Japanese figure skating 2022-23 season news & updates

[On My Own]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1631176757020618753

I think this is the news link? https://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/202303020000626.html

 

[Frau Muller]

Good for Mie Hamada. Verdicts aren’t always on the side of the accusers.

 

[Sylvia]

ISU videos from the Junior Worlds SP yesterday:

Mao Shimada (1st): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZftFVLA6V0

Ami Nakai (3rd): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cifJXy-GyRc

 

[On My Own]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1631176757020618753

I think this is the news link? https://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/202303020000626.html

https://twitter.com/x/status/1631335520587460608

(three tweet thread, open to view all three)

---

https://twitter.com/x/status/1631391784164007981

 

[On My Own]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1631335520587460608

(three tweet thread, open to view all three)

As a further addition:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1631191661236846598

 

[Wyliefan]

So the judge doesn't know the definition of harassment. That's reassuring.

 

[clairecloutier]

Here's an article from Lynn Rutherford about Miura/Kihara's rise and how they set themselves apart from the field:

Unorthodox Gymnastics | Dvora Meyers | Substack

All the flips that are fit to print. Click to read Unorthodox Gymnastics, a Substack publication.

dvora.substack.com

P.S. The article is published on Dvora Meyer's Substack, which is usually about gymnastics, but she sometimes covers figure skating as well.

 

[Sylvia]

Mone Chiba (JPN) 2023 Four Continents bronze medalist
Regarding today's performance I was able to successfully land all of my jumps so I'm very happy about that. My skating itself was maybe not as grand or big as I would have liked, but I'm still definitely satisfied with today's performance.
(on the possibility of a future Olympics, what kind of skater would she like to be and which skater she aspires to be like)
I certainly did not even dream that I would be able to get the bronze medal so I am very surprised and also equally very pleased. In terms of my age I believe that the Milan Olympics (in 2026) is when I will get to be at my peak performance so that's what I am currently aiming for. In the future I would like to become a skater who excels in skating, in spins and jumps - can do everything - that's my ideal skater. There are many skaters that I respect and admire - both women and men - but I'd like to give out Yuzuru Hanyu's name since we are from the same rink as somebody I completely admire.
(on skating before a U.S. audience)
The audience in the U.S. gave a very energetic support and they were able to feed power to my performance so I really enjoyed the very fun atmosphere here.

Chiba mentioned in her ISU Quick Quote that her next international will be Coupe de Printemps, March 17-19, in Luxembourg.

Team Japan for 2023 Coupe du Printemps, March 17-19 in Luxembourg (copied over here from the Kiss & Cry thread):

Senior:
Mone Chiba (J2/S5/4CC-3)
Koshiro Shimada (S2/4CC-11)
Sena Miyake (S12)
Takeru Amine Kataise (JGPF-6/J2/S19) - his senior int'l debut (turned 19 last month)

Junior:
Ami Takai (JGPF-4/J3/S4/Junior Worlds bronze)
Yo Takagi (J7/S21) - her int'l debut (age 15): http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00113893.htm
Tsudoi Suto (J7/S17)
Seigo Tauchi (J8/S23) - both men debuted on JGP this season

 

[japanice]

[ICE TIME] Japan's Results at World Junior Championships Bode Well For the Future | SportsLook

Women's champion Mao Shimada and men's gold medalist Kao Miura headlined Japan's four-medal haul at the World Junior Championships in Calgary.

featured.japan-forward.com

 

[Sylvia]

Sota Yamamoto article by Judith Dombrowski for Golden Skate (March 11):

Japan's Sota Yamamoto eyes World podium

Sota Yamamoto At the beginning of the 2022-23 season, Sota Yamamoto made the highly-competitive Japanese men’s team for the World Championships, which takes place next week in his home country. […]

www.goldenskate.com

 

[Sylvia]

Here's an article from Lynn Rutherford about Miura/Kihara's rise and how they set themselves apart from the field:

Unorthodox Gymnastics | Dvora Meyers | Substack

All the flips that are fit to print. Click to read Unorthodox Gymnastics, a Substack publication.

dvora.substack.com

Bruno Marcotte tweeted today that Miura/Kihara will perform their short program tomorrow (Wednesday, March 15) at 10 am at sixteen mile sports complex in Oakville before leaving to compete at the 2023 world championships. Anyone that wants to come and encourage them are welcome to attend."

