ORAL HISTORY ABOUT KANRYO HIGAONNA HANDED DOWN FROM DISCIPLES OF SEIKO HIGA
by Akio Kinjo
Remarks: this is a part of the e-book “karate denshinroku” (= real history of karate) written through Mr. Akio kinjo, a karate researcher and a kungfu teacher in okinawa. Pages 35-forty (okinawa tosho middle, 1999)
I started out learning on karate once I entered Ryukyu college in 1955, however I quickly found it very tough or nearly impossible to accomplish that due to a small variety of books or written substances on karate. I visited the university library and plenty of other big libraries to find valuable books on karate, but I could not discover them. Despite the fact that I found some historic articles concerning the beginning of karate, it was always quite simple and quick sentences together with about cinq or six strains. Their content were, additionally, not so new to me now.
Consequently, I started collecting oral history about karate. The most treasured and concrete oral records become received from grand grasp seiko Higa of gojuryu. At that point sensei Higa installed a karate dojo (= a schooling corridor) in front of Itoman primary faculty. I practiced karate there. After the practice, i used to speak with sensei Higa about karate. We had been so absorbed in talking that we forgot the time. His memories have been not only exciting but additionally very important as substances for discovering karate.
Seiko Higa’s father is seishu Higa. Seishu Higa is a far relative of Kanryo Higaonna who brought karate of naha style to Okinawa from Fuzhou city, Fujian province, China. As seishu Higa and Kanryo Higaonna were true friends, drinking sake (= rice liquor) they used to talk about Kanryo’s recollections in Fuzhou, China and his karate school there. At that time Seiko Higa was a boy and he sat beside his father and listened their conversation with much interest. That is why he had a wealthy and concrete oral records about Kanryo Higaonna.
There are two disciples of Seiko Higa who had received the oral records from him and had more details than me. One is the deceased Choshin Ishimine and the other is Saburo Higa, an acupuncturist.
Sensei Choshin Ishimine became a first-rate disciple of Sensei Seiko Higa. While growing up, he chose to devote all his time and energy to learn karate with Sensei Higa. His performance of suparinpei is so outstanding that no one might do better than him. I suppose that in 1953 there had been at best five or six karatekas who carried out suparinpei well.
Sensei Ishimine taught me karate enthusiastically as he became not only my best my karate instructor but also my cousin. He additionally had “bubishi”, the secret book of karate, which was handed down from generation to generation with the help of copying the book in the high-rating disciples of gojuryu. At that point I was a high school pupil and could not understand the content of the book at all. However I copied the “bubishi” cautiously. I still keep it handy now. This valuable book may be very beneficial to clear up the mysteries of karate.
The disciples of Sensei Choshin Ishimine are Mr. Yasuichi Ishimine, the chief teacher of kobukan, Mr. Riki Uechi residing in Miyako island, Mr. Tsuneo Kashima, the chief instructor of Miyako-Kobukan, Mr. Atsushi Kuwae, the leader trainer of Shumyokan in Yonabaru. They had been additionally passed down the same oral history as me. As for karate of shuri style, I succeeded in accumulating treasured oral history from Sensei Choshin Chibana of kobayashi-ryu, Sensei Chozo Nakama and Sensei Hohan Soken of shorin-ryu matsumura seitoha.
Lately I also succeeded in collecting oral history from Sensei Seikichi Higa (Seiko Higa’s son), the president of Gojuryu Global Karate Kobudo Federation, Sensei Shinpo Matayoshi, the president of all Okinawa Kobudo Federation, and Sensei Eiichi Miyazato, the president of Gojuryu Karatedo Association.
Primarily based at the above-referred to substances in Okinawa and the substances I obtained in Fujian province, China once I studied kungfu there, I’ve been seeking to clear up the secrets of karate.
The oral records that I have gathered from Sensei Seiko Higa, Sensei Choshin Ishimine and Mr. Saburo Higa is as follows.
(1) The name of Chinese master of Kanryo Higaonna is phonetically: to ru ko or to lu ko or ru ru or lu lu or ka chin ga ru ru or ka chin ga lu lu or ru ru ko or lu lu ko. Nobody knows of his exact name. It is so confused that no one is aware of which one of his surname is accurate, and which is his own call. Chinese language characters for his name are not available either.
(2) Wai Shin Zan and To Ru Ko are reknown as exceptional kungfu masters in Fujian province.
(3) Wai Shin Zan was a army officer. To Ru Ko ran his personal kungfu college as a first-rate trainer.
(4) To Ru Ko was not from Fuzhou. He immigrated to Fuzhou from different village or town. His residence was near a river or a sea.
(5) To Ru Ko came to Ryukyu (= Okinawa) together with Wai Shin Zan as a navy attache of Sappushi (= a sort of ambassador of chinese language emperor).
Be aware: in line with Seikichi higa, To Ru Ko’s travel to Ryukyu is questionable.
(6) Nobody knows the nickname of Kanryo Higaonna in China or how he was referred to as by chinese speaking people.
(7) After arriving in Fuzhou, China, Kanryo Higaonna visited Wai Shin Zan to invite him for kungfu training. But Wai Shin Zan did not receive him, because military officials forbade to teach martial arts to civilians. So he recommended Higaonna to visit the kungfu school of grasp To Ru Ko.
(8) There were a lot of burnt-out incense cores on the front altar of To Ru Ko’s dojo (= a school corridor).
