[2015.01.30] Gendai - The "Hanyu Family Motto" that Raised the Genius Yuzuru Hanyu

[yuzurujenn]

*machine translation, inaccuracies exist*

 

 

Source: https://gendai.media/articles/-/41840?imp=0

Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20230805211006/https://gendai.media/articles/-/41840?imp=0

 

 

The "Hanyu Family Motto" that Raised the Genius Yuzuru Hanyu

Why is his heart so strong?

Yuzuru Hanyu has achieved an Olympic gold medal. Why is he so strong-minded? This is a question that comes to mind when people watch him skate. Although he usually has the innocence of a boy, there is a flame in his gaze when he is competing. We are publishing an article from the January 31, 2015 issue of "Weekly Gendai" that delves into the true nature of the Hanyu family that raised the genius skater.

 

Spoiler

Modest and humble parents

At the press conference following the 2014/2015 Grand Prix Final, in which he won back-to-back victories, Yuzuru Hanyu was asked the following question:

 

"There are many mothers who want to raise their children to be like Hanyu, but how do you think they can do that?"

 

Hanyu looked a little perplexed as he thought about it, then answered:

 

"I am me. No two people are the same; everyone is different. I have many bad points, too. But if you can look at the good points instead of just the bad points, I think (your child) will be happy and able to grow even more."

 

His strong mental strength to face adversity and his polite behavior towards everyone - when we look at Yuzuru Hanyu, we can easily understand why mothers all over the world think, "I want my child to grow up to be like that."

 

However, at that moment, I suddenly thought of something.

 

What kind of people are Hanyu's parents?

 

Few people can answer that question, since Hanyu's parents have never given an interview or made any public appearance.

 

"The reason why Yuzuru's parents don't appear in the public eye is because they believe that it is him who is working hard, and that it is not his parents' doing. Even when he won a gold medal at the Olympics, they said, 'We don't have to come out and say anything.' Both of them are modest and don't say much, which is exactly what you would expect from parents from Tohoku."

 

A friend close to the Hanyu family explains it this way.

 

If the son is humble, the father is also humble. What kind of education did the Hanyu family provide to nurture the genius Hanyu Yuzuru? To find out the secret, this magazine flew to Hanyu's hometown, Sendai.

 

Hanyu was born and raised in Izumi Ward, Sendai City, in a family of four, including his parents and an older sister. His father worked as a junior high school vice principal, his mother was a full-time housewife, and his older sister, who is four years older than him, worked as a staff member at Ice Rink Sendai, Hanyu's home rink.

 

The prefectural housing where Hanyu was born and raised was about a 20-minute drive from Sendai Station.

 

"Figure skating is a sport that requires an enormous amount of money, including shoes, costumes, and rink fees. It cannot be done without the cooperation of the family. Hanyu's father is a civil servant, so he is not poor, but he is not wealthy either. He lived modestly, paying 50,000 yen in rent. To save money, Yuzuru's mother made his costumes until just three years ago." (The aforementioned friend)

 

In the snow, I searched for the nameplate of the Hanyu family home, but I couldn't find it. A neighbor told me:

 

"After he won the gold medal, his home was inundated with reporters. So around October last year (2014), Hanyu and his family moved to an apartment in Sendai."

 

Next, I visited his maternal grandparents' home in Sendai city.

 

When I told her I was there for an interview, his grandmother said apologetically over the intercom, "I'm sorry you came all the way from Tokyo, but I can't talk to you about my grandchildren." However, when I asked her if she could talk to me for a little while, she answered me bit by bit.

 

—I think Hanyu's personality is the result of the education he received from his parents and those around him.

"No, that child's parents just did what they normally did. They didn't do anything special."

 

--Does the Hanyu family have any kind of "family motto"?

"Yuzu's parents raised him, so we are not in a position to speak about it. If an article were published in which we grandparents said all sorts of things, we would be so ashamed that we would not be able to live."

 

--Even after becoming famous, everyone, including his parents, stays away from the public. Is that the Hanyu family's policy?

"After all, it's Yuzu himself who is working hard."

 

—I think Hanyu is a product of the solid education he received from his parents.

"I think it's not my daughter who is the reason why she is an excellent teacher, but her father. We are just normal people."

 

 

"If you don't like it, just quit."

As a child, Hanyu was a boy who loved playing with balls, influenced by his father, who played baseball.

