[2024.05.01] GQ Japan x Yuzuru Hanyu - JUNE ISSUE

[yuzurujenn]

[Cover release] On sale from Wednesday, May 1st! Yuzuru Hanyu graces the cover of the June special edition.

 

Info:

https://x.com/GQJAPAN/status/1782938296944857402

https://www.gqjapan.jp/article/20240424-gq-vol235 

https://www.gqjapan.jp/article/20240501-editors-letter

https://www.gqjapan.jp/article/20240508-yuzuru-hanyu-cover-story 

https://www.amazon.co.jp/GQ-JAPAN-ジーキュージャパン-2024年6月号増刊-特別表紙版/dp/B0D148LC1J/

 

Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20240512083133/https://www.gqjapan.jp/article/20240508-yuzuru-hanyu-cover-story

 

Comment video from Yuzu:

 

[yuzurujenn]

*Machine translation. Inaccuracies exist*

 

 

Yuzuru Hanyu’s Challenge

 

After winning two consecutive Olympic gold medals, Yuzuru Hanyu, who turned professional in 2022, is taking on a new form of expression: an ice show that the produced entirely on his own. The extraordinary figure skater danced in front of the cameras, dressed in items designed by Gucci’s new creative director, Sabato de Sarno.

 

Photographs by Taro Mizutani
Styled by Tetsuro Nagase
Hair styled by TAKU VOW-VOW FOR CUTTERS
Makeup by COCO SEKIKAWA OFFICE
Words by Kosuke Kawakami

 

Spoiler

The unique path that Yuzuru Hanyu walks

 

After entering the studio and exchanging a few words with photographer Taro Mizutani, Yuzuru Hanyu operated his smartphone as if convinced of something. A gentle piano piece played from the speakers. It was ‘aqua’, a piece composed for his daughter by Ryuichi Sakamoto, who passed away last year. Moving his body flexibly, as if surrendering to the music, the studio had transformed into a beautiful, dignified and tense space that no one could step into.

 

“When I saw the lighting directly above me, I thought it looked like the sun, like light from heaven. Mr. Mizutani also said, ‘I want you to look up. I want you to look up and think about something’. I thought it feels like a prayer, so I chose ‘aqua’ because it fits the image".

 

As a figure skater, he was won all sorts of accolades, including two consecutive Olympic titles, two World Championships, and four consecutive Grand Prix Final titles. He has also received the People’s Honor Award. In 2022, he became a professional skater in order to ‘pursue the ideal of Yuzuru Hanyu’. Since then, he has held numerous self-produced ice shows and solo performances at Tokyo Dome, Saitama Super Arena, and other venues.

 

“Even though I turned professional, I don’t think my fundamentals have changed. The world I’ve always wanted to express, the artistic nature of figure skating and the athletic aspect of it has not changed. During competitions, there are always rules and there are times when I had to perform in a certain way. But in the world of shows, I have to satisfy the audience in 360-degree, I have to use my brain to create the videos that will be played at the venue and I have to think about the words that I want to convey. I am expanding and deepening my thoughts to areas that I have not considered before.”

 

Just as a musician plays music and an artist uses a paintbrush, Hanyu uses his body to express himself.

“What’s fun about it is that when everyone watches it, I get to see a lot of different opinions, people think about it in different ways and each person interprets it in their own way. What I'm doing, I believe that what I am creating is a ‘path’. The values, background, past, future, and so on become the path, and along the way, one may notice something or feel something. I want the audience to see it and share it. I’m really happy when people say that they enjoyed the journey and are glad that they walked the path. That makes me happy and that’s why I feel like I can continue on this path”.

 

When asked if he thinks it’s more fun now that he can express and create freely than in the competitive days when he was bound by rules and forced to compete, Hanyu thought for a while and then denied it.

“I don’t think it’s good enough just to feel fun. Ever since my competitive days, I’ve always believed that competitions aren’t about having fun, and I’ve never wavered from that philosophy of mine. There are some people who say you can only perform well if you enjoy it, and I understand why people think that’s the right answer. But for me, if I have fun, I feel like I’m not being serious enough. There is a certain kind of performance that comes out because of the tension, and that is what allows me to train hard every day. Even in the creative field, when it comes to creating something, it is not good just to have fun. Of course, it’s possible because there’s also fun in it, and I’m able to create because someone sees it and enjoys it, which brings me joy and happiness. But if I continue to only feel fun, I may end up with just empty words and a false worldview with no depth.

 

Hanyu says that he feels he lacks ‘vocabulary’ as an artist.

“Vocabulary is also necessary for physical expression. If I want to show a scene just by moving my hands a little, I need to know the techniques to do so. I have to learn how to move my hands in such a way that it looks beautiful, and engrave it in my body. Let my nerves learn it, let my brain study it, and eventually I will be able to do it. It’s not like I can dance like a professional dancer or ballerina, but I’ve been figure skating for more than 20 years. Because of this, I have the potential to create new expressions by learning their techniques. I believe that if I study hard and able to do it on the ice, I will become a unique presence”.

 

There is no goal, no rivals to compete with. Yet, without hesitation, he continues on his own path.

“Being on the ice is like my ‘native language’ (laughs), so if I move away from it, I am no longer Yuzuru Hanyu. The knowledge, experience and soul I’ve cultivated since I was four years old are there, a place where I can express myself from the bottom of my heart. Of course, I’ll probably start to decline as I age, but if I continue to use the language of figure skating for another 30 years, there may be a form of expression that can only be created at that particular time and age. I believe there is such a possibility, and I think I must continue to strive for that possibility”.

 

Yuzuru Hanyu, as the one and only Yuzuru Hanyu, continues to move forward focusing on expression on the ice.