Higaonna Kanryu was an Okinawan karateka well-known for his calligraphy

Calligraphy

Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...

 and Chinese studies as well as his martial arts. He learned his martial arts under Wai Shinzan and not under Ru Ru Ko as some believe. His relative Higaonna Kanryō

Higaonna Kanryo

, also known as "Higashionna West", was a native of Nishi-shin-machi, Naha, Okinawa. He was born in Nishimura, Naha to a merchant family, whose business was selling firewood, an expensive commodity in the Ryukyu Islands...

 studied under both these Chinese kung fu masters.

Because of the similarity of their names, Higaonna Kanryu ("East Higaonna") and Higaonna Kanryō ("West Higaonna") are frequently confused with each other.