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Ryū Ryū Ko

December 29, 2022

Ryū Ryū Ko (Chinese: 劉龍公 Okinawan: ルールーコウ fl. 1793 - 1882), also known as Liu Long Gong, was a Chinese martial artist who most likely practiced the Fujian White Crane style of Kung Fu. His most notable students included many of the founders of different Okinawan martial arts which later produced Karate. These students included Higaonna Kanryō who founded Naha-te which became Gōjū-ryū. The kata Sanchin, taught in Gōjū-ryū and many other Naha-te based styles of Karate, was originally taught by Ryū Ryū Ko.[1]

Ryū Ryū Ko
劉龍公
Born1793
Beijing, Qing dynasty China
Died1882
Fujian, Qing dynasty China
Other namesLiu Long Gong
StyleFujian White Crane?
Teacher(s)Unknown
Notable studentsHigaonna Kanryō, Arakaki Seishō, Norisato Nakaima

Because most of what is known about Ryū Ryū Ko has been passed down by his students, as an oral history, his exact identity, or even his very existence, has been disputed by critics.[1] The research of Tokashiki Iken indicates that he also went by the name of Xie Zhongxiang (謝宗祥), a man born in Changle, Fujian. Other aliases include Xia YiYi (謝如如), in local Fukian Dialect, or Xie RuRu, in modern Mandarin. The names Xie Ru Ru, Ru Ru Ko and Ryū Ryū Ko are considered terms of endearment amongst friends since the suffix ”Ko“ (哥) means "Brother".

The Fuzhou Martial Arts Association has published an official statement refuting the results of Tokashiki Iken's research regarding Ryu Ryu Ko.[2]

The research conducted by Filip Konjokrad points toward RyuRyuKo being Liu Long Gong (劉龍公), not Xie Zhongxiang. [3]

Life & career

Liu Long Gong

"Liu Long Gong was a military officer and bodyguard for Chinese Sapposhi. He was also the chief instructor at the Royal Bodyguard School during the Qing dynasty. He was originally from Beijing and later settled in Fuzhou. His house was by a river. At this time it is not known who his instructor was. He had travelled to the Ryukyu islands twice in an official capacity. The first time was in 1838 and the second was 1866. His partner during both visits was Wai Xinxian. They were known as the left and right hands of the Chinese envoy according to Seiko Higa's father. Seiko Higa recalls his father knew them as distinct individuals. This is important to note as some people have also speculated that Wai XinXian was Ryu Ryu Ko."[3]

Xie Zhongxiang

Ryū Ryū Ko had been born into the Fujian aristocratic class, who at that time were the only people permitted to study the martial arts which he studied at the southern Shaolin Temple in the mountains of Fujian Province. Because of internal strife in China the aristocracy was under threat so his family was forced to conceal their identities for their own safety. This led Ryū Ryū Ko to work as a bricklayer and later in life he made a variety of goods such as furniture.[1]

By some accounts Ryū Ryū Ko was one of the first generation masters of Míng hè quán (鳴鶴拳, Whooping Crane Fist), which he either learned from his teacher Kwan Pang Yuiba (who was a student of Fāng Qīniáng, the originator of the first White Crane martial art), or created himself, based on more general White Crane style of his teacher. He had been teaching martial arts at his home to a very small group of students, which included Higaonna Kanryō, who stayed with Ryū Ryū Ko from 1867 to 1881. Ryū Ryū Ko expanded his class to an actual public school in 1883, running it with his assistant, Wai Shinzan (Wai Xinxian).

If Ryū Ryū Ko was indeed Xie Zhongxiang, then it is also possible that he had a son named Xie Tsuxiang. If Ryū Ryū Ko and Xie Zhongxiang were the same person, then his currently living direct descendant is his great-grandson, Xie Wenliang. Historical records provided by the Fuzhou Wushu Association show that Xie Zhong Xiang was not of aristocratic birth and never had to hide his identity.[citation needed] Xie Zhong Xiang worked as an apprentice shoe-maker in Fuzhou until he was 30 when he started his own martial art school, whereas accounts in the Okinawan Ryū Ryū Ko oral tradition stated that he worked as a brick-layer and basket-weaver in his later years.

