Chatan Yara no Kon | 北谷屋良の棍

Chatan Yara no Kon (or 北谷屋良の棍 in Japanese) is a Ryukyu Kobujutsu Bo. The first part of this Kata’s 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. 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. First avoiding the samurai’s attacks with a sword (Katana), Chatan Yara (also known as Ueekata, and Yomitan Yara) took an oar (Eiku) 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 this video (recorded on 17 October 2025), budoka Johan Oldenkamp, a former national champion from the Netherlands, performs this ‘Bo Kata by Master Chatan Yara’. It can also be performed with a traditional Okinawan oar (エイコ eiku), as shown in this video :    • Chatan Yara no Eiku | 北谷屋良のエイコ   For more information, go to : https://Ryukyu-Kobujutsu.org