 

Due to his elegant appearance, he was sometimes mistaken for a girl, but to those around him, Hanyu was seen as bright and mischievous. However, compared to other children, he was actually born with a big handicap.

 

"Asthma."

 

Hanyu, who suffered from asthma, would suddenly begin coughing after running a little, and there were days when the coughing continued so much that he couldn't sleep at night.

 

Hanyu first encountered skating when he was four years old. He started following his older sister, who was taking skating lessons, and his goal thereafter was to overcome his asthma.

 

"Yuzuru's mother was worried about his asthma and wanted to do something to help him get better. Indoor skating, where there is less chance of him inhaling dust, was the perfect sport for Yuzuru." (The aforementioned friend)

 

Shoichiro Tsuzuki, who has coached Hanyu since he was a child and is currently a dedicated instructor at the Kanagawa Skating Rink, spoke about that time as follows:

 

"The original goal was to cure his asthma, but Yuzuru had a strong core, and I could see glimpses of his talent. No matter how many times he fell, he got back up, and even back then he had a strong core and a competitive nature. He would say, 'If my sister can do it, so can I,' and boldly attempted jumps and spins. Even back then I knew that if he did well, he would become a world-class athlete."

 

His talent shone from the moment he first put on his skates. However, that did not mean his skating career started smoothly. The person who revealed this story is his aunt, who is the younger sister of Hanyu's father and currently works as a nursery school teacher.

 

"My brother had always loved baseball and was the advisor for the baseball club. That's why he really wanted Yuzu to play baseball. When Yuzu was in the third or fourth grade of elementary school and was starting to get tired of skating practice, my brother apparently told him, 'Baseball doesn't cost much money, and if you don't like skating, you can quit.'"

 

Perhaps because his asthma symptoms were improving, his father's suggestion troubled Hanyu. After much deliberation, Hanyu finally came to the answer of his own volition: "I'll continue skating."

 

"My brother's question seemed to be a good opportunity for Yuzu to reaffirm his feelings about skating. Since then, my brother never interfered with his skating. He never told Yuzuru to "try harder" or "practice more," but instead took a step back and said, "Wow, you're doing great," and watched over him. That was my brother's stance.

 

Yuzu's athletic ability and physique must come from his wife. My family loves baseball, but we're not good at sports, and we don't have long arms and legs (laughs)." (Aunt)

 

Mr. Tsuzuki, mentioned above, had this to say about Hanyu's parents' educational philosophy:

 

"In the case of the Hanyu family, I feel that they were raised to be sometimes very close and sometimes very distant. Rather than forcing their children to do things, they would help them as much as possible with things that they were interested in. Respecting the 'autonomy' of their children was the Hanyu family's educational policy."

 

Don’t be just a skater

As he continued skating, Hanyu's talent blossomed even more. When he was in the fourth grade of elementary school, he won his first national championship in the novice category (a class below junior). In his first year of junior high school, he placed third in the All Japan Junior Championships, despite being a novice skater.

 

As Hanyu progressed to middle school and high school, his parents emphasized his independence, but also repeatedly warned him not to become someone who only focused on skating, said Kazuya Igarashi, principal of Tohoku High School, where Hanyu attended.

 

"Hanyu managed to balance his studies and skating. I think it was because of the teachings of his parents. His father would always tell Hanyu, 'You have to study as well as figure skating,' and he would bring textbooks and reference books with him to study on trips. He had good grades from middle school onwards, and was particularly good at science and math. It may have been the influence of his father being a math teacher."

 

He made his senior debut in 2010 and won a silver medal at the Four Continents Championships in 2011. Hanyu became the youngest medalist in history, and in May 2012, while in his third year of high school, he crossed the ocean to further improve his level.

 

In order to study under Brian Orser, who was the coach of Vancouver Olympic gold medalist Kim Yuna, he left his hometown of Sendai and moved to Toronto, Canada with his mother. Leaving his father and sister behind in his hometown of Sendai, Hanyu and his mother began a life together in a foreign land.

 

"At first, he had a hard time adjusting to the language barrier and the new living environment. In Canada, there are a lot of meat dishes, but Yuzuru has a small appetite, so eating out would often make him feel bloated. So his mother took great care to look after Yuzuru's health, feeding him easy-to-digest hotpot meals at home and so on." (The aforementioned friend)

 

With the support of his devoted mother, Hanyu managed to get his life in Canada on track, and he quickly absorbed Orser's instruction, rapidly improving his skills.

