 The
exact dates that O-Sensei began training with Higashionna Kanryo are
uncertain. His training with Aragaki Seisho (1840-1918) stopped between
1912 and 1914 and he started training with Hanashiro Chomo (1869-1945)
around 1914. Death dates for Higashionna are varied, anywhere in the
range of 1915 to 1918 are quoted in various history books, and probably
no one knows for certain. However, we can figure out from the dates that
O-Sensei was with Higashionna for only a few years at most.
Higashionna is a very famous karateka, made so mostly by one of his
students, Miyagi Choyun, the founder of Goju Ryu, one of the most
popular styles of karate worldwide. Miyagi and O-Sensei trained together
under Higashionna and remained friends until Miyagi's death in 1953.
Kanryo was born at Nishimura (West Village), Naha in March, 1853, the
fourth son of Higashionna Kanyo, a high ranking Bushi who didn't fare
well financially during the final absorption of Okinawa into Japan and
the abolition of the Bushi and Samurai classes. Higashionna's father was
forced to ship firewood for a living from the Kerama Islands to Naha in
a small junk. The poverty of Higashionna's family meant that his
education was neglected and Higashionna was likely unable to read or
write.
Higashionna was known as Mushu as a young boy, and also later nicknamed
Ushi-chi. While still a teenager, he became interested in martial arts
and the rumors say that he began to ask different masters to teach him
Te. Sometime in his teens, Higashionna began studying Tote under Aragaki
Seisho (probably around 1867, the year Aragaki gave a famous
demonstration in Shuri), and continued training for three years until
Aragaki was called away to Beijing, China on court business as a
translator in 1870. Not forgetting his student, Aragaki introduced
Higashionna to Kojo Taitei (1837-1917), a martial artist from Okinawa's
well known Kojo family.
Kojo Taitei had trained under at least one of the same Chinese
instructor as Aragaki himself and agreed to teach the young Kanryo. Kojo
Taitei taught Kanryo for about two years until the two parted ways for
unknown reasons. It may be because Higashionna decided that he must
leave Okinawa and go to the source to further his martial arts training.
Through Kojo Taitei, Kanryo met a palace official named Yoshimura, who
helped Kanryo obtain passage to Foochow, a city in Fukien province,
China famous for its martial arts instruction. Higashionna left Okinawa
in March of 1873.
In China, Higashionna was young, without resources and he didn't speak
Chinese. Higashionna began staying at the "Ryukyukan" (Okinawa house), a
large building for Okinawans to live in while getting their bearings
upon arriving in China.
Higashionna's most famous teacher was a Chinese gungfu master with the
nickname "Ryuru Ko", whose exact identity remains a mystery to this day.
There are many theories about the man's identity, although all involve
small inconsistencies that don't add up. Perhaps the nickname "Ryuru"
belonged to more than one instructor, and over the years, two or three
gungfu masters have merged into one and caused confusion. Regardless,
these are facts for further research to uncover. The master "Ryuru Ko"
is possibly the same man who taught Nakaima Norisato (1850-1927) in
Foochow, who passed this style through his descendants and now forms the
style Ryuei Ryu.
Higashionna began training with "Ryuru Ko" in the year 1877, four years
after arriving in China. His first four years in China were probably
spent training in the martial arts, but not with Ryuru Ko, his famous
teacher. Much research into this time of Higashionna's life has failed
to reveal exactly where he was and what he did during this four year
span. Historians speculate that at this time Higashionna probably
trained at the Kojo family dojo in Foochow, a gathering place for
Okinawan martial artists, where Chinese masters would sometimes visit.
Testimony on how long Higashionna Kanryo remained in China varies from
ten to thirty years, although thirty years is quite unlikely. We can say
for certain that he remained in China long enough to be a skilled
martial artist, so skilled that he spawned decades of tradition. The
most likely scenario is that Higashionna stayed in China for a few
years, and then continued to visit China for many years even after
returning to Okinawa. There are several different written histories from
the time to support Higashionna traveling to China on several different
occasions.
In Okinawa, the martial arts that Higashionna knew did him little good
in making a living. Most stories say that he returned to his parent's
firewood business, hardly a fitting fate for a martial arts master.
Fortune smiled upon him when the Japanese army became interested in Tote
during some army drafts in the early 1890's. This caused an interest in
Tote from Okinawan youth, and Higashionna began teaching sons of Wealthy
Naha families in the courtyard of his parents' home. Before the Japanese
interest, Okinawan youth were somewhat ashamed of Tote's Chinese roots.
Higashionna's skill became well known and he began to overshadow other
famous teachers who had already introduced similar styles.
The training, it is said, was tedious and Higashionna taught Sanchin
kata incessantly for three or four years and many students dropped out,
not only because the training was incredibly demanding, but because they
were bored. For those students who remained, Higashionna taught much and
Miyagi Choyun, Shiroma Koki and Kyoda Juhatsu emerged as Higashionna's
top students.
At the time of Higashionna's death, many of Higashionna's students
became in turn, students of Miyagi, Higashionna's top student. Other
students of Higashionna who later became famous masters include
O-Sensei, as well as Mabuni Kenwa (1889-1952), founder of Shito Ryu, and
Higa Seiko (1898-1966) who remained a student of Miyagi and became one
of the top Goju Ryu instructors in later years.
From examining Goju Ryu kata today as compared to Chito Ryu, few look
similar, only Sanchin seems to be close, and Chito Ryu Sanchin looks
like Goju Sanchin mixed with Goju Tensho, a kata invented by Miyagi
after Higashionna's death. O-Sensei wrote that he learned several other
kata from Higashionna, including Saifa, Seipai, Kururunfa and Rohai.
Saifa, Seipai and Kururunfa are still found in Goju Ryu, but none of
Higashionna's students ever credited Higashionna with teaching a kata
called Rohai. Rohai remains somewhat of a mystery. Surprisingly, none of
the other kata remained with Chito Ryu.
References
Bishop, Mark: "Okinawan Karate - Teachers, Styles and Secret
Techniques", A&C Black Ltd. London, 1989.
"Bible of Karate - Bubishi", Charles E. Tuttle, fourth printing 1997.
Translated with commentary by Patrick McCarthy.
Higashi, Shane: "Chito Ryu Karate", Canadian Chito Ryu Karate Do
Association, 1984.
Sells, John: "Unante, the Secrets of Karate", John Sells and Hawley
Publications, 1996.
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