[2022.11.13] Number Web - Former Asahi Shimbun photographer Hiroki Endo looks back on Yuzuru Hanyu

[yuzurujenn]

*Machine translation. Inaccuracies exist*

 

[2022.11.13]

 

Source: https://number.bunshun.jp/articles/-/855311

Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20221113021248/https://number.bunshun.jp/articles/-/855311

 

 

"My eyes have changed when I look at Yuzuru Hanyu" - Former Asahi Shimbun photographer looks back on the "legendary Nice" 10 years ago. "Sugawara-san was crying next to him..."

 

On November 4th, the ice show "Prologue" opened, marking a new start for Yuzuru Hanyu. Ten years ago, in 2012, the then 17-year-old Hanyu made his name known to the world at the World Championships in Nice, France. Former Asahi Shimbun photographer Hiroki Endo, who witnessed the "legendary" performance on site, looks back on that time.

 

Spoiler

Many photographers have been inspired by photographing figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu.

 

　One of them is Endo Hiroki, who has been working as a photographer for the Asahi Shimbun Company.

 

"Personally, he helped me grow as a photographer. That's all there is to it. Following him helped me grow a lot, and I really felt the joy of being a photographer. It was Hanyu who made me think that sports are really great."

 

Endo joined The Asahi Shimbun in 2005 and gained experience across five different departments, including roles as a reporter and editor, as well as a position at TV Asahi, a group company. Throughout his career, his core focus has been photography.

 

Among the subjects he was most eager to capture was sports. Having covered major events such as the World Baseball Classic, Endo first photographed Yuzuru Hanyu at the Nagoya Figure Skating Festival in April 2010.

 

Hanyu at age 15, just entered high school

　At the time, Endo was working in Nagoya. Aichi Prefecture is known for its popularity in figure skating, and figure skating was one of the main sports he had to cover. In other words, Endo went there to take pictures as part of his job.

 

　Hanyu was one of the performers at the festival. He was 15 years old and had just entered high school at the time. He performed U2's "Vertigo."

 

"I remember Hanyu, with his mushroom hair cut, skating with all his might to a song with a rich feel that is unique to U2."

 

A business trip one year after the disaster with mixed feelings

 

The day that would completely overturn his initial impression came two years later.

 

After first encountering Hanyu in Nagoya, Endo had stepped away from the world of sports. When the Great East Japan Earthquake struck on March 11, 2011, he was assigned to visit the disaster-stricken areas almost every month, documenting the situation through photography and listening to the stories of those affected.

 

As the one-year mark of the disaster approached, he was given an unexpected assignment—to cover the World Figure Skating Championships, scheduled to take place in Nice, France, from late March to early April 2012.

 

“I was chosen, I suppose, because I had spent a lot of time photographing figure skating while I was in Nagoya,” he recalled.

 

However, Endo was not entirely enthusiastic about the assignment.

 

"I had been spending my time covering the earthquake, listening to people's stories one by one and turning them into articles. I do love sports, but I couldn't shake the feeling that during that period, I wouldn’t be able to see those people."

 

That 15 year old turned 17

 

Even so, Endo came to terms with his feelings and approached the championship with a clear mindset. His approach to photography for the event was as follows:

 

"To be honest, my main focus was on how to photograph Mao Asada, who had won the silver medal at the Vancouver Olympics, and Daisuke Takahashi, the bronze medalist. That was also where the public’s attention was."

 

However, as the competition approached, the atmosphere began to shift.

 

"My perspective on Hanyu changed," Endo recalls.

 

"There was a sense of realization that the 15-year-old had now become 17."

 

Perhaps the change in his impression felt even more pronounced because of the time that had passed in between.

 

"It was intense until the very end."

 

Hanyu placed 7th in the short program. But in the free skate, he delivered a powerful performance, earning a bronze medal and stepping onto the podium in his Worlds debut. Those 4 minutes and 30 seconds completely changed the way Endo saw him.