 

A sports writer who has covered Hanyu for a long time said that Orser's coaching methods were in line with the way Hanyu's parents thought.

 

"Coach Orser places a very high value on communication with his athletes. There are coaches who insist, 'This technique must be done this way,' but Orser is the complete opposite. He takes the time to talk with his athletes and helps them search for the method that works best for them."

 

On the ice, Hanyu always exudes a sharp gaze that conveys mental strength. However, his skating peers who have known him since he was young say that even now, Hanyu still has a 'duality' within him.

 

"There are two: strong Yuzu and weak Yuzu. Even after becoming such a top athlete, the weak Yuzu hasn't completely disappeared—no, it's because of that weakness that Yuzu is who he is."

 

A symbolic event occurred on March 11, the day of the Great East Japan Earthquake. At the moment the earthquake struck, Hanyu was practicing at the Ice Rink Sendai. Suddenly, a tremendous roar and violent shaking hit, and Hanyu clung to a senior skater, shouting 'No, no, no!' Even when his senior said, 'It’s okay, it’s okay,' he just cried and trembled.

 

The ice on the rink was cracked and the building was partially destroyed. Although the family was safe, lifelines such as electricity, gas and water were cut off, so they were unable to return home and were forced to live in an evacuation centre for four days.

 

"Is it okay to skate in this situation?"

 

After the fear passed, it was these emotions that dominated Hanyu. It was seeing his mother's back that helped the troubled Hanyu to look forward.

 

"His mother was running around, bowing to all the skating federations and coaches so that Yuzuru could resume training. It was at a time like this that Yuzuru had to skate. He couldn't give up now. I think his mother's feelings were conveyed to Yuzuru. It was around this time that he started saying, 'I'm not skating just for myself.'" (The aforementioned friend)

 

His decision to compete in the Grand Prix Cup of China immediately after the crash sparked controversy in Japan. However, the aforementioned fellow skater asserted, "If he hadn't competed there, that wouldn't be Yuzuru."

 

"People who criticize him ask, 'How was he as an athlete?' but I think Yuzuru is more than just an athlete. He's a bit more romantic; to put it simply, he's like the 'protagonist in a shoujo manga'.

 

I don't know if a sense of mission is the right word, but as long as he was able to stand on the ice, withdrawing there was never an option for Yuzuru."

 

Another source of support is the "chiropractor"

Many people will remember the elderly man who stood by the bleeding Hanyu at the time, putting his arm around his shoulders. It was his personal trainer and chiropractor, Akira Kikuchi.

 

Kikuchi is said to be a "stabilizer" for Hanyu, and has also been involved in treating his asthma, but because Kikuchi uses a type of qigong technique, he has been portrayed in some weekly magazines as a "shady character."

 

"As was the case with former Yokozuna Takanohana, athletes often become obsessed with chiropractors and fortune tellers. Kikuchi is called the 'chakra sage' and seems to be considered shady even by some fans, but he is trusted immensely by Hanyu himself, as well as his parents." (The sports writer mentioned above)

 

When I visited Kikuchi at his chiropractic clinic in Sendai, he refused to allow me to be interviewed, but I was able to talk to him a little during the treatment.

 

"Am I providing emotional support to Hanyu-kun? Not at all. I'm just a chiropractor. I'm actually grateful to Hanyu-kun. He's taken me into a new unknown world.

 

He is a great athlete, but his parents are also great people. The most admirable thing is that they never forget to express gratitude. If he wins a gold medal, it wouldn’t be surprising if both he and his parents became arrogant. However, in the case of the Hanyu family, we have been friends for over 10 years, and they haven't changed at all since we first met.

 

I don't think his parents taught him to be grateful through words. He must have learned it naturally by watching their example."

 

No matter what others say about Kikuchi, the trust between them remains unshaken. They continue to trust their own eyes and instincts, and still have him stand by the rink side. This too is a reflection of the Hanyu family's unwavering attitude.

 

After going through various trials, the current Yuzuru Hanyu exists. He is never arrogant, yet he never compromises on his beliefs. It is certain that the teachings of his parents, who never step into the spotlight, have shaped the person he is today.