Japan and the World of Figure Skating

Table of Contents

What is Figure Skating?

Figure skating is a sport involving skaters who perform jumps, spins, lifts and fancy footwork on ice. The name figure skating comes from the patterns, known as figures, that the skaters make on the ice. Figure skating can be performed by individuals, pairs, or in groups. There is also an element of show business to figure skating, with skaters wearing eye-catching costumes to help make their performance standout.

2021 Japan Figure Championships Men’s FS Hanyu attempts a quadruple and a half, but is ruled under-rotated (composite photo), Yuzuru Hanyu, DECEMBER 26, 2021 – Figure Skating : Japan Figure Skating Championships 2021 Men’s Free Skating at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, (Photo by Naoki Nishimura/AFLO SPORT)

There are various levels of competitions, both domestic and international, which figure skaters can compete in. The national governing body for figure skating in Japan is the Japan Skating Federation (JSF). The international governing body for figure skating is the International Skating Union (ISU). As of April 2022, 80 countries were members of the ISU.

What Types of Figure Skating Are There?

There are many disciplines in figure skating, such as freestyle, pair skating, ice dance, and synchronized skating. During competition, skaters usually perform two programs; the short program and the free skate routine.

The Short Program

The short program always comes before the free skate. For the junior, senior, singles, and pairs categories, the short program runs for a fixed time of 2 minutes and 40 seconds. For synchronized skating, the program lasts for 2 minutes and 50 seconds.

Performances are judged on composition, presentation, and skating skills. When looking at composition, judges analyze how the chosen choreography flows together, uses space effectively, and complements the music. The presentation component involves evaluation of the skater’s expressiveness, musical timing, and variety of movements. Skating skills are judged by considering the skater’s ability to execute the various moves with control, balance, and speed.

For senior single skaters, there are seven elements that must be included in the program. The elements can be performed in any order and to any type of music. Differing for men and women, the elements include a double or triple axel, a triple or quadruple jump, a jump combination, a flying spin, a camel or sit spin, a spin combination, and a step sequence.

Pair skaters also need to perform seven required elements, but there are variations depending on the season. Synchronized skaters perform six elements which are chosen by the ISU on an annual basis.

Japan holds the records for the second (Yuzuru Hanyu), third (Shoma Uno), fourth (Yuma Kagiyama) and sixth (Kazuki Tomono) best men’s short program scores, and the third (Rika Kihira), seventh (Kaori Sakamoto) and eighth (Wakaba Higuchi) best women’s short program scores.

Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN), APRIL 15, 2021 – Figure Skating : ISU World Team Trophy in Figure Skating 2021 Men’s Short Program at Maruzen Intec Arena Osaka, Osaka, Japan. (Photo by YUTAKA/AFLO SPORT)

Free Skate Program

The free skate, performed after the short program, lasts four minutes for all senior skaters. The elements of a free skating performance include jumps, spins, steps and other linking movements. This program allows skaters to be creative with their performance, with complete freedom to choose any elements they wish provided that the program is “well-balanced”.

A well-balanced program is expected to include jump elements, spins, a flying spin, a step sequence and a choreographic sequence. For pair skaters, expected elements include up to three lifts, a twist lift, a solo jump, a jump sequence, a death spiral and a choreographic sequence.

Japan holds the records for the second (Yuzuru Hanyu), third (Yuma Kagiyama) and fourth (Shoma Uno) best men’s free skate program scores and the seventh (Kaori Sakamoto) and ninth (Rika Kihara) best women’s free skate program scores.

Kaori Sakamoto (JPN), FEBRUARY 17, 2022 – Figure Skating : Women’s Free Skating during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China. (Photo by Yohei Osada/AFLO SPORT)

Ice Dance

The ice dance is a performance by a man and a woman, with the origins of the performance hailing from ballroom dancing. It originally began with couples performing the waltz, march, and other dances on skates and went on to become an official Olympic sport in 1976. While there have been movements to modernize the ice dance, the ISU has tightened the rules to ensure that the historical ballroom roots are respected and maintained.

Since 2010, the ice dance has been made up of two segments; the free dance and the short dance (since renamed to the rhythm dance). The required elements of an ice dance are a dance lift, a dance spin, step sequence, twizzles, and other choreographic elements. The specifics of how these elements may be executed change each year, as published by the ISU. Unlike the other competitive figure skating disciplines, jumps are not an element of the ice dance.

