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The is an Okinawan term for the scholar-officials class of the former Ryūkyū Kingdom (modern-day Okinawa, Japan), the class equivalent of the Japanese Samurai. Though initially culturally different, by the nineteenth century these feudal scholar-officials of the Ryūkyū Kingdom would eventually call themselves ''samure''. In the last couple hundred years of the existence of the Ryūkyū Kingdom there was a strong push to make Ryūkyū more Japanese, and gradually displace the native language, customs and culture. The once culturally distinct Ryūkyū warrior gradually become more Japanese, to the extent that they adopted Bushido. In Japanese documents from the nineteenth century it is common to find that the Pechin are simply addressed as Samurai, making no distinction to any cultural differences. ==Okinawan Caste System== The Pechin were part of a complex caste system that existed in Okinawa for centuries. They were the feudal scholar-officials class that was charged with enforcing the law and providing military defense to the nation, Ryūkyū Kingdom. The specific rank of a ''samure'' was noted by the color of his hat. Okinawan Caste System: *Royalty - Sho family : * :Prince : * :descendant of Prince, cadet branch of Royal House * - scholar-officials : * :Lord : * :: * :upper Pechin :: * :middle Pechin :: * :lower Pechin : * :upper page : * :lower page * - commoners The Pechin class was also responsible for the development of and training in the traditional fighting style, called Ti (Te), which developed into modern-day Karate. The Ryūkyū Pechin kept their fighting techniques secret, usually passing down the most devastating fighting forms to only one member of the family per generation, usually the eldest son. This scholar-official class became part of the caste system in Okinawa. Placed in the upper class, the Pechin would often travel with a servant at their side. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pechin」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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