Karate historians do not agree with the Xie Zhongxiang identification, it has been suggested that Ryū Ryū Ko taught other styles of southern Chinese martial arts, or even that Ryu Ryu Ko was the name of the place, rather than a person.[citation needed]

Karate historians from the Ryūei-ryū and Gōjū-ryū lineage have cited the visit by Miyagi Chojun to Fuzhou to seek Ryū Ryū Ko after Miyagi's teacher, Kanryo Higaonna died in Oct,1915. Miyagi Chojun travelled to Fuzhou in May 1915 and again 1916, with Eisho Nakamoto (in 1915) and Gokenki (吴賢贵, in 1916). There he was met by Ryu Ryu Ko's students, presumably someone who knew Higaonna Kanryo. Based on the oral tradition passed on by Miyagi Chojun, he was brought before Ryu Ryu Ko's grave to pay his respects. Unless Miyagi Chojun's oral history is to be disregarded, then Ryū Ryū Ko who died before 1916 and Xie Zhongxiang who died in 1930 were not the same person.

Since the name "Ryū Ryū Ko" really existed in Okinawan tradition through the references provided by his students, any research into the identity of Ryū Ryū Ko should be based on these references. Norisato Nakaima (1819－1879 the founder of Ryūei-ryū, based the first character in the name of his style on Ryū Ryū Ko's surname. The character Norisato Nakaima used was "劉" which in Fuzhou dialect sounded like Liu/Ryu. Historians cite this as another piece of evidence to suggest that Xie Zhong Xiang was not Ryū Ryū Ko. (Note that prior to 1948 the vast majority of the population in Fujian Province spoke Fujian and not Mandarin, and Xie Zhongxiang's alias Xie Ruru as pronounced today would have been pronounced Xia Yiyi in late 19th Century Fujian.) According to the Ryuei Ryu Tradition, Norisato Nakaima began studying under Ryū Ryū Ko when he was 19 years old, circa 1838 to 1839 and spent 7 years learning martial arts as well as knowledge in Chinese herbal medicine from Ryū Ryū Ko.

Those who dispute the claims that Xie Zhong Xiang was Ryū Ryū Ko cite the fact that Xie Zhongxiang's nickname would have been pronounced "YiYi Go" in Fujianese Dialect, and not "Ru Ru Ko", the later being a modern Mandarin pronunciation of his nickname. Taking into consideration the formality involved in a teacher's acceptance of a student into his martial arts school in those days, as it was apparent in the manner in which Kanryo Higaonna chose his own students in later years, it was deemed unlikely that Ryū Ryū Ko's students would have referred to him by any title other than his formal name. Historical records from Fuzhou Martial Arts Association show that Xie Zhong Xiang was referred to either by his full-name or known as Yi-Shi ( 如师) which means Yi-Sensei in Fujianese Dialect. Those who dispute claims that Xie Zhong Xiang is Ru Ru Ko say that it is highly unlikely for Okinawan students to refer to their teacher of martial arts by his nickname "Brother Yiyi", and Ryū Ryū Ko's student Norisato Nakaima's claim that his Sensei's surname was "Ryu" (劉)is more plausible.

Ryū Ryū Ko's students

The okinawan martial artists who are believed to have studied in Ryū Ryū Ko's school were Higaonna Kanryō (founder of Naha-te), Arakaki Seishō, Norisato Nakaima (1819－1879) (founder of Ryūei-ryū), Sakiyama Kitoku (1830–1914), Kojo Taitei (1837–1915), Maezato Ranpo (1838–1904), Matsuda Tokusaburo (1877–1931).[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Ryu Ryu Ko and Kanryo Higaonna: -The Chinese Roots". hallamdojo.co.uk/. Sheffield Hallam Dojo. 18 February 2012. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
  2. ^ http://www.gojuryukarate.cn/showart.asp?art_id=33
  3. ^ a b Konjokrad, Filip (2019). History and Stories of Goju-Ryu. Lulu. pp. 12–13. ISBN 978-0-359-31781-3.

