[2022.11.01] Prologue Official Guidebook

[yuzurujenn]

Website: https://prologue-official.jp/

Info: https://web.archive.org/web/20221101032342/https://axelstore.jp/prologue/detail.php?goods_id=3410

 

 

Message from Yuzuru Hanyu:

"I wanted to create something that would allow you to feel the history of my life and my skating journey, and that's why I planned this ice show. This is the first ice show that I will be doing everything on my own. The title is 'Prologue.' I will do my best with the hope that "from now on, various stories will be woven" and "this ice show will be the 'prologue' of those stories. "

 

[yuzurujenn]

*machine translation, inaccuracies exist*

 

 

WARM-UP ROUTINE  

(pg 32-33)

 

Yuzuru Hanyu has showcased countless amazing performances over the years. What makes these performances possible is his daily practice. This time, we focus on his warm-up routine off the ice before he steps onto the rink. Among the various movements and exercises in his warm-up, each with its own meaning and purpose, we highlight four routines.
 

ROUTINE 01 - He designs his own menu and changes it gradually.

Hanyu says, "I come up with all the different movements and routines myself." "Of course, I reference concepts and theories I’ve studied or been taught. From there, I combine and remove things to make them more suited to skating and to my own needs. The routine changes depending on my condition and the points to watch out for in my jumps, so the menu itself gradually changes over the course of about two weeks. I’ve been building my own warm-up routine since I was about 14. Looking back, there were probably many things that were unnecessary, but I did it in my own way." He also decides his on-ice practice routine. "I originally wanted to do that kind of practice (like SharePractice), but I couldn't play music frequently unless I was alone, so after I came back from Toronto, I started to do this kind of practice."

 

ROUTINE 02 - Assessing the day's condition and focusing on rhythm and imagery.

Before and during warm-up, Hanyu checks his own videos several times. "Basically, I focus on entering the right imagery and confirming my rhythm. The feeling of timing changes depending on the day, so I try to match it to the rhythm of my body when it's at its best." During his isolation exercises where he moves his shoulders intensely while looking at himself in the mirror, he says, "I try to move to the limit of my range of motion. Also, I use this to check my body condition for the day." He also does quick, repetitive movements such as tightening his right arm in a way similar to the take-off motion for jumps, about 10 times in a row. "When I move quickly, my body tends to wobble, so I try to counter that by tightening my body, with the image of activating a switch to ensure I can jump from any position."

 

ROUTINE 03 - Checking the ankle position before putting on the skates.

After finishing his off-ice warm-up, he prepares for on-ice practice by putting on his skates. Just before inserting his feet into the boots, Hanyu rotates and twists his ankles. "My ankles are quite unstable, so I reposition them to make sure they're in the right place before putting the skates on." This practice began around the time of the Beijing Olympics. "I used to do this as part of my care routine, but I decided to start doing it right before I put my skates on too."

After inserting his feet into the boots, he carefully touches his foot on the top of the skates before tying the laces. "I do this to make sure they fit properly. The fit of the boots and the feet is crucial to prevent injuries."

 

ROUTINE 04 - Touching the ice when entering and leaving the rink.

Once everything is ready, he steps onto the ice. The first thing he does is touch the ice. "It's my greeting to the rink. I express the feeling of 'Thank you for allowing me to skate.' And it’s also a way of saying, 'Please be gentle with me, ' so I don’t get hurt. " This is how he begins his ice practice. When he finishes, he always touches the ice again before leaving the rink. This time, it's to say, "Thank you for letting me skate today without injury." Incidentally, after the free skate at the Beijing Olympics, Hanyu placed both hands firmly on the ice as he was leaving the rink. "I had the feeling that the Olympics had come to an end for me and that I wouldn't be skating on that rink again, so I wanted to say, 'Thank you for everything during the Olympics.' It was sad (a way of saying goodbye to the Olympics), but it happened."

