*Machine translation. Inaccuracies exist

 

Source: https://number.bunshun.jp/articles/-/853981

Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20220722035223/https://number.bunshun.jp/articles/-/853981

 

 

《Yuzuru Hanyu at 8 years old: The origin of a prodigy skater》 "A boy like a jewel," "The time I spent with Yuzuru was nourishment for me": The reason why his renowned coach is grateful

There was an 8-year-old skater whom an experienced and renowned coach described as "like a treasure." This is the story of the foundation of a skater who continues to fight despite facing numerous trials. We are specially publishing the full text of "[Tracing the Roots of a Gold Medalist] The People Who Nurtured a Genius - Yuzuru Hanyu, the Origin at Age 8" from Number 868 (released December 24, 2014).

Tsuzuki Shoichiro, who coached the likes of Minoru Sano, the first Japanese man to win a World Championships bronze medal in men’s figure skating, built his career as a coach while keeping a certain thought close to his heart.

“Japan lacks an education that cultivates children’s sensitivity and exposes them to world-class art and culture. Many children who do figure skating have the technical skills, but lack the sensitivity to properly express themselves through their skating. As long as Japan remains behind in this respect, I don’t think the day will come when Japan leads the world in figure skating.”

The eight-year-old boy he met at Konami Sports Club Izumi (now Ice Rink Sendai) in Izumi Ward, Sendai, where he had taken up a position as manager and coach, made a deep impression on him because the boy seemed like someone who could dispel those pent-up feelings.

“His posture on the ice was picturesque, simply beautiful. When given a piece of music, he would grasp its essence in his own way and express it through his skating. He had a rich ability to express music with his body. How a skater chooses to skate to a given piece of music comes down to the sensibility that skater possesses. Even when Yuzuru was little, his sensibility was extraordinary.”

First Impression of Hanyu When He Started Skating at Age Four

Yuzuru Hanyu started skating at the age of four, after accompanying his older sister, who was four years older than him, to the same rink where she practiced. Nogami Yukie, who had been coaching Hanyu from shortly before he met Tsuzuki, also remembers the bob-haired boy moving energetically on the ice.

“We have a session where we play a piece of music we’ve chosen ourselves and have the children improvise a performance. Some children are too shy to move at all. What impressed me about Hanyu-kun was that, despite having mastered only the most basic skating techniques at the time, he kept moving his body as if he were trying to express something.”

When Tsuzuki came to Sendai, Hanyu was in the lowest-level class of a training program consisting of eight levels, from beginner to Level 8. However, after Tsuzuki recognized the boy’s talent, Hanyu began receiving two hours of one-on-one instruction each day from the renowned coach, who was known for his strict coaching style.

“Yuzuru came to me completely open and unguarded, and I, too…”

“I believe his parents chose figure skating as a way to help their child grow, and no matter how harshly I reprimanded Yuzuru, they understood and supported me completely. Parents have many choices to make, and children have their own likes and dislikes. Things don’t always work out, but Yuzuru trusted his parents, and I think the supportive family environment in which he was raised was a major factor. Yuzuru came to me complete openness, and I was able to convey my techniques to him accurately.”

At the time, Hanyu also had a competitive streak, often becoming defiant when teased by older, larger skaters. But once he began performing, he displayed an extraordinary ability to express the subtle emotional interplay between stillness and movement. Takeshi Honda, who trained at the same rink, was also captivated by the movements of the slender elementary schoolboy.

“To put it simply, he had star quality. As skaters grow older, most try to develop their expressiveness by watching opera or listening to music, but what he had was different in kind. The ability to perform in harmony with music requires an innate gift, and I can only think that he was born with that talent.”

"You possess a special sensibility"

The young prodigy from Sendai won the All-Japan Novice Championships when he was in the fourth grade, but shortly afterward, in December 2004, dark clouds began to gather. Konami Sports Club Izumi was closed down due to financial difficulties. Tsuzuki left Sendai and moved his base to Kanagawa Skate Rink in Higashi-Kanagawa.

The veteran coach, who had helped shape an era in the history of men’s figure skating, remembers telling the boy he regarded as “a gem I wanted to continue nurturing by my side”:

“You possess a special sensibility, I hope that in the future you will not only succeed as an athlete, but also become someone who can be called an artist through figure skating.”

The closure of his home rink and the loss of the precious time he had spent with his mentor may have been the first major challenge Hanyu faced.

Memories of Lambiel Coming to Sendai

After moving his base to the Katsuyama Skating Rink in Sendai, Hanyu continued his rigorous training regimen until he graduated from junior high school, traveling to Kanagawa on weekends to receive coaching from Tsuzuki. Tatsuyoshi Matsuda, who became one of Hanyu’s coaches in Sendai, was one of the people who witnessed firsthand the strength of Hanyu’s will, which had developed amid adversity.

“He was extremely competitive. When skaters are just beginning to master their triple jumps, they all struggle with a lack of stamina. In Yuzuru’s case, he reached that stage much earlier than others, so he ran into the limits of his physical strength even more. He must have been frustrated watching skaters a year or two older than him land their jumps beautifully. He would even practice the triple Axel behind my back.”

One moment Matsuda remembers vividly was when Stéphane Lambiel, who had won a silver medal at the 2006 Turin Olympics, came to Sendai.

“I’m better than him.”

After saying this, the junior-high-school-aged Hanyu repeatedly performed spins in front of the Olympic silver medalist.