Further reading

  • Higaonna, Morio (2001). The History of Karate: Okinawan Goju Ryu. ISBN 0-946062-36-6.
  • McCarthy, Patrick (1995). The Bible of Karate Bubishi.Tuttle Publishing. p. 35. ISBN 0-8048-2015-5.
  • Konjokrad, Filip (2019). History and Stories of Goju-Ryu. Lulu Publishing. p. 12-13. ISBN 978-0-359-31781-3

External links

December 29, 2022
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This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article uses bare URLs which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting such as Reflinks documentation reFill documentation and Citation bot documentation September 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations December 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article may be in need of reorganization to comply with Wikipedia s layout guidelines Please help by editing the article to make improvements to the overall structure August 2014 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message Ryu Ryu Ko Chinese 劉龍公 Okinawan ルールーコウ fl 1793 1882 also known as Liu Long Gong was a Chinese martial artist who most likely practiced the Fujian White Crane style of Kung Fu His most notable students included many of the founders of different Okinawan martial arts which later produced Karate These students included Higaonna Kanryō who founded Naha te which became Gōju ryu The kata Sanchin taught in Gōju ryu and many other Naha te based styles of Karate was originally taught by Ryu Ryu Ko 1 Ryu Ryu Ko劉龍公Born1793Beijing Qing dynasty ChinaDied1882Fujian Qing dynasty ChinaOther namesLiu Long GongStyleFujian White Crane Teacher s UnknownNotable studentsHigaonna Kanryō Arakaki Seishō Norisato NakaimaBecause most of what is known about Ryu Ryu Ko has been passed down by his students as an oral history his exact identity or even his very existence has been disputed by critics 1 The research of Tokashiki Iken indicates that he also went by the name of Xie Zhongxiang 謝宗祥 a man born in Changle Fujian Other aliases include Xia YiYi 謝如如 in local Fukian Dialect or Xie RuRu in modern Mandarin The names Xie Ru Ru Ru Ru Ko and Ryu Ryu Ko are considered terms of endearment amongst friends since the suffix Ko 哥 means Brother The Fuzhou Martial Arts Association has published an official statement refuting the results of Tokashiki Iken s research regarding Ryu Ryu Ko 2 The research conducted by Filip Konjokrad points toward RyuRyuKo being Liu Long Gong 劉龍公 not Xie Zhongxiang 3 Contents 1 Life amp career 2 References 3 Further reading 4 External linksLife amp career EditLiu Long Gong Liu Long Gong was a military officer and bodyguard for Chinese Sapposhi He was also the chief instructor at the Royal Bodyguard School during the Qing dynasty He was originally from Beijing and later settled in Fuzhou His house was by a river At this time it is not known who his instructor was He had travelled to the Ryukyu islands twice in an official capacity The first time was in 1838 and the second was 1866 His partner during both visits was Wai Xinxian They were known as the left and right hands of the Chinese envoy according to Seiko Higa s father Seiko Higa recalls his father knew them as distinct individuals This is important to note as some people have also speculated that Wai XinXian was Ryu Ryu Ko 3 Xie ZhongxiangRyu Ryu Ko had been born into the Fujian aristocratic class who at that time were the only people permitted to study the martial arts which he studied at the southern Shaolin Temple in the mountains of Fujian Province Because of internal strife in China the aristocracy was under threat so his family was forced to conceal their identities for their own safety This led Ryu Ryu Ko to work as a bricklayer and later in life he made a variety of goods such as furniture 1 By some accounts Ryu Ryu Ko was one of the first generation masters of Ming he quan 鳴鶴拳 Whooping Crane Fist which he either learned from his teacher Kwan Pang Yuiba who was a student of Fang Qiniang the originator of the first White Crane martial art or created himself based on more general White Crane style of his teacher He had been teaching martial arts at his home to a very small group of students which included Higaonna Kanryō who stayed with Ryu Ryu Ko from 1867 to 1881 Ryu Ryu Ko expanded his class to an actual public school in 1883 running it with his assistant Wai Shinzan Wai Xinxian If Ryu Ryu Ko was indeed Xie Zhongxiang then it is also possible that he had a son named Xie Tsuxiang If Ryu Ryu Ko and Xie Zhongxiang were the same person then his currently living direct descendant is his great grandson Xie Wenliang Historical records provided by the Fuzhou Wushu Association show that Xie Zhong Xiang was not of