 

"I was using a long lens, so I could see his expressions clearly. It felt different this time—he had that sharp intensity all the way through. His eyes had changed, the energy in the arena kept building, and by the end, I found myself gripping my hands in anticipation."

 

The performance was best captured in a single shot of Hanyu mid-step.

 

Endo vividly remembers a particular scene and the words spoken right after the performance.

 

This is your first World Championship. You're definitely lucky.

 

"When his performance ended, even the photographers' section was buzzing. I glanced to my side and saw Sugawara-san in tears. He turned to me and said, 'Endo, this is your first World Championships, right? You’re definitely lucky.'"

 

The "Sugawara-san" Endo referred to was Masaharu Sugawara. Since he began photographing figure skating in 1985, he had covered both domestic and international competitions, capturing every World Championships without fail since that same year. A veteran known throughout the figure skating world, even he was moved enough to say those words.

 

To be honest, Endo initially found Hanyu difficult to photograph. "I always felt like he was a challenging subject," he admitted.

 

"Hanyu has long arms and legs, so after photographing other skaters, I often found that his limbs would extend beyond the frame," Endo explained.

 

At the time, capturing a full-body shot was a priority in sports photography, so fitting him neatly within the frame was a challenge.

 

But at this World Championships, things were different.

 

Drawn in by the sheer intensity of his performance…

 

"I was completely captivated by his powerful, almost otherworldly performance. I became so focused on capturing his fierce expressions that I completely forgot about the challenge of framing his long limbs."

 

That statement itself serves as valuable testimony to the impact of Hanyu’s performance at the World Championships in Nice.

 

Endo also vividly remembers Hanyu during the medal ceremony after the competition.

 

"Holding his medal, he looked absolutely overjoyed. His face was like that of a young boy again. The contrast was striking. It made me realize that on the ice, he had been completely possessed by something else."

 

It was later revealed that Hanyu had been performing the free skating despite an injury serious enough to have him consider withdrawing. This must have been the reason for the strong spirit that was etched into Endo's memory.

 

But this was only the beginning. The more Endo photographed Hanyu, the more he would come to learn.

 

[yuzurujenn]

*Machine translation. Inaccuracies exist*

 

[2022.11.13]

 

Source: https://number.bunshun.jp/articles/-/855312

Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20221113021816/https://number.bunshun.jp/articles/-/855312

 

 

"For a moment, it was just the two of us, Yuzuru Hanyu..." Photographer Hiroki Endo captures "the expression just before proving he'd overcome everything" as he returns from injury at the PyeongChang Olympics

 

On November 4th, the ice show "Prologue" opened, and Yuzuru Hanyu made a new start. Former Asahi Shimbun photographer Hiroki Endo, who has been capturing his form through his viewfinder for over 10 years, what is his "memorable photograph"?

 

Spoiler

At the 2012 World Championships in Nice, France, photographer Hiroki Endo was deeply impressed by Yuzuru Hanyu's bronze medal.

 

　Endo has continued to photograph Hanyu at competitions since then, and one photo stands out in his memory: one taken at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.

 

　In this tournament, which marked his return from a long break due to injury, Hanyu delivered an unexpected performance. He achieved consecutive Olympic victories with a gold medal following Sochi.

 

One of the moments that left the strongest impression on Endo during this competition was a close-up shot he captured of Hanyu’s expression just before his short program performance.

 

The distance between Hanyu and Endo was just 2 or 3 meters.

 

On this day, Endo positioned himself rinkside.

 

"I was on the opposite side of the judges' panel, near the back stands," he recalled.

 

As with other international competitions, photographers’ positions were determined by a lottery. Ideally, he would have been on the judges' side, where skaters face at the start and finish of their performances. However, luck placed him on the back stand side instead.

 

Since Hanyu was the first to skate in the final group of six, he remained on the ice after the six-minute warm-up.

 

As he circled the rink, he drew closer. Endo raised his lens and pressed the shutter.

 

"I believe I was using a 70mm lens, not a telephoto. It left a deep impression on me personally."