[yuzurujenn]

*machine translation, inaccuracies exist*

 

 

The Foundation of Yuzuru Hanyu
Skate Boots and Skate Guards

(pg 34-35)

 

One essential item for professional skater Yuzuru Hanyu is his skate boots. The relationship between a skater and their skate boots is unique, as they are the only companions on the ice. Hanyu shares his care and connection with his skate boots, as well as the skate guard that he has cherished for so long. Through these items related to skating, Hanyu's thoughts and philosophy about the sport come to light.

 

Spoiler

- These are the skate boots you're wearing now, right?
Yes. I just switched them in mid-August, so they’re still new and I haven’t worn them much yet. I had been using the previous pair for three years, so I thought it was about time to give them a rest.

 

- Three years is an incredibly long time, isn't it?
Yes, they’re completely worn out. Especially the right one, it lasted for three years.

 

- So, does that mean you had different boots for each foot?
Yes, that’s right. The left one was for two years, and the right one was for three years.

 

- It sounds like the right one, which is used for landing jumps, lasted longer.
Ah, no, that’s not the case. When I got the new pair of boots, the left one didn’t fit well, but the right one was fine. So, when I replaced both boots with different ones, the left one fit, but then the right one didn’t. I thought, "Hmm, this feels a bit different," but decided to keep the right boot from the old pair. That’s why the right boot lasted three years, and the left one lasted two years.

 

- Inside the skate boots, you’re wearing five-finger socks, right?
Yes. When I was in fifth grade, I tried wearing five-finger socks while skating, and they felt really good.

 

- Is it because you can feel each toe individually?
That’s part of it, yes. When I used to wear large-sized boots, I’d wear really thick socks. For some reason, I tried five-finger socks at that time, and I realized it felt really good to have each toe move independently.

 

- As for the order in which you put on your boots, you put the left one on first during SharePractice, but today you put the right one on first. Do you have a particular preference for the order in which you put on your boots?
After SharePractice, I changed my boots, so now I start with the right one.

 

- What do you mean by that?
The boots I had before, I found that putting the left one on first felt better, so I used to put the left one on first. But there's probably a logic to that. The right boot was softer than the left, since I had worn it for one more year. If I tied the left boot based on the feeling of the right one, the left boot would feel too tight. So, I would leave the left boot a bit firmer and adjust the right one to match the left, which gave me a good balance. But with my current boots, both feel the same. Since I originally used to put the right one on first, I now continue with that order.

 

- When you tie a pair of shoelaces, about two-thirds of the way down, where the eyelets change to hooks, you stretch the laces straight up to your knee, tie it lightly above the knee, and then start tightening the laces, right?
Yes. If I don’t secure them at that point (before the hooks), the laces would shift. Everyone does it this way.

 

- Why do you stretch the laces up to your knee before fastening them?
Ah, this. By stretching the laces like this, I can tell the tightness around the instep of my foot based on the length of the laces at that moment. If the boots feel loose, I can tell if my feet are swollen and causing the looseness, or if I just didn’t tie the laces tightly enough. The length of the laces helps me figure it out.

 

- So, you measure the length of the laces and decide, “Today feels just right,” based on that?
Well, it’s more of a feeling (laughs). Yes, that’s right, it’s something I pay attention to.

 

- You tie your shoelaces very quickly, don’t you?
I think it’s a habit from when I was little and used to play until the very last moment.

 

- After that, you put on skate covers. Do you always wear them?
Yes, I do. But I sometimes wonder if there are some routines where it might be better not to wear them.

 

- Since when and why do you wear skate covers?
I wear skate covers because they make the boots look prettier. They also make my legs look longer (laughs). I started wearing them from the very beginning. For example, in my first "Ultraman Gaia" performance, my costume was blue, and I wore blue skate covers. So, it’s been from the start.

 

- That might be one reason why your boots last so long, right?
Yes, I think that’s part of the reason. They don’t get damaged easily.

 

- How do you take care of your boots? Do you polish them or anything?
In figure skating, we don’t really polish the boots. They can get condensation, so after using them, I always wipe them down carefully. When I get home, I take them out, wipe them, and let the temperature difference settle before storing them again. Since the skate guard is made of plastic, the plastic tends to stick to the blade’s underside, so before stepping onto the ice, I make sure to remove it.

