%

Other Expenses Over Assets

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.19%

Total annual fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.66%

Contractual expense reimbursement

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.05%)

^[3]

Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursements

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.61%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

62

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

206

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

363

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

818

Annual Return 2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

5.03%

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

2.78%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

4.91%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

5.34%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(11.61%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

29.15%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

13.23%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

5.42%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

11.85%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

0.81%

Year to Date Return, Label

rr_YearToDateReturnLabel

Year-to-date total return. The fund's total return for the six months ended June 30, 2014, was 5.74%

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn

5.74%

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2014

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best quarter: Q3 '09, 11.07%

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

11.07%

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter: Q4 '08, -7.26%

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(7.26%)

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.81%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

11.69%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.25%

(Bond Fund - Class I) | Class I | After tax on distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.29%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

9.31%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

4.07%

(Bond Fund - Class I) | Class I | After tax on distributions, with sale

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.51%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

8.30%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

3.99%

(Bond Fund - Class R2)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

To seek a high level of current income consistent with prudent investment risk.

Expense [Heading]

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and expenses

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund.

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

rr_ShareholderFeesCaption

Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual fund operating expenses (%) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination

September 30, 2015

Expenses Restated to Reflect Current [Text]

rr_ExpensesRestatedToReflectCurrent

"Other expenses" have been restated from fiscal year amounts to reflect current fees and expenses.

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Expense example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. Please see below a hypothetical example showing the expenses of a $10,000 investment for the time periods indicated and then assuming a redemption of all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example assumes a 5% average annual return. The example assumes fund expenses will not change over the periods. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio turnover

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund's performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 77% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

77.00%

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of bonds. These may include, but are not limited to, corporate bonds and debentures, as well as U.S. government and agency securities. Most of these securities are investment grade, although the fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in debt securities rated, at the time of acquisition, below investment grade (i.e., junk bonds) as low as CC by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (S&P) and Ca by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. (Moody's), or in unrated securities determined by the fund's investment advisor or subadvisor to be of comparable credit quality. The fund contemplates that at least 75% of the value of its net assets will be in investment-grade debt securities and cash and cash equivalents. There is no limit on the fund's average maturity.

In managing the fund's portfolio, the subadvisor concentrates on sector allocation, industry allocation, and security selection, deciding which types of bonds and industries to emphasize at a given time, and then which individual bonds to buy. When making sector and industry allocations, the subadvisor tries to anticipate shifts in the business cycle, using top-down analysis to determine which sectors and industries may benefit over the next 12 months.

In choosing individual securities, the subadvisor uses bottom-up research to find securities that appear comparatively undervalued. The subadvisor looks at bonds of all quality levels and maturities from many different issuers, potentially including foreign governments and corporations denominated in U.S. dollars or foreign currencies. The fund will not invest more than 10% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies. It is anticipated that under normal market conditions, the fund will not invest more than 25% of its total assets in U.S. dollar-denominated foreign securities (excluding U.S. dollar-denominated Canadian securities).

The fund intends to keep its exposure to interest-rate movements generally in line with those of its peers. The fund may invest in mortgage-related securities and derivatives, which include futures contracts on securities and indexes; options on futures contracts, securities, and indexes; interest-rate, foreign currency, and credit default swaps; and foreign currency forward contracts, in each case for the purposes of reducing risk, obtaining efficient market exposure, and/or enhancing investment returns. The fund's investments in U.S. government and agency securities may or may not be supported by the full faith and credit of the United States.

Under normal circumstances, the fund may not invest more than 10% of its assets in cash or cash equivalents (except cash segregated in relation to futures, forward, and options contracts).

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The fund's shares will go up and down in price, meaning that you could lose money by investing in the fund. Many factors influence a mutual fund's performance.

Instability in the financial markets has led many governments, including the U.S. government, to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that have experienced extreme volatility and, in some cases, a lack of liquidity. Federal, state, and other governments, and their regulatory agencies or self-regulatory organizations, may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which the fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the fund itself is regulated. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the fund's ability to achieve its investment objective. In addition, political events within the United States and abroad, including the U.S. government's ongoing difficulty agreeing on a long-term budget and deficit reduction plan and uncertainty surrounding sovereign debt of European Union members, could negatively impact financial markets and the fund's performance. Further, certain municipalities of the United States and its territories are financially strained and may face the possibility of default on their debt obligations, which could directly or indirectly detract from the fund's performance.

Governments or their agencies may also acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets are unclear, and such a program may have positive or negative effects on the liquidity, valuation, and performance of the fund's portfolio holdings. Furthermore, volatile financial markets can expose the fund to greater market and liquidity risk and potential difficulty in valuing portfolio instruments held by the fund.

