KANRYO HIGASHIONNA

Okinawan Master Kanryo Higashionna (1852 – 1915) was born in Naha City in 1852. Higashionna at the age of 10 began helping his father in the family business that consisted of transporting firewood in a small junk from island to island. By all accounts Higashionna was physically small for his age, but very quick in his movements. When he was 11 or 12 years old he developed an interest in martial arts and began to train with a local instructor who was teaching a Fukien style of Kung Fu. In 1865 his father was killed in a fight. It is believed that his father's death caused him to intensify his desire to extend his martial arts training.

In 1874 Higashionna traveled to Mainland China and reportedly spent the next 15 years learning Kung fu from Chinese masters. There exist no verifiable records but it is widely accepted that Master Higashionna studied White Crane Kenpo from Master Ryu Ryu Ko in China's Fukien Prefecture. It is also widely accepted that Master Ryu Ryu Ko learned from Master Hayashi Toku Jun, a martial arts master and founder of Taiwan White Crane Kenpo. After his arrival in China he spent a year in the Okinawan settlement in Foochow, before he was introduced to Ryu Ryu Ko. Virtually nothing is known about Ryu Ryu Ko. Some martial artists/historians have suggested that it is possible that Ryu Ryu Ko is only the nickname given to him by Master Higashionna in order to protect his true identity. The reason Master Ryu Ryu Ko wished to keep his identity a secret is not readily discernible.

In 1889 Master Higashionna returned to Okinawa. Shortly after his return he began developing his own martial arts style. He was not, however, eager to teach and for a long period of time he did not accept any students for instruction. Neither did he bother to name or systematize his style. The style eventually became known as To-de, or Chinese hand, to distinguish it from Te, the native Okinawan martial art. Later the style took on the name Naha-Te to distinguish it from Shuri-Te and Tomari-te the other two Okinawan styles. Ultimately Higashionna began to accept students and began teaching Naha-Te.