Higaonna Kanryu
Okinawan master of Naha-te (1849–1922), student of Wai Shinzan, known as Eastern Higaonna, often confused with his relative Kanryo Higaonna.
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Higaonna Kanryu was an Okinawan martial arts master associated with Naha-te. He was born in 1849 in the Ryukyu Kingdom and died in 1922 in Naha, Okinawa. Besides martial arts he was also known for his accomplishments in calligraphy and Chinese studies.
His martial arts teacher was Wai Shinzan; some claims attribute his instruction to the Chinese master Ru Ru Ko, but the latter is associated rather with Kanryo Higaonna, and the authenticity of his name is a matter of scholarly dispute.
He was a relative of Kanryo Higaonna, with whom he is often confused because of the similar name. The name Higaonna Kanryu means “Eastern Higaonna”, whereas Kanryo Higaonna was called “Western Higaonna”. The two studied with different masters and we have not been able to verify that Kanryo Higaonna was his teacher. Kanryo Higaonna has different life dates in Japanese sources (1853–1915).
Kyoda Juhatsu is given as his student. Sources on Kyoda, however, write that in 1902 he entered Kanryo Higaonna's dojo, trained with him until 1915 and named his style Toon-ryu after him. We believe that here too the two Higaonnas may have been confused.