 

[Sylvia]

"JSF has announced skaters assigned to Triglav Trophy (4/12-16, Slovenia)." https://twitter.com/figureskatingm1/status/1635888310219608064

I've noted Junior/Senior Nationals placements & Junior Worlds medalists below:

Senior:
Nozomu Yoshioka [J1/S10/JW-3]
Sumitada Moriguchi [S7] - his international singles debut
Hana Yoshida [S6]
Yuna Aoki [S7]

Junior:
Shunsuke Nakamura [J4/S11]
Rio Nakata [J5/S26]
Mao Shimada [J1/S3/JW-1]
Haruna Murakami [J8/S17] - her international singles debut

 

[japanice]

[ICE TIME] Japan Favored to Collect More Medals at Coupe du Printemps | SportsLook

Ami Nakai, Mone Chiba, Koshiro Shimada, Sena Miyake and Takeru Kataise are scheduled to skate in the senior competitions at the Coupe du Printemps.

featured.japan-forward.com

 

[livetoskate]

Congratulations to Mone Chiba on winning the gold at Coupe du Printemps. Here's her SP:

Mone Chiba SP 2023 Coupe du Printemps figure skating

youtu.be

 

[Sylvia]

^^^ Chiba scored 190.99 in Luxembourg. A few more videos (filming of the Coupe du Printemps livestream) are on that account:

Ami Nakai won the Junior Women's gold and landed her opening 3A with ++GOE (that she fell on in in her Junior Worlds FS two weeks ago): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q86TP8nEqIY
Yo Takagi won the silver (179.78) in her junior international debut.

Sena Miyake's 2nd place SP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfbJhF8VkLQ
Koshiro Shimada's 3rd place SP (2nd half only): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6txwN7tq3M

Senior Men:
Silver: Koshiro SHIMADA JPN 214.98 3 3
4 Sena MIYAKE JPN 211.69 2 4
5 Takeru Amine KATAISE JPN 183.33 5 5

Junior Men:
Silver: Seigo TAUCHI JPN 177.39 2 2
Bronze: Tsudoi SUTO JPN 166.51 4 3

 

[japanice]

[ICE TIME] Can Japan Make History at the World Championships? | SportsLook

Led by reigning titlists Shoma Uno and Kaori Sakamoto, the host nation is expected to enjoy a stellar overall showing at the world championships in Saitama.

featured.japan-forward.com

 

[japanice]

[ICE TIME] Coach Tracy Wilson Confident in Rika Kihira's Success Moving Forward | SportsLook

In an exclusive interview, Wilson discussed Rika Kihira's recovery from an ankle injury, saying she's made solid progress with competition and physical rehab.

featured.japan-forward.com

 

[japanice]

[ICE TIME] World Championships a Great Success for Japanese Skaters and Organizers | SportsLook

What resonates most from the world championships is Shoma Uno's determination, Kaori Sakamoto's speed and the continued growth of Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara.

featured.japan-forward.com

 

[Sylvia]

Dreams on Ice (JSF's annual national team exhibition) will have 4 performances from Friday, June 30 through Sunday, July 2, 2023 and the first skaters were announced today, March 30, on the website: https://www.onice.jp/

Men: Kazuki Tomono, Shun Sato, Sota Yamamoto, Kao Miura, Nozomu Yoshioka, Takeru Amine Kataise, Haruya Sasaki, Sena Takahashi (Novice A champion, born January 29, 2010)

Women: Kaori Sakamoto, Mai Mihara, Mao Shimada, Ami Nakai, Mone Chiba, Hana Yoshida, Rinka Watanabe, Reina Uezono (Novice A champion, born July 19, 2002)

Ice Dance: Misato Komatsubara/Takeru Komatsubara

Synchro: Jingu Ice Messengers

 

[Gris]

Looks like Azusa Tanaka has switched to Ice Dance and is looking for a partner - she now has a profile on IPS.

Azusa Tanaka - Ice Partner Search

Female from Kyoto, Japan: I want to find a partner than I can skate with long term and compete successfully in ice dance internationally.

www.icepartnersearch.com

Cathy Reed is listed as her coach and Azusa said in her bio that she has been practicing Ice Dance for 2 years.

 

[Sylvia]

Looks like Azusa Tanaka has switched to Ice Dance and is looking for a partner - she now has a profile on IPS.

Cathy Reed was her choreographer in the 2019-20 season - here's Azusa Tanaka's lovely FS to 2 different Pride & Prejudice soundtracks in the Lake Placid JGP (starting after her first 2 jumping passes - beautiful skating skills! ETA a tweeted shorter clip from the same program): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWnsyt_7N38&t=80s

 

[Sylvia]

I've posted about Mao Asada's "Mao Rink" project in her BEYOND tour thread: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...-2nd-national-tour.109764/page-3#post-6420585

"Yuma Kagiyama recently attended a training camp in Varese, Italy. He has been working on his skating and expressions with Lori Nichol and Carolina Kostner." https://twitter.com/skatejapanews/status/1643536876454674433

鍵山優真「一日一日、成長」　フィギュア、来季へ手応え ｜ 共同通信

【バレーゼ（イタリア）共同】フィギュアスケート男子で、左足首を痛めて戦列を離れている北京冬季五輪銀メ...

nordot.app

He plans to keep both his programs for next season. Shae-Lynn Bourne choreographed his "Believer" by Imagine Dragons SP and Lori Nichol his FS to "Rain, In Your Black Eyes" by Ezio Bosso.