The fund's main risk factors are listed below in alphabetical order. Before investing, be sure to read the additional descriptions of these risks beginning on page 6 of the prospectus.

Active management risk. The subadvisor's investment strategy may fail to produce the intended result.

Changing distribution levels risk. The distribution amounts paid by the fund generally depend on the amount of income and/or dividends paid by the fund's investments.

Credit and counterparty risk. The issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, the counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract, or a borrower of a fund's securities may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest, or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations. U.S. government securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk depending upon the nature of their support. Funds that invest in fixed-income securities are subject to varying degrees of risk that the issuers of the securities will have their credit rating downgraded or will default, potentially reducing a fund's share price and income level.

Economic and market events risk. Events in the financial markets have resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. In addition, reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets may adversely affect issuers worldwide. Banks and financial services companies could suffer losses if interest rates were to rise or economic conditions deteriorate.

Fixed-income securities risk. Fixed-income securities are affected by changes in interest rates and credit quality. A rise in interest rates typically causes bond prices to fall. The longer the average maturity or average duration of the bonds held by the fund, the more sensitive the fund is likely to be to interest-rate changes. There is the possibility that the issuer of the security will not repay all or a portion of the principal borrowed and will not make all interest payments.

Foreign securities risk. As compared to U.S. corporate and government issuers, there may be less publicly available information relating to foreign corporate and government issuers. Foreign securities may be subject to foreign taxes. The value of foreign securities is subject to currency fluctuations and adverse political and economic developments.

Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions risk. Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions may increase the volatility of a fund and, if the transaction is not successful, could result in a significant loss to a fund. The use of derivative instruments could produce disproportionate gains or losses, more than the principal amount invested. Investing in derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments and, in a down market, could become harder to value or sell at a fair price. The following is a list of certain derivatives and other strategic transactions that the fund intends to utilize and the main risks associated with each of them:

Credit default swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), interest-rate risk, risk of default of the underlying reference obligation, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving credit default swaps.

Foreign currency forward contracts. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency forward contracts.

Foreign currency swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency swaps.

Futures contracts. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving futures contracts.

Interest-rate swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), interest-rate risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving interest-rate swaps.

Options. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving options. Counterparty risk does not apply to exchange-traded options.

Lower-rated fixed-income securities risk and high-yield securities risk. Lower-rated fixed-income securities and high-yield fixed-income securities (commonly known as junk bonds) are subject to greater credit quality risk and risk of default than higher-rated fixed-income securities. These securities may be considered speculative and the value of these securities can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments and can be difficult to resell.

Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities risk. Different types of mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities are subject to different combinations of prepayment, extension, interest-rate, and/or other market risks.

Sector investing risk. Because the fund may focus on a single sector of the economy, its performance depends in large part on the performance of that sector. As a result, the value of your investment may fluctuate more widely than it would in a fund that is diversified across sectors.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

The fund's shares will go up and down in price, meaning that you could lose money by investing in the fund

Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text]

rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following performance information in the bar chart and table below illustrates the variability of the fund's returns and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund's performance from year to year. However, past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate future results. All figures assume dividend reinvestment. Performance for the fund is updated daily, monthly, and quarterly, and may be obtained at our website: jhinvestments.com/RetirementPerformance, or by calling 888-972-8696 between 8:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M., Eastern time, on most business days.

Average annual total returns. Performance of a broad-based market index is included for comparison.

After-tax returns. These reflect the highest individual federal marginal income-tax rates in effect as of the date provided and do not reflect any state or local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns may be different. After-tax returns are not relevant to shares held in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan.

November 9, 1973, is the inception date for the oldest class of shares, Class A shares. Class R2 shares of the fund were first offered on March 1, 2012; the returns prior to that date are those of Class A shares that have been recalculated to apply the estimated gross fees and expenses of Class R2 shares. Returns for Class R2 shares would have been substantially similar to returns of Class A shares because both share classes are invested in the same portfolio of securities and returns would differ only to the extent that expenses of the classes are different.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

Calendar year total returns—Class R2 (%)

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Year-to-date total return. The fund's total return for the six months ended June 30, 2014, was 5.52%.

Best quarter: Q3 '09, 11.00%

Worst quarter: Q4 '08, –7.30%

Performance Table Heading

rr_PerformanceTableHeading

Average annual total returns (%) As of 12-31-13

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate

After-tax returns. These reflect the highest individual federal marginal income-tax rates in effect as of the date provided and do not reflect any state or local taxes.

Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred

rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred

Your actual after-tax returns may be different. After-tax returns are not relevant to shares held in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan.

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

However, past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate future results.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following performance information in the bar chart and table below illustrates the variability of the fund's returns and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund's performance from year to year.

Performance Additional Market Index [Text]

rr_PerformanceAdditionalMarketIndex

Average annual total returns. Performance of a broad-based market index is included for comparison.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

jhinvestments.com/RetirementPerformance

Performance Availability Phone [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone

888-972-8696

(Bond Fund - Class R2) | Barclays Government/Credit Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(2.36%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

4.40%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

4.52%

(Bond Fund - Class R2) | Class R2

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge Over Other

rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOther

none

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge Over Other

rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther

none

Management fee

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.47%

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.25%

Other Expenses Over Assets

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.34%

^[4]

Service plan fee

rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.25%

^[4],[5]

Remainder of other expenses

rr_Component2OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.09%

^[4]

Total annual fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.06%

Contractual expense reimbursement

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.05%)

^[6]

Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursements

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

1.01%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

103

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

332

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

580

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,290

Annual Return 2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

4.50%

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

2.35%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

4.42%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

4.85%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(11.97%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

28.44%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

12.84%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

4.81%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

11.75%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

0.48%

Year to Date Return, Label

rr_YearToDateReturnLabel

Year-to-date total return. The fund's total return for the six months ended June 30, 2014, was 5.52%.

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn

5.52%

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2014

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best quarter: Q3 '09, 11.00%

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

11.00%

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst quarter: Q4 '08, -7.30%

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(7.30%)

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.48%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

11.27%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.81%

(Bond Fund - Class R2) | Class R2 | After tax on distributions

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.47%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

9.05%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

3.79%

(Bond Fund - Class R2) | Class R2 | After tax on distributions, with sale

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.32%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

8.02%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

3.71%

(Bond Fund - Class R6)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

To seek a high level of current income consistent with prudent investment risk.

Expense [Heading]

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and expenses

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund.

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]

rr_ShareholderFeesCaption

Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual fund operating expenses (%) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination

September 30, 2015

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Expense example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. Please see below a hypothetical example showing the expenses of a $10,000 investment for the time periods indicated and then assuming a redemption of all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example assumes a 5% average annual return. The example assumes fund expenses will not change over the periods. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio turnover

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund's performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 77% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

77.00%

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of bonds. These may include, but are not limited to, corporate bonds and debentures, as well as U.S. government and agency securities. Most of these securities are investment grade, although the fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in debt securities rated, at the time of acquisition, below investment grade (i.e., junk bonds) as low as CC by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (S&P) and Ca by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. (Moody's), or in unrated securities determined by the fund's investment advisor or subadvisor to be of comparable credit quality. The fund contemplates that at least 75% of the value of its net assets will be in investment-grade debt securities and cash and cash equivalents. There is no limit on the fund's average maturity.

In managing the fund's portfolio, the subadvisor concentrates on sector allocation, industry allocation, and security selection, deciding which types of bonds and industries to emphasize at a given time, and then which individual bonds to buy. When making sector and industry allocations, the subadvisor tries to anticipate shifts in the business cycle, using top-down analysis to determine which sectors and industries may benefit over the next 12 months.

In choosing individual securities, the subadvisor uses bottom-up research to find securities that appear comparatively undervalued. The subadvisor looks at bonds of all quality levels and maturities from many different issuers, potentially including foreign governments and corporations denominated in U.S. dollars or foreign currencies. The fund will not invest more than 10% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies. It is anticipated that under normal market conditions, the fund will not invest more than 25% of its total assets in U.S. dollar-denominated foreign securities (excluding U.S. dollar-denominated Canadian securities).

The fund intends to keep its exposure to interest-rate movements generally in line with those of its peers. The fund may invest in mortgage-related securities and derivatives, which include futures contracts on securities and indexes; options on futures contracts, securities, and indexes; interest-rate, foreign currency, and credit default swaps; and foreign currency forward contracts, in each case for the purposes of reducing risk, obtaining efficient market exposure, and/or enhancing investment returns. The fund's investments in U.S. government and agency securities may or may not be supported by the full faith and credit of the United States.

Under normal circumstances, the fund may not invest more than 10% of its assets in cash or cash equivalents (except cash segregated in relation to futures, forward, and options contracts).

Risk [Heading]

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Principal risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

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An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The fund's shares will go up and down in price, meaning that you could lose money by investing in the fund. Many factors influence a mutual fund's performance.