 

- Do you have any particular feelings toward your skate guards?
This one (shown in the photo below) is the one I used during the season of the Great East Japan Earthquake. I was actually wearing it when I was evacuating during the earthquake. It's the one that has faded in colour (shown on the right in the photo). It's gotten old now, and there's almost no texture left (on the part where the skate guard touches the floor). I only use it for important times, like during competitions.

 

- In which competitions have you used this skate guard?
I’ve used this skate guard in almost every competition. I don’t use it outside of competitions, not even in official practices. I treasure them. I'm currently using one with a lighter colour and one with a darker colour, but these are all from the season when the earthquake occurred. When you buy a skate guard, if you specify the colour, you can get two sets (four pieces). In this case, there are four green parts and four purple parts, and they are combined to form two sets (four pieces). Out of these four, the ones I actually used during the earthquake season is this one that have faded in colour, plus another one. However, after the official practice for the free program at the Pyeongchang Olympics, part of it came off and broke. It had already been cracked before it broke. Since I’ve been using it since the earthquake, it can’t be helped."

 

- What about the black and green skate guards you used in SharePractice?
Those are for practice, so I don’t have much attachment to them. However, they originally had glitter on them, and where that glitter came off, I decided to add some gold glitter (laughs).

 

[yuzurujenn]

*machine translation, inaccuracies exist*

 

 

Long Interview
Yuzuru Hanyu - Prologue

(pg 12-20)

 

"A Show That I Could Complete on My Own Was My Dream."

 

Spoiler

--Your first ice show after turning professional, "Prologue." Could you tell us about the concept of this show?
The main concept is to reflect on my life up until now. It's like a declaration of my determination, to show that, "This is the life I've lived so far, and now I’m taking a step toward the next stage" or "This is how I will work hard from here on out."

 

--Had you been thinking about ice shows like this even before turning professional?
I didn't have a specific title or theme in mind. However, even before I turned professional, it was my dream to do a show that I could do alone. I feel the strong support from the fans who really love my skating, and I wanted to create a place where people could see various genres and a wide range of expressions at once. That’s why I wanted to do it alone.

 

--Speaking of ice shows produced by you, there was also "Continues ~with Wings~" in April 2018. Is the concept of this show different from "Prologue"?

Yes, that's right. "Continues ~with Wings~" was a show where I wanted to express the theme that the people I respect and those from whom I have inherited various things were skating, and their will is flowing within me as well. This time, in "Prologue," I want to focus on myself and show "how my skating has been shaped." And in "Prologue," I will skate alone. I think this will make it a completely different experience from anything I've done before.

 

[I Want You to See Various Expressions]

 

--I’ve never seen a one-man ice show where only one person skates through the entire show.

I don't think there has been a show where only one person skates through the entire thing. But I believe I can skate through completely on my own. Since I'm doing it solo, the visuals and production between the programs are also very focused on 'Yuzuru Hanyu.' So, instead of feeling like 'I'm here to watch an ice show,' I think the audience will feel like 'I'm here to watch a Yuzuru Hanyu show.'"

 

--Does a one-man ice show mean that you'll be performing the whole time?

Haha. Honestly, while I’ve been planning this, I’ve also wondered how long my stamina will hold up. Even though I'm doing it alone, I don’t want to lower the difficulty of the programs. If I'm performing previous programs, I want to ensure the audience doesn't feel like, "Oh, this isn't what I expected." But since it's an ice show, I also had concerns that it wouldn't be engaging enough if there weren’t a certain number of programs.

 

While considering the balance with other factors, I’ll push myself to the limit, incorporating difficult elements as long as I can build the stamina for it. I’m working hard now to make sure that each program will be something worth watching.

 

--I heard that you are creating the show’s structure and setlist all by yourself. What kind of image or thoughts do you have when you create them?

The image is that the show begins with my current self. Then, I reflect on various moments from my skating life in chronological order, and in the end, I return to my current self, showing that I am moving forward from here.

