Kanryo Higaonna
Higashionna Sensei
Okinawan grandmaster and teacher of Chojun Miyagi who formulated the Naha-te and Shorei-ryu traditions.
Quick Facts
Date of Birth3/10/1853
Date of Death12/23/1915
Era19th–20th century
Country of Origin
Okinawa (Japan)
Okinawa (Japan)Rank / TitleMaster of Naha-te
Active Years1870–1915
Biography
Kanryo Higaonna studied Fujian White Crane and Luohan Boxing in Fuzhou, China. Returning to Naha, Okinawa, he systemized Naha-te, passing his lineage to Goju-ryu founder Chojun Miyagi.
Associated Martial Arts
Naha-teFounder→
One of the three Okinawan local traditions from which karate grew. It is not a school with a founder; Gōjū-ryū and Uechi-ryū follow from it.
Shorei-ryuFounder→A classificatory term rather than a separate school. Funakoshi used it for the heavier, slower current of Okinawan karate as against the lighter Shorin-ryu.