Instability in the financial markets has led many governments, including the U.S. government, to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that have experienced extreme volatility and, in some cases, a lack of liquidity. Federal, state, and other governments, and their regulatory agencies or self-regulatory organizations, may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which the fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the fund itself is regulated. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the fund's ability to achieve its investment objective. In addition, political events within the United States and abroad, including the U.S. government's ongoing difficulty agreeing on a long-term budget and deficit reduction plan and uncertainty surrounding sovereign debt of European Union members, could negatively impact financial markets and the fund's performance. Further, certain municipalities of the United States and its territories are financially strained and may face the possibility of default on their debt obligations, which could directly or indirectly detract from the fund's performance.

Governments or their agencies may also acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets are unclear, and such a program may have positive or negative effects on the liquidity, valuation, and performance of the fund's portfolio holdings. Furthermore, volatile financial markets can expose the fund to greater market and liquidity risk and potential difficulty in valuing portfolio instruments held by the fund.

The fund's main risk factors are listed below in alphabetical order. Before investing, be sure to read the additional descriptions of these risks beginning on page 6 of the prospectus.

Active management risk. The subadvisor's investment strategy may fail to produce the intended result.

Changing distribution levels risk. The distribution amounts paid by the fund generally depend on the amount of income and/or dividends paid by the fund's investments.

Credit and counterparty risk. The issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, the counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract, or a borrower of a fund's securities may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest, or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations. U.S. government securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk depending upon the nature of their support. Funds that invest in fixed-income securities are subject to varying degrees of risk that the issuers of the securities will have their credit rating downgraded or will default, potentially reducing a fund's share price and income level.

Economic and market events risk. Events in the financial markets have resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. In addition, reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets may adversely affect issuers worldwide. Banks and financial services companies could suffer losses if interest rates were to rise or economic conditions deteriorate.

Fixed-income securities risk. Fixed-income securities are affected by changes in interest rates and credit quality. A rise in interest rates typically causes bond prices to fall. The longer the average maturity or average duration of the bonds held by the fund, the more sensitive the fund is likely to be to interest-rate changes. There is the possibility that the issuer of the security will not repay all or a portion of the principal borrowed and will not make all interest payments.

Foreign securities risk. As compared to U.S. corporate and government issuers, there may be less publicly available information relating to foreign corporate and government issuers. Foreign securities may be subject to foreign taxes. The value of foreign securities is subject to currency fluctuations and adverse political and economic developments.

Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions risk. Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions may increase the volatility of a fund and, if the transaction is not successful, could result in a significant loss to a fund. The use of derivative instruments could produce disproportionate gains or losses, more than the principal amount invested. Investing in derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments and, in a down market, could become harder to value or sell at a fair price. The following is a list of certain derivatives and other strategic transactions that the fund intends to utilize and the main risks associated with each of them:

Credit default swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), interest-rate risk, risk of default of the underlying reference obligation, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving credit default swaps.

Foreign currency forward contracts. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency forward contracts.

Foreign currency swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency swaps.

Futures contracts. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving futures contracts.

Interest-rate swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), interest-rate risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving interest-rate swaps.

Options. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving options. Counterparty risk does not apply to exchange-traded options.

Lower-rated fixed-income securities risk and high-yield securities risk. Lower-rated fixed-income securities and high-yield fixed-income securities (commonly known as junk bonds) are subject to greater credit quality risk and risk of default than higher-rated fixed-income securities. These securities may be considered speculative and the value of these securities can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments and can be difficult to resell.

Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities risk. Different types of mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities are subject to different combinations of prepayment, extension, interest-rate, and/or other market risks.

Sector investing risk. Because the fund may focus on a single sector of the economy, its performance depends in large part on the performance of that sector. As a result, the value of your investment may fluctuate more widely than it would in a fund that is diversified across sectors.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

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The fund's shares will go up and down in price, meaning that you could lose money by investing in the fund

Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text]

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An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

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Past performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

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The following performance information in the bar chart and table below illustrates the variability of the fund's returns and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund's performance from year to year. However, past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate future results. All figures assume dividend reinvestment. Performance for the fund is updated daily, monthly, and quarterly, and may be obtained at our website: jhinvestments.com/InstitutionalPerformance, or by calling 888-972-8696 between 8:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M., Eastern time, on most business days.

Average annual total returns. Performance of a broad-based market index is included for comparison.

After-tax returns. These reflect the highest individual federal marginal income-tax rates in effect as of the date provided and do not reflect any state or local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns may be different. After-tax returns are not relevant to shares held in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan.

