I was talking with one of my friends about karate history the other day and the topic of Ryu Ryu Ko came up. While some of the ideas were still fresh in my mind I decided I would write a post about him and the things I have been able to learn over the years.
Ryu Ryu Ko is well known as the teacher Kanryo Higashionna studied
with while he was in China, but exactly who he was or even what his name means
is still the subject of much debate. What little oral history has been passed
down about him can be found in Karate Denshinroku by Akio Kinjo. Akio Kinjo was
a student of Seko Higa who himself trained directly with Kanryo Higashionna in
his youth. Even before his training officially started it was said Higa would
often accompany his father Senshu to Kanryo Higashionna’s house and
would listen to their stories as they drank sake. Senshu Higa was said to be a relative
(possibly cousin) of Kanryo Higashionna. When Seiko Higa was around 13 he
formally began training with Higashionna. Overall Seko Higa is said to have
gained a rich oral history about many things including Kanryo’s time in China
which he later passed down to his own students.
Besides Goju Ryu, Ryu Ryu Ko is talked about in one other major style
which is Ryuei Ryu. The style’s founder Kenri Nakaima is also said to have trained with Ryu Ryu Ko
although much earlier than Kanryo Higashionna. This has led some to speculate
that there were actually two different Ryu Ryu Ko, and that the one who taught
Nakaima, is not the same one who taught Higashionna. However, I believe they
were very much the same person and as we get into things more this will be more
clear.
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This photo, often used for Ryu Ryu Ko, is actually another man named Xie Zhongxiang
Below is some of the oral history on Ryu Ryu Ko passed down by Seko Higa:
(1) Wai Shin Zan and Ru Ru Ko were famous as two great kung fu masters
in Fujian province.
(2) Wai Shin Zan was a military officer. Ru Ru Ko ran his own kungfu
school as a chief instructor.
(3) Ru Ru Ko was not from Fuzhou. He immigrated to Fuzhou from other
village or town. His house was near river or sea.
(4) Ru Ru Ko came the Ryukyu islands together with Wai Shin Zan as a military attaché of Sapposhi.
(5) Seko Higa's father and grandfather remembered Wai Shin Zan and Ru Ru Ko as the left and right hands of the Chinese Sapposhi during their visit to the Ryukyu Kingdom.
(6) After arriving in Fuzhou, China, Kanryo Higashionna visited Wai
Shin Zan to ask for kungfu training. But Wai Shin Zan did not accept him,
because military officers were not allowed to teach martial arts to civilians.
So he recommended Higashionna to go to the kungfu school of Master Ru Ru Ko.
(7) Kanryo Higashionna was not taught anything at all by Ru Ru Ko for
some period just after joining the kung fu school, but he had to do household
chores for the Ru Ru Ko family. He only trained with implements or tools. When
the river flooded, Kanryo Higashionna came to the home of Ru Ru Ko by boat and
rescued his family. At the risk of his life, Higashionna saved Ru Ru Ko’s daughter from
drowning when she was carried away by a heavy flood. He often talked about his
memory of this very risky event to his disciples in Okinawa.
(8) When Kanryo Higashionna was getting ready to return to Okinawa, Ru
Ru Ko was very old and had poor eyesight.
This last part actually makes perfect sense, as Kanryo Higashionna
came to China several decades after Nakaima did. Ryu Ryu Ko would have indeed
been quite old when he left. This is a direct contradiction of the idea that he
was Xie Zhongxiang who was only one year older than Kanryo Higashionna.
The kanji from Ryuei Ryu provide a little clue as to his name. It is
said the first character of the style, was taken from his name. 劉 would be typically read as
Liu but if you pronounce it in Japanese it is Ryu.
There
has been a lot of speculation about the name. Same have said Ryu Ryu is just a
name repeated twice. Others have suggested it was possibly the nickname of
Kanryo Higashionna while in China. Finally there is the idea that “ko”means big
brother and is how Kanryo would have referred to his teacher. I personally don’t think any of these are true.
It’s interesting to
note the full name has been published by Tadahiko Ohtsuka in the Goju Kensha
Kyohan in 1977. It is 劉龍公 and we can immediately see the first character is 劉 as in Ryuei Ryu. When you read this in Japanese the name reads,
Ryu Ryu Ko. We can see clearly it is not a name repeated twice. It is merely a
strange coincidence the two first characters would actually have the same
pronunciation. In Chinese it is Liu Long Gong, who was the teacher of Kanryo
Higashionna.
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A scan of the
lineage chart from the Goju Kensha Kyohan
In Akio Kinjo’s book, the same kanji can be found as well, though he also provides an alternative name of To Ru Ko.
Japanese karateka and researcher Takao Nakaya refers to Liu Long Gong as Ryu Ryu Ko in his publication Karate-Do History and Philosophy Sixth Edition. Unfortunately though at this time, there are not many details available on exactly who Liu Long Gong was or what he taught.
Today people like to focus on white crane and Xie’s teachings as some precursor to Goju Ryu when they likely have nothing to do with each other. The kata of his system have little to no resemblance to those of Goju Ryu or even To’on Ryu. Goju Ryu does however share many things with Ryuei Ryu. Ryu Ryu Ko was almost certainly not Xie Zhongxiang but likely a man name Liu Long Gong.
You can read more about Ryu Ryu Ko and other notable Nahate/Goju Ryu individuals in my book History and Stories of Goju Ryu.
Article Updated Nov 5 2021
It is highly unlikely that Higashionna could have traveled to China. Between approximately 1880 and 1890 there was a prohibition that both the Japanese and their colonies will travel to the eastern country without special permits. Kanryo didn't speak Chinese, he couldn't read or write Japanese, and his Japanese was probably pretty bad too. He came from a very poor family that sold firewood ... a trip to China was very expensive in addition to being arrested as a spy. On the other hand, the stories that Seiko tells Akio, was from when he was a child old enough to sit on the knees of his father. The elders may have been talking about other people and many years later have related him to his first teacher. Furthermore, Waixinxian, lived in Kume for several years, as did other Chinese masters from whom Higaonna may have nurtured. However, the four kata that Kanryo taught were those taught by Aragaki Seisho and Kojo Taite, it would not be necessary to make him travel to Fukien to learn something that already existed on the island and was within his reach. Finally, Miyagi Chojun says that he did not meet any teacher who had traveled to China, he does not deny that he had, he only says that he did not know any. Personally I think this from RyuRyuKo is an urban legend that suited anyone who wanted to justify an unknown past.
ReplyDeleteSome believe that Ryu Ryu Ko is one person, the teacher of Sokon Matsumura (1828), Kenri Nakaima (1839-45), Seisho Aragaki (1870-72), Kanryo Higaonna (1873-80). Chojun Miyagi visited the master's tomb in 1914. Theoretically, it is possible if we are talking about someone who lived around 1790-1880. Liu Long Gong (maybe known as Ason) is recognized as a man who lived 1793-1882. Some indicates Ryu Ryu Ko as Xie Zhongxiang... However he couldn't be Nakaima master. Other hand - why master of Nakaima must be Higaonna's teacher? But maybe ryu ryu inluence on Higaonna was not grat at all. Kata that Higaonna taught, were from Aragaki...
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