(9) Kanryo Higaonna worked as a ferryman at some point during his early days in China.
(10) Kanryo Higaonna was not taught something in any respect by using To Ru Ko for a time just after becoming a member of the kungfu school, but he had to do household chores for the To Ru Ko family. He was most skilled with implements or tools.
(11) When the river flooded, Kanryo Higaonna came to the house of To Ru Ko by boat and rescued his circle of relatives. At the hazard of his existence, Higaonna saved To Ru Ko’s daughter from drowning when she become carried away by the heavy floods. He often mentioned his memory of this very risky occasion to his disciples in Okinawa.
(12) After the flood subsided, grasp To Ru Ko stated to Kanryo Higaonna, “Thanks to your courageous act, we were rescued from the flood. You have saved our lives. We are very thankful to you for your help. As a reward I can take care of your touring expenses for returning to your country, Ryukyu(= Okinawa). Inform me how lots you want.” then Kanryo Higaonna spoke back, “Master, I got here to Fuzhou from Ryukyu to analyze kungfu. I’ve been holding on patiently until you teach me kungfu. As for the costs for returning to Ryukyu, I suppose I’m able to manage on my own. Grasp, please teach me kungfu!” it’s on those grounds that then, Kanryo Higaonna became a formal disciple of master To Ru Ko. He discovered and studied many kungfu secrets and in-depth techniques from his master.
(13) On the night of August 15th of the old lunar calendar, To Ru Ko’s students and Wai Shin Zan’s students held a party on a boat to look the stunning moon. During the birthday celebration, there was a combat between Kanryo Higaonna and Wai Shin Zan’s strongest student.
(14) To determine who won or lost the combat, the masters held a competition of electricity and kata (= kungfu forms) between the two college students. Kanryo Higaonna accomplished kata thoroughly with striking at lightning pace, kicking and really rapid actions of his frame. Seeing Kanryo Higaonna’s high-quality and brilliant kata performance, the strongest pupil of Wai Shi Zan time-honored his grasp’s advice and became reconciled with Kanryo Higaonna.
(15) Kanryo Higaonna mastered kungfu so properly that ultimately he acted as an assistant leader teacher at the dojo.
(16) Sooner or later Kanryo Higaonna requested the grasp for permission to go back to Ryukyu (= Okinawa). The master answered to him, “I’m so vintage that I can not train kungfu any longer. If you want to go back for your u . S ., you have to continue coaching kungfu to my college students here some years more in order for some of them to emerge as my successors.”
(17) Some years later, whilst Kanryo Higaonna became closer to go back to Ryukyu, the master gave him a spear shaft that was cut off. He said to Kanryo Higaonna, “This is for you. This spear shaft was reduce off when I fought with a tough opponent who changed it into a superb at sword combating artwork. Despite the fact that my spear become cut off, I won the struggle. It was my toughest reminiscence. I give you this spear shaft as a souvenir. Hold this well with you.”
(18) Whilst Kanryo Higaonna was going back to Ryukyu, grasp To Ru Ko became very old. His eyesight became additionally awful. (That is an oral history from Sensei Eiichi Miyazato, one of senior college students of grand master Chojun Miyagi.)
(19) Kanryo Higaonna’s karate of naha fashion was created via master To Ru Ko. He created it by means of combining his kungfu with techniques of numerous patterns.
(20) The prototype of Sanchin that Kanryo Higaonna taught in the early days in Okinawa is as follows.
1- Exceptional from these days’s sanchin, your hands ought to be constantly open arms (= nukite or spear-hand), now not closed fingers or fists.
2- You strike with nukite (= spear-hand) in no time and bring back your hand to the basic sanchin position.
3- The sound of breathing nearly can not be heard. While your nukite is brought back to the simple sanchin role, you make the quick and sharp sound of respiration.
4- Inside the late days, Kanryo Higaonna changed the hanging pace of sanchin; changing the very quick putting into the gradual movement.
(21) Chojun Miyagi went to Fuzhou, China on commercial enterprise of tea buying and selling. After returning to Okinawa, he asked Sensei Kanryo Higaonna about sanchin in China, “in Fuzhou, China, they had been breathing with the sound ‘haa haa’ or ‘fuu fuu’ like a massive snake roaring once they achieved sanchin. Why do not we have any such breathing manner?” Sensei Higaonna responded, “theirs are proper. And ours are real, too.” then again Chojun Miyagi requested, “in that case, will you train me their breathing manner with the sound?” Sensei Higaonna responded without delay, “you are too young to analyze it.”
(22) After Sensei Higaonna exceeded away, Chojun Miyagi began coaching karate at a commercial faculty in Naha. About at that point, he changed sanchin regularly. He modified open arms into closed fingers or fists whilst he struck and pulled lower back. Later he made sounds when he changed into breathing in and out. In the end he made sanchin of goju-ryu as we’re doing it now.
(23) Kanryo Higaonna was illiterate, so we don’t have any written data by him.
(24) In China, if you want to study kungfu, you need to pay a lot of cash to your kungfu master. Sensei Higaonna is known as one of these kungfu as hanchinti (= a commercial enterprise karate or a making-cash karate.)
(25) Sensei Seiko Higa said, “Sensei Kanryo Higaonna has mastered such a lot of strategies of kungfu, because he changed into the formal direct disciple, now not an ordinary pupil.”
