Yara is most noted for teaching Takahara Peichin who would later become the sensei (mentor) of Sakugawa Kanga (1733-1815), the father of Okinawan karate.
Depending on Sakugawa's birth date, Yara may have been his teacher also (based on the kata he taught).
Chatanyara kushanku is one of many variants of the popular 'Kushanku' family of katas taught on Okinawa.
According to most accounts, Yara's parents sent him to China at the age of 12 under the advice of his uncle to study the Chinese language and the martial arts.
[1] Shortly after returning to Shuri around 1700, Yara came to the assistance of a woman being harassed by a samurai.