“He was giving himself positive reinforcement, telling himself, ‘I can do it. I’ll be fine,’” Matsuda recalls. Yet despite this confident and stoic attitude, Hanyu never seemed out of place among those around him.

“Many athletes who compete at the world level have a difficult side to their personalities, almost like artists. But Yuzuru was a boy who gave off none of that impression at all.”

"Yuzuru May No Longer Be Able to Skate Like He Used To"

Figure skating is a sport in which skaters skillfully connect their sensibility with their physical abilities to express a world of their own. If extraordinary experiences can sharpen one’s sensibility, then perhaps even experiences filled with hardship can become a part of what ultimately shapes a person. We can put forward such a hypothesis because we know the harsh realities that Hanyu would later face.

“We don’t have anywhere to practice. Would it be possible for him to train with you again?”

It was around March 2011, roughly two weeks after the Great East Japan Earthquake, when Hanyu’s mother contacted Tsuzuki, who was coaching at the rink in Higashi-Kanagawa.

“Yuzuru may no longer be able to skate like he used to.”

That was the thought that crossed Tsuzuki’s mind when he reunited with his student at the rink in Higashi-Kanagawa. Hanyu had not only lost muscle strength during his evacuation and time in shelters following the disaster, but the beauty he once possessed on the ice was also gone, and he seemed somehow frightened. When Sendai was struck by violent tremors measuring more than 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, Hanyu had been practicing at the rink.

“He Must Have Been Deeply Distressed by the Loss of So Many Lives in the Disaster”

“Because he was so sensitive, he must have been deeply distressed by the loss of so many lives in the disaster. Not only his skating skills and physical condition, but also his mental state had been pushed to the absolute limit. I was glad that he came to me despite receiving offers from various rinks, and I wanted to support him as much as I could.”

Hanyu stayed in business hotels and trained for an hour each at 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., when the rink was closed to the general public. What impressed Tsuzuki most was that the 16-year-old boy, who had surely been deeply affected by the disaster, actively took part in ice shows, including charity events, traveling around the country on weekends. By the time the off-season ended in October, he had performed in as many as 60 ice shows.

“Teacher, do you think everyone is grateful for what I’ve done?”

“He’s a gold medalist now, but back then, his future as an athlete was uncertain. He wanted to share the joy of being able to skate again and express his gratitude, but he had no way of knowing whether people around him would accept it. Continuing to take part in charity activities under those circumstances required an exceptionally strong will. What could he do? I was deeply moved by the way this 16-year-old boy thought that question through and continued to take to the ice.

Not only did he seek to elevate himself to greater heights, but he also began to wonder whether his very existence could be a source of strength for someone else. When that sensitivity was directed not only inward but also outward, toward others, perhaps the skater Yuzuru Hanyu came to see a different landscape from the one he had seen before.

Nogami, who continues to coach children at a rink in Takadanobaba, Tokyo, says, “No matter how much I think about how to develop a skater like Hanyu-kun, I can’t come up with an answer.”

“I think he possesses both innate talent and the talent to keep working hard, but it’s not just that. Experiencing various hardships, such as the closure of his home rink and the earthquake, helped him grow as a person, and that growth coincided with his breakthrough as a skater. That’s beyond what a coach can control. Ultimately, I think it depends on the individual.”

Just three years after the earthquake, Hanyu became an Olympic gold medalist at the Sochi Olympics. Tsuzuki, who was invited to the victory celebration, recalls that his former student asked him:

“Teacher, do you think everyone is grateful for what I’ve done?”

“Someday, I hope Yuzuru will deliver a message that can change Japan.”

There was not the slightest hint of arrogance in having reached the pinnacle. Always mindful of the feelings of others, Hanyu takes them into himself and channels them into his performances. Some sports newspapers called the hero who quickly returned from an injury at the Chinese Grand Prix and became the first Japanese male skater to win the Grand Prix Final two years in a row a “monster.” But Tsuzuki says, “For him, perhaps it isn’t anything particularly extraordinary.”

“Technically, physically, and expressively, Yuzuru seeks the ultimate in everything. Unless he pushes himself to the brink of breaking, he cannot move forward. Before we knew it, Yuzuru had become that kind of person. He has always faced skating and his own life with sincerity. His commitment is anything but half-hearted. I hope that one day, Yuzuru will deliver a message as a skater that can change education in Japan. If that happens, children of the future will be able to venture out into the world more and more.”

Perhaps his talent and personal appeal have transcended even the boundaries of teacher and student, or of age itself. The 76-year-old mentor, who also serves as chairman of the Certification Committee of the Japan Figure Skating Instructors Association, smiled and said:

“The time I have spent with Yuzuru, and the growth he will continue to achieve, will enrich my own life.”

Many thanks, dear yuzurujenn!

A wonderful insight on our Yuzu. As a rare genius he tends to seek and accept challenges with all his body and soul. It is very interesting though that the concept of Challenge was formed so early in his life 🌸

4 hours ago, Joukos said:

Un grand merci, chère yuzurujenn !

Un aperçu fascinant de notre Yuzu. Génie rare, il a tendance à rechercher et à relever les défis avec passion et détermination. Il est d'ailleurs très intéressant de constater que la notion de défi s'est formée si tôt dans sa vie 🌸

Je vous rejoint à ce sujet @Joukos pour remercier vivement @yuzurujenn pour nous avoir permis de lire cet article en 5 parties , car malgré les épreuves déjà à son jeune âge , Yuzuru a toujours été combatif et qui a eu raison de persévérer dans son art : tous ici connaissent ses HAUT résultats .....