,The same

kanji are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...

(親方) are pronounced ''oyakata'' in Japanese, in which the term is used in a variety of contexts with meanings roughly corresponding to "master." For example, in

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by th ...

, the term is used to refer to coaches. in the

Okinawan language Okinawan (, , , ), or more precisely Central Okinawan, is a Northern Ryukyuan languages, Ryukyuan language spoken primarily in the southern half of the Okinawa Island, island of Okinawa, as well as in the surrounding islands of Kerama Islands, K ...

, was the highest rank in the yukatchu aristocracy of the former

Ryukyu Kingdom The Ryukyu Kingdom was a kingdom in the Ryukyu Islands from 1429 to 1879. It was ruled as a Tributary system of China, tributary state of Ming dynasty, imperial Ming China by the King of Ryukyu, Ryukyuan monarchy, who unified Okinawa Island t ...

(modern-day

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

), though it was still below the '' aji'' nobility. Members of the , a very high-ranking governmental body, were chosen from among the ''ueekata''. ''Ueekata'' rank was generally obtained as the last step in a progression from ''shii'' (子) rank to ''satonushi'' (里之子), then to '' peekumi'' (親雲上), and finally to ''ueekata''. As with other Ryukyuan aristocratic titles, a member would often be referred to by their title, along with an associated placename. For example, royal government official Tei Dō (1549-1611) is equally well known by the title Jana Ueekata, or "ueekata of Jana," Jana (謝名) being an area (specifically, an '' azana'') within what is today the city of Ginowan, Okinawa. Holders of ''ueekata'' rank wore purple '' hachimachi'' headbands, the color being a symbol of rank.

Notes

References

*"Ueekata." ''Okinawa konpakuto jiten'' (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia")
Ryukyu Shimpo
(琉球新報). 1 March 2003. Accessed 5 January 2009. {{Government of the Ryukyu Kingdom, state=expanded Noble titles Ryukyu Kingdom Nobility in Asia