Yukatchu

Yukatchu (良人) were the aristocracy of the Ryūkyū Kingdom; the scholar-bureaucrats of classical Chinese studies living in Kumemura, they held the majority of government positions.

History

At the beginning of the 17th century, around the time of the invasion of Ryūkyū by the Japanese feudal domain of Satsuma, Kumemura and its community of Chinese scholars had deteriorated drastically; the royal government, along with that of Satsuma, then took action to revive it, and with it the aristocratic and intellectual culture of Ryūkyū as a whole. The best and brightest of Ryūkyū were invited to settle in Kumemura, pursue Chinese studies, and establish noble houses.

Thus, the yukatchu class was formally created around 1650, and divided into a number of ranks and titles from high to low: ueekata (親方), peekumi (親雲上), satonushi (里之子) and shii (子), each rank being accompanied by a rice stipend. These stipends were quite small as compared to those of Japanese samurai, but were likely quite appreciated, particularly after 1712, when the number of yukatchu increased dramatically, along with competition for positions in the bureaucracy; at this time, stipends were no longer guaranteed to those without government posts.