 

At that moment, Endo was the photographer closest to Hanyu.

 

"The distance between us was probably within 2 or 3 meters. It's rare to be this close to a figure skater during a competition. For a brief moment, it felt like Hanyu had entered my space, as if it was just the two of us in that shared moment."

 

At the time, the extent of the injury was unknown.

Amid this strange, almost surreal feeling, Endo captured a single shot. Reflecting on it, he pondered why this particular image resonated so deeply with him.

 

"He was, of course, deeply focused. But there was also something in his expression that felt like he was about to prove he had overcome something. Looking back now, we know this was the competition where he won his second consecutive Olympic gold. But at the time, no one really knew the state of his injury or what kind of performance he would be able to deliver in the short program.

 

At the same time, there was immense anticipation. People believed he would show us something incredible. He was carrying those expectations, stepping onto the ice with that weight on his shoulders, knowing that within minutes, the results would be clear. I feel like that exact moment—the emotions that only exist right before a performance—was reflected in his expression. A kind of resolve, as if he had stripped away all distractions and doubts.

 

And maybe that’s why I also vividly remember the softness in his face after the performance was over."

 

Capturing such an intense close-up of his expression was only possible because of Hanyu himself. Traditionally, sports photography focused on framing the full body to properly convey an athlete’s performance. This was why, back in 2012 at the World Championships in Nice, Endo had struggled to fit Hanyu’s long limbs into a single shot.

 

Hanyu Brought a Shift in Photographic Composition

However, Endo explains that Hanyu’s success led to a change in how compositions were framed.

 

"I think people started to realize that it was okay to capture just the upper body—or even an extreme close-up of the face, like the photo at the very beginning of this article.

 

That’s because Hanyu is an exceptional skater when it comes to transitions, seamlessly connecting elements like jumps and spins. And beyond that, he expresses so much through his facial expressions. With him, even a partial shot—rather than a full-body composition—can still tell a complete story.

 

It wasn’t just me. I think many photographers came to understand that figure skating photography could be more like documentary photography."

 

At the 2019 Japan National Championships, Endo captured Hanyu from behind just after he landed a jump. That photo was used in an online article and received an overwhelming response.

 

"It made me realize that even without showing his face, his back alone could tell a story."

 

Hanyu is an athlete who uses his entire body to express himself, leaving no gaps in his performance. Endo reflects on why Hanyu has reached such an extraordinary level as an expressive performer.

 

Why Does a Photo Work Even Without Capturing His Whole Body?

"I think it comes down to a sense of responsibility.

 

At press conferences, you can see how strongly he’s aware that he represents Japan. I always think about how demanding that must be. But because of that awareness, I imagine he’s mindful of every single gesture he makes. And I believe that has shaped the Hanyu we see today."

 

Observing his approach to competition, Endo not only felt Hanyu’s dedication but also realized new possibilities in photographic composition.

 

That’s why he says this with conviction.

 

"Personally, I feel like I was raised as a photographer by following him. That’s really what it comes down to. Chasing after Hanyu helped me grow tremendously, and he made me truly experience the thrill of being a photographer. More than anything, he reminded me just how incredible sports can be. My perspective expanded. I realized there were new ways to shoot, and even when I’m working in different settings now, I still draw from that experience."

 

Endo’s Next Chapter: "I Want to Focus on Documentary Filmmaking"

In October 2021, Endo was reassigned to the International News Department. On February 16, 2022, in the midst of the Beijing Olympics, he entered Ukraine, reporting from the ground even before Russia’s invasion began.

 

Experiencing firsthand the power of storytelling through video, Endo decided to leave The Asahi Shimbun in the summer of that year to pursue a career in documentary filmmaking.

 

Among his future projects, he envisions covering figure skating as well.

 

"I’d love to make it a lifelong project, something like a life’s work," he says.

 

Shifting his focus from still photography to video, Endo will undoubtedly draw on the lessons he learned from photographing Hanyu.

 

And perhaps, one day, his camera will capture Hanyu once again.