It all started when Yuzuru Hanyu said he was a MOTHER 2 fan on a TV program. This brought about the kind of discussion you only dream about. Not in a cliche way, but really and truly an amazing thing. Last December, Yuzuru Hanyu and Shigesato Itoi met in a studio in Sendai and talked about all kinds of things for two hours. We’re pleased to be able to bring you that discussion.
Yuzuru Hanyu
Born in 1994 in Miyagi Prefecture. Began figure skating at 4 years old and became world junior champion at age 14. Later won four consecutive Grand Prix Finals and four consecutive Japan Figure Skating Championships. Also won two gold medals in a row at the Sochi and Pyeongchang Olympics. Became a professional figure skater in July 2022. Currently concentrating on producing and starring in an ice show.
Boyhood／Mirror Neuron／Heaven and Earth／Mr. Saturn／
Ballet／Timeline／Homesick／Universe／Johnny Weir／
Reset／Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami／Picasso／Sprain／
Parallel Universe／Heroic Sword and an Evil Sword／Produce／
Astro Boy／Music／Ness／Fifteen-year-old／
Romeo and Juliet／Goldfish／Nap／Athlete／Millennials／
Elder sister／A Beatles song, XXXterday／
Score／Vinyl／Death／Youngest child／
That／Hip hop／Mozart／Dilemma／Ice Show
- Hanyu
- Apparently I didn’t speak much for the first two years of my life, and only showed any feeling toward what I was interested in.
- Itoi
- That’s interesting.
- Hanyu
- I guess I didn’t feel the need to talk. But here I am talking so much right now. (Laughs)
- Itoi
- (Laughs) What kind of child were you? Did you play the same way as the kids around you?
- Hanyu
- No, I think I was quite different.
- Itoi
- I’ve never heard about this before.
- Hanyu
- With figure skating, you need to practice really early in the morning and late at night because you can’t train properly when the ice rink is open to the public. So we reserve the ice rink in the morning, then it’s open to the public, and then when their business hours end we can reserve it again and practice at night. During my first years of elementary school, I wanted to play with my friends, but I couldn’t train for figure skating seriously without getting some sleep before going back to practice. So basically, I’d practice in the morning from around 6 AM until 10 AM, go back home, eat, and take a nap. Then I’d wake up and prepare for skating practice again. That was how I spent every weekend.
- Itoi
- That’s definitely different from other children.
- Hanyu
- Even on school days, the ice rink was nearby, so I’d head straight there after school to practice. I wasn’t always on ice, but practice was from 3 PM to 8 PM, so I didn’t have much time to play with my friends.
- Itoi
- So it was already like that when you were a young kid in early elementary school.
- Hanyu
- Also, the figure skating scene back then was mainly composed of female athletes. Nowadays there are more male athletes, but figure skating used to be seen as a sport for girls.
- Itoi
- The ratio must have been somewhat similar to ballet or something, then.
- Hanyu
- Exactly. I was surrounded by girls, and I felt no discomfort with that situation. So I didn’t have a boyhood where I played games or sports with my friends.
- Itoi
- You seem to have had a really good understanding of what a normal childhood looked like, even though yours was so unique.
- Hanyu
- I wanted to be normal.
- Itoi
- Ah, so you’d learned about normality.
- Hanyu
- Yeah. When I was little, I really wanted to be normal. I liked baseball, so I wanted to go to the park with my friends after school and play baseball and video games and stuff. It was around the time when new portable game devices like the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance were getting more advanced, and I wanted to battle my friends on them. But my practice hours always conflicted with the hours my friends were available to play. I knew that I needed to train seriously to be able to win a gold medal at the Olympics, so there was part of me that gave up being normal.
- Itoi
- So, you admired being normal.
- Hanyu
- Yes. I admire being normal.
- Itoi
- Normal is admirable.
- Hanyu
- I still do think that to this day, to be honest. I wish I could be normal, but a part of me knows that I’d be bored if I was normal. There are things that I thought were normal but grew to realize they were anything but, so I’ve come to understand how weird I am.
- Itoi
- Not that that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
- Hanyu
- Right. If I were normal, then I wouldn’t be me.
- Itoi
- Yeah. So your hobby is to be normal, then.
- Hanyu
- I admire being normal.
- Itoi
- But now that you’ve stepped away from competitive skating, have the things you’re able to do expanded?
- Hanyu
- Yes, so, I guess I’m currently going from “normal” to “weird.” With competitive figure skating, there are rules of things you should or shouldn’t do, so it’s a world where “normal” is very easy to define.
- Itoi
- I see.
- Hanyu
- But I’m currently at a place where there aren’t any rules. Rather, it’s about expression, which doesn’t even necessarily ask for normal. At the same time, many people coming to my shows want to see normal. If I show them too much weird stuff it’ll go over their heads, so I always think about how to balance things out. Of course, there are people who are looking to see something out of the ordinary, and I do my ice shows because I want to, but at the same time, I still want to convey a message.
- Itoi
- So those restrictions from the competitions have been lifted, and now you’re a mix of normal and weird.
- Hanyu
- Right. It’s easy for someone looking in from the outside to say how I should do it. Sure, I get it, they’re right, but that’s not how I want to do it. I face too many of these kinds of dilemmas, so it’s all messed up inside my head. But I think that that messiness makes expression special.
- Itoi
- I’m sure. The greater the complication, the more power will emerge once you break through and make a single choice. I guess that’s when people are moved by sports or art.
- Hanyu
- Yes. What’s really interesting is how moving sports can be, even though unlike art, it’s not about expressing emotion.
- Itoi
- Yeah.
- Hanyu
- For example, I’d watch a marathon or an ekiden race, and even though I’m not particularly rooting for an athlete, I think of how hard they’re doing, and I tear up. Whether that be baseball or soccer, sports have the power to do that.
- Itoi
- Definitely.
- Hanyu
- But I don’t think it’s the expression that does it. I think it’s a matter of the results. Results are what make sports so moving.
- Itoi
- Ahh.
- Hanyu
- On the other hand, now I’m in a place where there are no results to be moved by, and all I really have to compete with is my own expression.
- Itoi
- I see, I see.
- Hanyu
- I want to create something that moves others, but I can’t lean on any aspect that results would have provided. So in that sense, “normal” is being moved by results.
- Itoi
- So you’re back to admiring normalcy without being able to achieve it.
- Hanyu
- Seems like it. (Laughs)
Boyhood／Mirror Neuron／Heaven and Earth／Mr. Saturn／
Ballet／Timeline／Homesick／Universe／Johnny Weir／
Reset／Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami／Picasso／Sprain／
Parallel Universe／Heroic Sword and an Evil Sword／Produce／
Astro Boy／Music／Ness／Fifteen-year-old／
Romeo and Juliet／Goldfish／Nap／Athlete／Millennials／
Elder sister／A Beatles song, XXXterday／
Score／Vinyl／Death／Youngest child／
That／Hip hop／Mozart／Dilemma／Ice Show
（To be continued）
2024-03-11-MON
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Photography: Toru Yaguchi
Clothing: tk.TAKEO KIKUCHI