Kanryo Higaonna's father was killed in a fight when the boy was fourteen. Desirous of revenge, Higaonna decided he would travel to China to learn a fighting art before returning to his island home to avenge his father. The young Higaonna finally left Okinawa in 1867 at the age of 15.
Upon his arrival in Fuzhou, Higaonna stayed at the Uchinayaru, a hostel owned by an Okinawan and catering to Okinawans. The manager, Kanpu Tanmei, upon hearing of Higaonna's wish to study Chinese martial arts, was able to arrange an all-important formal and personal introduction to Ryu Ryu Ko. In those days it was very difficult to be accepted as a student of any martial arts, and Higaonna certainly 'lucked out' in meeting Kanpu Tanmei. After the introductions were over, the Chinese master accepted Higaonna as a student after the latter swore an oath of allegiance and loyalty.
Ryu Ryu Ko and the Origins of Okinawan Naha Te
The relationship between Ryu Ryu Ko and Higaonna was more complicated than the modern day teacher-student arrangement that many, if not all, reading this will have. First of all, as part payment and part a test of character, Higaonna was required to help his teacher cut and collect bamboo. Only when Higaonna had proved himself diligent, hard working and responsible enough to learn a fighting art did his training properly begin. The master would use this bamboo to make various goods, such as baskets and furniture, to support himself. Originally Ryu Ryu Ko had been a member of the aristocratic class through his family and it was his social standing that allowed him to attend the southern Shaolin Temple in Fujian Province. Owing to political upheaval at the time, he and his family had little choice but to blend into the background and hide their aristocratic status. As a result of this Higaonna's teacher worked at various jobs throughout his life to disguise his social origins.
Reports describe Ryu Ryu Ko as being tall, around six feet in height, with an athletic physique that kept him slim and muscular and he was particularly famous for his strong grip. One anecdote notes that not only could the master crush bamboo, but he could also pull it apart using his fingers. Personality wise he was considered warm-hearted, though stern when teaching.
Another story draws our attention to the lack of rigidity in teaching kata and points to variations between different masters. Another practitioner of sanchin in Fuzhou was Wan Shin Za. Wan Shin Za used a stance in sanchin that was both wider and longer than that employed by Ryu Ryu Ko.
Speaking of sanchin we find evidence here of the severity of training promoted by Ryu Ryu Ko. While instructing Kanryo Higaonna, the founder of Naha te, the Okinawan would be subjected to extreme shime, or slapping and striking, while executing sanchin kata. This body conditioning, intended to toughen both the body and mind, is something that Goju ryu karate remains famous for today and is often witnessed in demonstrations.
Ryu Ryu Ko appears to have been a master of Whooping Crane kung fu (there is no definite evidence but he was almost certainly a master of a form of Crane kung fu), and he would teach a broad spectrum of martial arts, including a long list of kata, kakie (pushing hands practice), ude tanren (arm conditioning), ne waza (ground fighting), hojo undo (supplementary training, including the use of rudimentary weight training equipment), the long and short swords (now seemingly lost to Goju ryu karate), and the bo (staff). One aspect of training familiar to Okinawan and Japanese karateka not mentioned is the use of the makiwara (striking post), raising the obvious question as to whether or not this was a supplementary training aid indigenous to Okinawa itself.
Beyond martial technique, Ryu Ryu Ko also taught herbal medicine and I would suspect that, at least in part, this knowledge may have come from the Bubishi, the 'manual' of Okinawan karate that arrived from China through, it seems, various sources. It can be seen that the master gave well-rounded instruction to his students, most especially Kanryo Higaonna, who studied in Fuzhou for approximately 14 years, learning both martial arts and herbal medicine. Higaonna returned to Okinawa in around 1881. Living in Naha, near the port, the martial art he taught became known as Naha te. This would be the forerunner of Goju ryu karatedo.
It is believed that Ryu Ryu Ko died in February, 1930.