 

I’ve also arranged the programs in a balanced way, including programs that I want the audience to remember, programs that will get them excited, and programs that will move them. As I mentioned earlier, I strongly want to show various expressions, so I’ve made sure to incorporate a variety of things in a balanced manner.

 

--Building the setlist must be fun, right?

It’s fun, but honestly, I’m a bit worried about whether I can really do it all. That being said, the desire to have people watch is strong, so while I’m trying to hold back a bit on my feelings of 'I want to do this, I want to do that,' I’m focusing on making sure the performance quality stays high.

 

And throughout the show, even during the moments when I’m not skating, I hope the audience can revisit past scenes, recall the emotions and reflect on the journey up till now... I’d be happy if you’ll watch it that way.

 

--By "keeping the quality high," it seems like the rink size and other factors would have an impact, right?

Yes, that's right. Compared to a competition rink (which is typically 60 meters by 30 meters), the rink for a typical ice show is quite a bit smaller. So, when performing a competitive program in an ice show, there’s a sense that the contours of the performance change a little, and the skaters might feel like 'this is a bit challenging.'

 

This time, I really wanted to achieve a competition-sized rink, and everyone around me worked really hard to make it happen. We've managed to secure a rink size of 55 meters by 24 meters, which is almost the same as the Ice Rink Sendai (56 meters by 26 meters). With this rink size, I believe we can properly showcase competitive programs as they are, and I also want the audience to pay attention to the production that can only be achieved on a larger rink.

 

--So, we'll truly be able to see "Yuzuru Hanyu as a professional athlete"!

Yes, exactly. I don’t want this to just be an "ice show." If I’m going to perform, I want to do difficult things as well. And rather than just including hard elements in the numbers of the show, I also want to showcase the know-how I’ve developed from competition, and the unique expression of competitive programs that I can only do now.

 

For example, even in competitive programs, I can reduce the number of crossovers or increase the difficulty of the jumps. And now, since we’re no longer bound by the competition rules, I can repeat the same jump multiple times or jumping four or more jumps in a jump combination—anything is possible. I want to incorporate these challenging elements into each program while continuing to push myself to do difficult things.

 

[A New Program for 'Prologue']

 

--Will you be performing any new programs in "Prologue"?

Yes, I will skate to a program that I choreographed entirely myself for the first time.

 

--Oh! What kind of program is it?

I've always really loved this song, and I've had a strong feeling of 'I want to skate to this someday.' There are many songs I want to skate to, and this is one of them. The reason I chose this song this time is because I thought it would be a bit difficult to use in competition. There’s something I’ve always wanted to express, but it’s something that could never be done in a competitive program. So, when I turned professional, I thought it would be the perfect song to skate to, and that’s why I selected it.

 

--What kind of program is it? Please share as much as you possibly can.

It might connect to the theme of "Prologue," but it’s a program that incorporates various things I’ve learned since I started skating, such as basic and more advanced movements. It’s very conceptual, like playing with the ice and exploring my own emotions. But I think it has turned out to be a program that will make people think, "That’s beautiful" as they watch it.

 

Since this is my first time choreographing, in that sense, I do feel nervous about showing it to everyone, and I also have some doubts about whether it turned out well. However, while I don’t have much confidence in myself, I do have a lot of confidence in delivering the program and skating. I would be happy if people thought, "This is a new genre of program."

 

--Have you finished the choreography already?

Yes, I’ve already finished it. However, since I’m choreographing it myself, I think there will be changes in the arrangements from day to day. I will keep working hard to improve it every day as I prepare for the performance.

 

--Was there any particular reason that made you want to try choreographing yourself?

Originally, I’ve always loved performing based on my emotions. I like creating choreography and dancing to the music. Along those lines, I’ve always wanted to express skating as a reflection of my own thoughts and feelings, something that comes from within me, someday.

However, I don’t want it to be something that is just for my own satisfaction. I want it to be something that others can appreciate too, something that will make them think, "That's beautiful" or "There’s meaning behind that." In that sense, I thought I would choreograph it in a way that stays true to my own feelings and the way I want to skate, without being self-indulgent. At the same time, I also realize that creating my own program is very risky. There’s a tendency to skate based on my own preconceived notions, so I am a bit worried about that.

