| Kanryō Higaionna 東恩納 寛量 | |
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| Born | (1853-03-10)March 10, 1853 Nishimura,Naha,Ryūkyū Kingdom |
| Died | October 1915 Naha,Okinawa |
| Other names | Higashionna Kanryo, "Higashionna West" |
| Style | Naha-te, Luohanquan |
| Teacher(s) | Arakaki Seishō,Kojo Taitei,[1]Ru Ru Ko,Wai Xinxian, possibly alsoIwah |
| Rank | Kensei, Founder of Naha-te |
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| Notable students | Chōjun Miyagi,Kenwa Mabuni,Kyoda Juhatsu,Koki Shiroma,Higa Seiko,Shiroma Shinpan (Gusukuma) |
Higaonna Kanryō (東恩納 寛量,Higashionna Kanryō, March 10, 1853 – October 1915), and sometimes known asHigashionna West to distinguish him from his cousin,[1] was aRyukyuan martial artist who founded a fighting style known at the time asNaha-te. He is recognized as one of the first students ofFujian White CraneKung Fu masters, namelyRyū Ryū Ko, in theFuzhou region of China who returned with those skills toOkinawa. His student,Chōjun Miyagi, would later foundGōjū ryūKarate.[2]
Higaonna was born in Nishimura, Naha[1] to a merchant family, whose business was selling goods to the north of Okinawa and shipping firewood back to Naha. Firewood was an expensive commodity in theRyukyu Islands. His family belonged to the lower Shizoku class known as the Chikudun Peichin.
The characters of his family name (東恩納) are pronounced "Higaonna" inOkinawan, and "Higashionna" inJapanese. In Western articles the two spellings are often used interchangeably. He had an older relative, 5 years older, calledHigaonna Kanryu who lived in Higashimura and was known as "Higashionna East".[1]
In 1867, Higaonna began to study Monk Fist Boxing (Luohan Quan) fromAragaki Tsuji Pechin Seisho who was a fluent Chinese speaker and interpreter for the Ryūkyūan court.[1] At that time the wordkarate was not in common use, and the martial arts were often referred to simply asTe ("hand"), sometimes prefaced by the area of origin, asNafaa-Ti,Shui-Ti, or simply Uchinaa-Ti.
In September 1870, with the help of Yoshimura Udun Chomei (an Aji or prince), Higaonna gained the travel permit necessary to travel to Fuzhou, on the pretext of going to Beijing as a translator for Okinawan officials. There are records which show that in March 1873 he sailed toFuzhou in theFukien province ofChina.[1] although this may have been a later trip to Fuzhou because accounts passed on by Chojun Miyagi refer to an earlier year of departure in 1870.
Aragaki had given Higaonna an introduction to the martial arts master Kojo Taitei whose dojo was in Fuzhou.[1] Higaonna spent his time studying with various teachers of the Chinese martial arts, the first four years he probably studied with Wai Xinxian, Kojo Tatai and or Iwah at the Kojo Dojo. Kanryo then trained under a man referred to asRyū Ryū Ko, but his name was never recorded as Kanryo Higaonna was illiterate. According to oral account,[3] Kanryo spent years doing household chores for master Ryū Ryū Ko, until he saved his daughter from drowning during a heavy flood and begged the master to teachKung Fu as a reward.
In the 1880s, after Ryūkyū was annexed by Japan, Kanryo returned to Okinawa and continued the family business. He also began to teach the martial arts in and around Naha. He began by teaching the sons of Yoshimura Udun Chomei. His style was distinguished by its integration of bothgo-no (hard) andju-no (soft) techniques in one system. He became so prominent that the name "Naha-te" became identified with Higaonna Kanryo's system. He travelled to China several times thereafter. His last visit was in 1898 when he escorted Yoshimura Chomei and two of his sons to Fuzhou. History records that they were blown off-course to Zhejiang and travelled by land to Fuzhou with an escort provided by the local Zhejiang authorities.
He began to teach Naha-te to the public in 1905 in the Naha Commercial School.[citation needed]
Kanryo was noted for his powerfulSanchinkata, or form. Students reported that the wooden floor would be hot from the gripping of his feet.[citation needed]
Several of Kanryo's students went on to become influential masters of what came to be called karate, amongst themChōjun Miyagi,Kenwa Mabuni,Kyoda Shigehatsu,Koki Shiroma,Higa Seiko,Tsuyoshi Chitose andShiroma Shinpan (Gusukuma).
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