November 9, 1973, is the inception date for the oldest class of shares, Class A shares. Class R6 shares were first offered on September 1, 2011; the returns prior to that date are those of Class A shares that have been recalculated to apply the gross fees and expenses of Class R6 shares. Returns for Class R6 shares would have been substantially similar to returns of Class A shares because both share classes are invested in the same portfolio of securities and returns would differ only to the extent that expenses of the classes are different.

Bar Chart [Heading]

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Calendar year total returns—Class R6 (%)

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Year-to-date total return. The fund's total return for the six months ended June 30, 2014, was 5.80%.

Best quarter: Q3 '09, 11.14%

Worst quarter: Q4 '08, –7.19%

Performance Table Heading

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Average annual total returns (%) As of 12-31-13

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

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After-tax returns. These reflect the highest individual federal marginal income-tax rates in effect as of the date provided and do not reflect any state or local taxes.

Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred

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Your actual after-tax returns may be different. After-tax returns are not relevant to shares held in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan.

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

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However, past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate future results.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

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The following performance information in the bar chart and table below illustrates the variability of the fund's returns and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund's performance from year to year.

Performance Additional Market Index [Text]

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Average annual total returns. Performance of a broad-based market index is included for comparison.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

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jhinvestments.com/InstitutionalPerformance

Performance Availability Phone [Text]

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888-972-8696

(Bond Fund - Class R6) | Barclays Government/Credit Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Risk/Return:

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1 Year

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(2.36%)

5 Years

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4.40%

10 Years

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4.52%

(Bond Fund - Class R6) | Class R6

Risk/Return:

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Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge Over Other

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none

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge Over Other

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none

Management fee

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0.47%

Other Expenses Over Assets

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0.09%

Total annual fund operating expenses

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0.56%

Contractual expense reimbursement

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(0.07%)

^[7],[8]

Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursements

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0.49%

Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year

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50

Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years

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172

Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years

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306

Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years

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$ 695

Annual Return 2004

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5.02%

Annual Return 2005

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2.86%

Annual Return 2006

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4.94%

Annual Return 2007

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5.37%

Annual Return 2008

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(11.52%)

Annual Return 2009

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29.08%

Annual Return 2010

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13.40%

Annual Return 2011

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5.43%

Annual Return 2012

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12.00%

Annual Return 2013

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0.96%

Year to Date Return, Label

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Year-to-date total return. The fund's total return for the six months ended June 30, 2014, was 5.80%.

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return

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5.80%

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date

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Jun. 30, 2014

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Best quarter: Q3 '09, 11.14%

Highest Quarterly Return

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11.14%

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

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Sep. 30, 2009

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

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Worst quarter: Q4 '08, -7.19%

Lowest Quarterly Return

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(7.19%)

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

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Dec. 31, 2008

1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.96%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

11.78%

10 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

6.31%

(Bond Fund - Class R6) | Class R6 | After tax on distributions

Risk/Return:

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1 Year

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.17%)

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

9.47%

10 Years

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4.25%

(Bond Fund - Class R6) | Class R6 | After tax on distributions, with sale

Risk/Return:

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1 Year

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0.59%

5 Years

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

8.39%

10 Years

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4.10%

[1] (on certain purchases, including those of $1 million or more)

[2] The advisor has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse or pay operating expenses of the fund in order to reduce the total annual fund operating expenses for Class A, Class B, and Class C shares by 0.05% of the fund's average daily net assets. These fee waivers and/or reimbursements expire on September 30, 2015, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.

[3] The advisor has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse or pay operating expenses of the fund in order to reduce the total annual fund operating expenses for Class I shares by 0.05% of the fund's average daily net assets. This fee waiver and/or reimbursement expires on September 30, 2015, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.

[4] "Other expenses" have been restated from fiscal year amounts to reflect current fees and expenses.

[5] "Service plan fee" has been restated to reflect maximum allowable fees.

[6] The advisor has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse or pay operating expenses of the fund in order to reduce the total annual fund operating expenses for Class R2 shares by 0.05% of the fund's average daily net assets. These fee waivers and/or reimbursements expire on September 30, 2015, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.

[7] The advisor has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse all class-specific expenses for Class R6 shares of the fund, including transfer agency fees and service fees, as applicable, to the extent they exceed 0.00% of average annual net assets (on an annualized basis) attributable to Class R6 shares (the class expense waiver). The class expense waiver expires on September 30, 2015, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.

[8] The advisor has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse or pay operating expenses of the fund in order to reduce the total annual fund operating expenses for Class R6 shares by 0.05% of the fund's average daily net assets. These fee waivers and/or reimbursements expire on September 30, 2015, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.