 

But since this is an ice show where I will skate every single program from beginning to end, I think it’s a program I can show as one part of the entire show. On its own, this program might feel "a little different," but within the context of a show where I perform everything myself, I think it will stand out.

 

--How was the experience of choreographing this program? Was it fun, or difficult?

Well... it wasn’t exactly fun (laughs). About 50% of it was fun, but the other 50% was really tough. I had to constantly be aware of whether the movements looked beautiful when viewed from a broader perspective and whether I was able to properly convey the emotions I felt inside.

 

When I actually started choreographing, I realized that the movements that came from within me were very repetitive, and there were times when I thought, 'This is the only movement that comes out.' But from the choreography and steps that emerged, I also realized, 'Ah, because I did this in that program, it's easier for these kinds of movements to come out.'

 

Also, by realizing 'This is the only movement I can do,' I started thinking, 'I should study more.' I started writing down patterns of movements I randomly tried, thinking, 'This could be useful,' and I began incorporating them into my body, trying them out with various songs... By choreographing, I made those kinds of discoveries.

 

--Does that mean the program naturally reflects your inner self?"

Ah, that's true. It’s a program that really brings out my inner self. It may sound like a cliché, but I don't think it's necessary for my feelings to be conveyed 100% when people watch the performance. I think it’s fine for the audience to interpret it in various ways. I hope that something in their memory flashes back, or that they can relate it to their own anxieties and hopes for the future, or simply feel it as it is.

 

[I Want to Show as Much as Possible from That Time]

 

--In addition to your new programs, you will also be skating past programs. What do you think about when you show programs you have skated in the past?

I want to continue doing the programs that people have said they like, and I want to make them even better. That said, if possible, I want to show them exactly as they were back then, when they said they liked them. My face has changed and the way I express myself has become more refined, so I think there might be parts where people think, "This is different from what I saw back then," or "It’s changed." I'm happy that people think of that as growth, but I want to show what I was like at that time as much as possible. Even if I have to leave out parts where I think, "Now I can do this better because I’ve grown," or "I’d like to express it this way now," I have a strong desire to show the "good" that people remember from back then.

 

--Why is that?

I don’t want people to think, "This isn’t it." How should I put it? For example, singers' singing styles change over time, right? It’s important for them to protect their throat to continue singing. However, for people who have been listening to their CDs or records for a long time, they might feel like 'this isn’t the same voice as before.' And if too much arrangement is added to the singing style, people might feel, "I kind of like it, but… it’s just not the same." I don’t want that to happen to me. Also, since it’s my program, I really feel like it shouldn’t just be a cover. If a 27-year-old me performs a program from when I was 15 or 16, and it’s completely different, I think it would only be a cover, not the original. It's something that can only be done with my body, and I know the feeling at the time, so I want to do my best to bring it as close as possible. I really want people to think, 'Yes, this is it!'"

 

--Indeed, it’s incredibly satisfying when you feel, "Yes, this is it!"

I don’t want people to think, 'He has changed.' Also, I think it reflects my commitment to being able to express myself in many different ways.

 

--So, it's about the versatility of expression — being able to perform not only the more difficult and deeper things you can do now, but also being able to express things from a time when you hadn't yet reached that point.

Exactly.

 

["Yuzuru Hanyu is a skater, after all" — I want people to think that]

 

--That's certainly something you can't do in competition. Now that you've transitioned to being a professional, you're involved in ice shows and YouTube streaming, but what else are you thinking about?

I want people to see me while preserving my world within skating. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to take beautiful photos and for people enjoying them, but my core is skating. I want to carefully think about how to express and pursue that moving forward.

 

I myself am also wondering how I should interact with everyone now that I've become a pro, and how I should continue to pursue skating. I’m sure many of you are thinking about what kind of content Yuzuru Hanyu is, or how you should view me moving forward. Amid all that, I want to ensure that people will still think, "Yuzuru Hanyu is a skater, after all," as I continue forward.

 

--When you say "Yuzuru Hanyu is a skater, after all," what exactly does “skating” mean, and what do you want to show in that context?

