Chatan Yara no Sai

北谷屋良の釵

Chatan Yara no Sai (or 北谷屋良の釵 in Japanese) is a Ryukyu Kobujutsu Sai Kata. The first part of this name – Chatan Yara (or 津堅志多 in Japanese) – refers to a Budo Master specialized in fighting with bare hands (Te), Bō, and Sai (釵). Yara of the Chatan family was born in 1668 in Shuri, Naha, Okinawa. At the age of 12 years old, he was sent to China, where he studied Martial Arts with Wong Chung-Yoh. Shortly after returning to Shuri, around 1700, he came to the assistance of a woman being harassed by a samurai (a member of the Japanese warrior caste). First avoiding the samurai’s attacks with a sword ( Katana ), Chatan Yara (also known as Ueekata, and Yomitan Yara) took an oar ( Eku ) from a nearby boat and defeated the samurai. Soon after this rescue, he was recruited to teach his Martial Art to the local community for the purpose of self-defense, according to tradition. He died in 1756. In the video embedded below (recorded on 24 April 2023), budoka Johan Oldenkamp, a former national champion from the Netherlands, performs this ‘Sai Kata by Master Chatan Yara’.

In the next video (recorded on 18 November 2024), budoka Johan Oldenkamp performs the Bunkai of this Sai Kata. Bunkai (or 分解 in Japanese) literally means ‘analysis’ or ‘disassembly’. In this Bunkai, this Kata of Chatan Yara no Sai is broken down and studied for its offensive and defensive elements in four practical applications.