Jana Ueekata

Who was Jana Ueekata?

Jana Ueekata Rizan, also known by the Chinese-style name Tei Dō, was a Ryūkyūan aristocrat and bureaucrat in the royal government of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. A member of the Sanshikan, the king's closest advisors, Rizan was the only Ryūkyūan official to refuse to recognize the suzerainty of Japan's Satsuma Domain over the kingdom; he was executed as a result.

"Jana Ueekata" is actually a title, not a name, reflecting that Rizan was of ueekata rank, and assigned to the region or territory of Jana. This name structure, along with the fact that he possessed a separate, Chinese-style, name was typical of the Ryūkyūan aristocracy.