Chatan Yara No Sai

 Chatan-Yara-No-Sai is the last of the Isshin-ryu sai kata. The AOKK version has had several influences. The original version was more static. This form was slightly modified after I attended a seminar by Sensei Nick Adler in the eighties. My early weapons training was with sensei Rick Robinson, so I’m certain he too has influenced my version of Chatan-Yara. The AOKK version was influenced by Sensei Beahr although his influence was minimal. Mr. Beahr had a background in Chinese weapons, and we spoke often about the flow of movement in kata. In this text I have noted the differences between Shimabuku’s original form and the one I learned. I’ve also noted the differences between Adler sensei’s form and the original. I consider Nick Adler an expert on Okinawan weapons and more specifically the weapons of Isshin-ryu. I could not find a video of sensei Robinson performing this kata, so I could not make any comparison to Robinson’s version. There are only slight differences between all of the forms.

According to John Sells book Unante, Chatan Yara simply means Chatan of the village Yara, so the form was named for an early teacher of Okinawan weapons. Shimabuku sensei learned this form from the legendary Taira Shinken sensei. Taira sensei is known as the modern father of kobudo (Weapons). Shinken sensei was a no-nonsense instructor that young students feared. He was intense and passionate about the teaching weapons.

The traditionalist should perform the kata like Shimabuku sensei, but those that want the ebb and flow of a real confrontation will be more inclined to learn either the Adler or AOKK versions. The AOKK version contains the back-and-forth influence of Adler sensei. Fighting is never static, so we believe that the form should not be static either. Weapons build muscle and are truly an artform. Having said this, many instructors frown on any changes however slight. Somehow, slight changes have crept into the AOKK version of the kata. Like all kata, slight changes occur from instructor to student as the form is transmitted from generation to generation.