ETA an on ice photo of Yuma with Lori Nichol: https://twitter.com/kaya_mtk/status/1643612735463215112

 

[Sylvia]

Photos from Wakaba Higuchi's university graduation ceremony [Meiji University last month]:
https://twitter.com/figureskatingm1/status/1640985375501078528

"Mana Kawabe, Rino Matsuike and Kinayu Yokoi attended the entrance ceremony of Chukyo University.": https://twitter.com/skatejapanews/status/1643372842568826880

 

[japanice]

[ICE TIME] Uno, Sakamoto and Miura/Kihara to Lead Japan in World Team Trophy | SportsLook

Led by current world champions in men's and women's singles and pairs, Japan is vying to win the World Team Trophy for the third time.

featured.japan-forward.com

 

[japanice]

This column was updated with several new quotes from Asuka Tanaka about her switch to ice dance.

[ICE TIME] Uno, Sakamoto and Miura/Kihara to Lead Japan in World Team Trophy | SportsLook

Led by current world champions in men's and women's singles and pairs, Japan is vying to win the World Team Trophy for the third time.

featured.japan-forward.com

 

[Sylvia]

Copying over from the WTT thread... this news was published Monday morning in Japan...

JSF announced that Shoma Uno has withdrawn from WTT due to injury and will be replaced by Shun Sato: https://www.skatingjapan.or.jp/common/img/info/WTT2023_ShomaUNO.pdf

Machine translated excerpt:

Missing player: Shoma Uno (Toyota)
Diagnosis: Right ankle ligament and cartilage damage Complete recovery Requires 2 weeks of treatment and recuperation (as of April 10)
Substitute player: Shun Sato (Meiji University)

During the World Championships, he injured his right ankle, which had been hurting for a long time, and has been practicing for the national competition [WTT].
I tried my best to treat it, but I couldn't get it back to the competition level, so I decided to withdraw.
I have come to a very regrettable conclusion.
To all the fans who were looking forward to the competition, and to the many people involved in the competition,
We apologize for the inconvenience.
Once again, thank you to all of you who always support me and watch over me warmly.

 

[mikeko]

Nao Kida and Masaya Morita announced their split at Bloom on Ice, Kinoshita Academy's annual Spring ice show.
They both will continue ice dance.
Azusa Tanaka performed a solo dance.

 

[japanice]

[ICE TIME] Haein Lee, Jun Hwan Cha Impress at World Team Trophy | SportsLook

With strong performances at the World Team Trophy and world championships, the South Korean standouts have displayed their abilities and raised expectations.

featured.japan-forward.com

 

[Sylvia]

Nao Kida and Masaya Morita announced their split at Bloom on Ice, Kinoshita Academy's annual Spring ice show.
They both will continue ice dance.
Azusa Tanaka performed a solo dance.

This article with photos (machine translated excerpt below) says Murakami/Moriguchi (who debuted internationally as singles skaters at Triglav Trophy and won silver medals in Junior & Senior, respectively) also split :

フィギュアスケート - 【写真】りくりゅう、かなだい、島田高志郎らが「ブルーム・オン・アイス」で共演 | 4years. #学生スポーツ

世界を目指す木下アカデミー生のアイスショー「Bloom On Ice（ブルーム・オン・アイス）2023」が4月22日、京都府宇治市の木下アカデミー京都アイスアリーナで開幕した。早稲田大学の島田高志郎（4年、木下グループ）や同志社大学の森口澄士（4年、木下アカデミー）らが出演した。今年3月の世界選手権で日本ペア初の金メダルを獲得した「りくりゅう」こと、三浦璃来、木原龍一組（木下グループ）や、「かなだい」の愛称で人気のアイスダンス・村元哉中、高橋大輔組（関大KFSC）も登場した。

4years.asahi.com

Haruna Murakami and Sumitada Moriguchi (Kinoshita Academy), the pair representatives of the World Junior Championships, were disbanded, so they were fascinated[?] by their single programs. Since the ice dance representatives Nao Kida and Masaya Morita (same) also disbanded, the couple performed their "final performance". Here are some photos of the performance on the first day.

Kinoshita Academy's ice show info was posted in the JPN Shows thread in February:

Bloom on Ice (BOI)
https://kyotouji-ice.jp/bloom-on-ice-2023/
4/22-4/23 - Kyoto
Special guests: Kana Muramoto & Daisuke Takahashi
Skaters who belong to Kinoshita Academy, including Mao Shimada, Hana Yoshida, Koshiro Shimada, Riku Miura & Ryuichi Kihara

 

[Karen-W]

And just like that, Japanese ice dance and pairs is in even worse shape than it was a year ago.