aristocratic birth and never had to hide his identity citation needed Xie Zhong Xiang worked as an apprentice shoe maker in Fuzhou until he was 30 when he started his own martial art school whereas accounts in the Okinawan Ryu Ryu Ko oral tradition stated that he worked as a brick layer and basket weaver in his later years Karate historians do not agree with the Xie Zhongxiang identification it has been suggested that Ryu Ryu Ko taught other styles of southern Chinese martial arts or even that Ryu Ryu Ko was the name of the place rather than a person citation needed Karate historians from the Ryuei ryu and Gōju ryu lineage have cited the visit by Miyagi Chojun to Fuzhou to seek Ryu Ryu Ko after Miyagi s teacher Kanryo Higaonna died in Oct 1915 Miyagi Chojun travelled to Fuzhou in May 1915 and again 1916 with Eisho Nakamoto in 1915 and Gokenki 吴賢贵 in 1916 There he was met by Ryu Ryu Ko s students presumably someone who knew Higaonna Kanryo Based on the oral tradition passed on by Miyagi Chojun he was brought before Ryu Ryu Ko s grave to pay his respects Unless Miyagi Chojun s oral history is to be disregarded then Ryu Ryu Ko who died before 1916 and Xie Zhongxiang who died in 1930 were not the same person Since the name Ryu Ryu Ko really existed in Okinawan tradition through the references provided by his students any research into the identity of Ryu Ryu Ko should be based on these references Norisato Nakaima 1819 1879 the founder of Ryuei ryu based the first character in the name of his style on Ryu Ryu Ko s surname The character Norisato Nakaima used was 劉 which in Fuzhou dialect sounded like Liu Ryu Historians cite this as another piece of evidence to suggest that Xie Zhong Xiang was not Ryu Ryu Ko Note that prior to 1948 the vast majority of the population in Fujian Province spoke Fujian and not Mandarin and Xie Zhongxiang s alias Xie Ruru as pronounced today would have been pronounced Xia Yiyi in late 19th Century Fujian According to the Ryuei Ryu Tradition Norisato Nakaima began studying under Ryu Ryu Ko when he was 19 years old circa 1838 to 1839 and spent 7 years learning martial arts as well as knowledge in Chinese herbal medicine from Ryu Ryu Ko Those who dispute the claims that Xie Zhong Xiang was Ryu Ryu Ko cite the fact that Xie Zhongxiang s nickname would have been pronounced YiYi Go in Fujianese Dialect and not Ru Ru Ko the later being a modern Mandarin pronunciation of his nickname Taking into consideration the formality involved in a teacher s acceptance of a student into his martial arts school in those days as it was apparent in the manner in which Kanryo Higaonna chose his own students in later years it was deemed unlikely that Ryu Ryu Ko s students would have referred to him by any title other than his formal name Historical records from Fuzhou Martial Arts Association show that Xie Zhong Xiang was referred to either by his full name or known as Yi Shi 如师 which means Yi Sensei in Fujianese Dialect Those who dispute claims that Xie Zhong Xiang is Ru Ru Ko say that it is highly unlikely for Okinawan students to refer to their teacher of martial arts by his nickname Brother Yiyi and Ryu Ryu Ko s student Norisato Nakaima s claim that his Sensei s surname was Ryu 劉 is more plausible Ryu Ryu Ko s studentsThe okinawan martial artists who are believed to have studied in Ryu Ryu Ko s school were Higaonna Kanryō founder of Naha te Arakaki Seishō Norisato Nakaima 1819 1879 founder of Ryuei ryu Sakiyama Kitoku 1830 1914 Kojo Taitei 1837 1915 Maezato Ranpo 1838 1904 Matsuda Tokusaburo 1877 1931 3 References Edit a b c Ryu Ryu Ko and Kanryo Higaonna The Chinese Roots hallamdojo co uk Sheffield Hallam Dojo 18 February 2012 Retrieved 2015 02 22 http www gojuryukarate cn showart asp art id 33 a b Konjokrad Filip 2019 History and Stories of Goju Ryu Lulu pp 12 13 ISBN 978 0 359 31781 3 Further reading EditHigaonna Morio 2001 The History of Karate Okinawan Goju Ryu ISBN 0 946062 36 6 McCarthy Patrick 1995 The Bible of Karate Bubishi Tuttle Publishing p 35 ISBN 0 8048 2015 5 Konjokrad Filip 2019 History and Stories of Goju Ryu Lulu Publishing p 12 13 ISBN 978 0 359 31781 3External links EditThis article s use of external links may not follow Wikipedia s policies or guidelines Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references April 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message http www gojuryukarate cn showart asp art id 33 http ryueiryu org history html http ryueiryu org 2 html http www iogkf com newsletter edition 2010 3 articles pg 04 htm Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ryu Ryu Ko amp oldid 1127396815, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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