, aka Yara Guwa, Ueekata

Ueekata

' was the highest rank in the yukatchu aristocracy of Okinawa's Ryūkyū Kingdom though it was still below the aji nobility. Members of the , a very high-ranking governmental body, were chosen from among the ueekata....

, Yomitan Yara, is credited with being one of the first to disseminate the art of Te

Okinawan martial arts

Okinawan martial arts refers to the martial arts which originated among the indigenous people of Okinawa Island in Japan, most notably karate, tegumi, and Okinawan kobudō....

 throughout Okinawa. Yara is most noted for teaching Takahara Peichin

Peichin Takahara

was revered as a great warrior and is attributed to have been the first to explain the aspects or principles of the dō . was a social class of the Ryūkyū Kingdom.These principles are: 1) ijō, the way-compassion, humility and love...

 who would later be the sensei

Sensei

' is a Japanese word that basically means "person born before another." In general usage, it means "master" or "teacher," and the word is used as a title to refer to or address teachers, professors, professionals such as lawyers, CPA and doctors, politicians, clergymen, and other figures of authority...

 of Sakugawa Kanga, the father of Okinawan karate

Karate

is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...

. Depending on Sakugawa's birth date, Yara may have been his teacher also (based on the kata he taught).

Yara was from Chatan Village

Chatan, Okinawa

is a town located in Nakagami District, Okinawa, Japan.In 2003, the town has an estimated population of 26,377 and the density of 1,936.64 per km². The total area is 13.62 km²...

, on Okinawa Island

Okinawa Island

Okinawa Island is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, and is home to Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture. The island has an area of...

.

History

According to most accounts, Yara's parents sent him to China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 at the age of 12 under the advice of his uncle to study the Chinese language

Chinese language

The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

 and the martial arts. It was here he mastered the use of a the bo staff and twin sai

Sai (weapon)

The sai is a traditional Okinawan martial arts weapon. The basic form of the weapon is that of a pointed, dagger-shaped metal truncheon, with two curved prongs called yoku projecting from the handle...

s under the guidance of his teacher Wong Chung-Yoh

Wong Chung-Yoh

Wong Chung-Yoh was a 17th century teacher of a style of martial arts known as xingyiquan. Located in Fuzhou in the Fukien Province of China, he was notable for being the teacher of Chatan Yara.-References:...

.

Shortly after returning to Shuri around 1800, Yara came to the assistance of a woman being harassed by a samurai

Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...

. First avoiding the samurai's sword attacks, Yara acquired an eku

Eku

Eku is an ancient weapon of Okinawan kobudō that originated from an oar, approximately 160 cm in length...

 (oar) from a nearby boat and successfully disarmed and killed the samurai. Soon after this rescue, he was recruited by local officials to teach his martial art to the local community for the purpose of self-defense

Self-defense

Self-defense, self-defence or private defense is a countermeasure that involves defending oneself, one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in times of danger is available in many...

.

See also

Pechin

Pechin

The is an Okinawan term for the warrior class of the former Ryūkyū Kingdom , the class equivalent of the Japanese Samurai...

/Peichin