When I’m skating a program, I’m completely immersed in the world I want to express, the scenery, the emotions, and everything that comes with it. I really hope to be able to bring all of that out fully.  There are quite a few programs where I show the raw, real version of myself, and for those, I want to bare that part of myself completely.

 

On the other hand, a program like "Haru yo, Koi" is also filled with my feelings, but there are also conceptual things like struggles, reaching for spring, and cherishing something, so I want to express those elements as well. I hope that people can feel such expressions not only from skating, but from various other aspects as well.

 

--Is there anything that you want to do or places you want to go as "Yuzuru Hanyu as a person," rather than as a skater?

Well, there are times when I feel really suffocated. It's not like I don't feel difficult moments. Even before I turned professional, during my competitive years, there were times I struggled, felt unrewarded, and blamed myself a lot. Even now, of course, I still have a lot going on. I have some very weak parts within me, but as long as people have high expectations of me, I want to always live as ‘Yuzuru Hanyu’. If people no longer have high expectations of me, I would feel really empty.

 

Recently, I've been thinking a lot about this, but I started skating because I wanted to, and I've enjoyed expressing myself through it. I’ve felt joy when I was able to land jumps, and happy with the results I achieved... and it's from that journey that I’ve come to be the person I am now. Achieving results may seem very self-satisfied, but I really feel the power of all the people who are supporting me in pursuit of that selfish, self-centered dream. That is why I feel strongly that I have a responsibility to give back to those people. And if they continue to have expectations of me, I want to continue to be Yuzuru Hanyu who can fully meet those expectations.

 

I think people might say, "It's okay to quit if it's hard," or "It's okay to be yourself," or "If you're tired of skating, you can take a break and go somewhere." But if I do that, how should I put it, I can't forgive myself. I’ll think, "If you have time for that, you should use it for skating."

 

This might be called "pressure," but I think that it’s because of this pressure that I’m not an empty shell now. It’s what motivates me to keep pushing myself further. I want to live my life respecting the feelings and weight of the support I receive from everyone.

 

--I am at a loss for words.

For example, whether it's singers or actors, those who have consistently been at the top, they don’t change, do they? That's exactly what Mansai Nomura is like, he has remained the same throughout. Maybe when they go home or when they step into the bathroom, there are moments when they break down and cry, or times when they feel like their heart is about to break. But even so, they remain unchanged. I want to be that kind of person.

 

—When did you start thinking this way?

It's been about a year or two. I was really conflicted. There were long periods of time when I didn't feel like, "I love skating!" To be honest, there aren't many times in my life as an athlete when I think, "I really love skating!" There are more difficult times than not. As the moments when I felt like, 'I landed a new jump, and I won, I'm so happy,' gradually disappeared, even if I thought to myself, 'I've really improved my expression,' or 'I've gotten so much better at skating,' those feelings of 'getting better' started to feel like nothing more than self-satisfaction.

 

Yes, there was a time when I couldn’t feel “skating is fun, I love it.” It was before the 2020 National Championships. It was a time when I described it as “feeling like I was falling into the depths of darkness.” It was the darkest period. I really didn’t like skating, and I wondered, “Why am I even doing this?” But at the same time, I thought, “No, everyone has expectations of me, so I have to work hard after all.” There was a lot of inner conflict.

 

In the two years since then, I’ve thought deeply and reflected a lot. What I realise now is that the meaning of my life is almost entirely due to skating. And the reason I am skating is because I want to live up to everyone's expectations.  So, moving forward, I hope I can continue to live with this sense of self-discipline.

 

—I completely understand what you’re saying. But, how can I put it... it feels almost transcendent...

People sometimes think, 'You must be in a lot of pain' or 'You're mentally strong,' but it's actually the opposite. I just don't want to be disliked by everyone. In that sense, I often think, “I’m really weak,” but even if I feel that way, if I can turn those emotions into expression, I want to express them. People sometimes see me as a perfect person, but if they see me that way, it's because they have high expectations of me. That’s why I feel motivated to keep doing my best.