Japan’s current ice dance stars are Kana Muramoto and Daisuke Takahashi, who came second at the 2022 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships.

Sara Kishimoto & Atsuhiko Tamura, NOVEMBER 25, 2022 – Figure Skating : All Japan Junior Figure Skating Championships 2022 Ice Dance Rhythm Dance at Yamashin Swimming Arena, Ibaraki, Japan. (Photo by YUTAKA/AFLO SPORT)

Figure Skating Moves and Elements

Each program is made up of different required elements, which start from a basic formation such as a spin, spiral, or jump. Elements are scored based on the level of difficulty and how well they are executed.

Jumps

There are various types of jumps, which involve the skater leaping into the air and rotating once or more before landing. The difficulty of different jumps is measured by the way the skater takes off and lands and by the number of rotations completed.

Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN), MARCH 23, 2019 – Figure Skating : Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu performs combination jump, Quadruple Toe Loop and Triple Axel during ISU World Figure Skating Championships, Men’s Free Skating at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.(Photo by MATSUO.K/AFLO SPORT)

Spins

There are three main types of spins; an upright spin, a sit spin and a camel spin. Each of these main types includes many different variations. Different types and variations of spins are often combined into a sequence, known as a combination spin.

Denise Biellmann (SUI), FEBRUARY 2, 1985 – Figure Skating : Denise Biellmann of Switzerland plays the Biellmann spin during the International Professional Championship. (Photo by Shinichi Yamada/AFLO Images)

Lifts

Lifts are an essential element of the ice dance and pair skating. This move requires the man to spin at least once while lifting and holding the woman in different types of lifts. Pairs are judged based on the complexity of the lift, with more advanced lifts involving the lifted partner being thrown into the air.

Haruna Murakami & Sumitada Moriguchi, NOVEMBER 26, 2022 – Figure Skating : All Japan Junior Figure Skating Championships 2022 Pairs Free Skating at Yamashin Swimming Arena, Ibaraki, Japan. (Photo by YUTAKA/AFLO SPORT)

Step Sequences

Step sequences are made up of turns, steps, backwards skating and hops all incorporated into a well-flowing combination.

Rika Kihira (JPN), OCTOBER 8, 2022 – Figure Skating : Carnival on Ice 2022 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. (Photo by Naoki Morita/AFLO SPORT)

What Are the Major International Figure Skating Competitions?

Throughout the year, there are a range of major international figure skating competitions. All international competitions are governed by the ISU, with the exception of the Olympic Games which is co-governed by the ISU and the International Olympic Committee.

The major annual Championships for men’s singles, women’s singles, pairs and the ice dance are known as the ISU Figure Skating Championships. This includes the World Figure Skating Championships, the World Junior Figure Skating Championships, and the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. Other major events include the Winter Olympic Games, the Grand Prix series and the Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy.

The Winter Olympic Games

In 1908, figure skating became the first winter sport to be included at the Olympic Games and it is one of the most popular sports at the Games to this day. The Olympic disciplines are men’s singles, women’s singles, pair skating, and the ice dance, as well as a new team event that was introduced in 2014.

The number of participating figure skaters is limited by the International Olympic Committee: there are 30 skaters in each singles event, 20 pairs in pairs skating and 24 pairs in the ice dance. While previously skaters needed to be at least fifteen years old before 1 July of the previous year to qualify, as of 2022 the minimum age has increased to seventeen.

Results in other international competitions dictate who can qualify for the Olympic Games. 80% of the available spots are determined according to the results of the previous World Figure Skating Championships, although individual countries are limited to a maximum of three skaters per event.

Misato Komatsubara & Takeru Komatsubara (JPN), FEBRUARY 7, 2022 – Figure Skating : Team Ice Dance Free Dance during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China. (Photo by Yohei Osada/AFLO SPORT)

Japan is currently ranked 10th in the overall medal table for figure skating at the Olympic Games with 11 medals in total; three gold, four silver and four bronze. Japan has participated in the figure skating events at the Olympics a total of 19 times, with its first appearance in 1932.

At the 2022 Olympic Games, Japan won a total of four medals in figure skating. In the men’s singles, Yuma Kagiyama won silver and Shoma Uno won bronze. Kaori Sakamoto won bronze in the women’s singles and Japan won bronze in the team event. Yuzuru Hanyu is a two-time Olympic champion and the first skater since 1952 to win consecutive Olympic titles.

World Figure Skating Championships

Similarly to the Olympics, the World Championships events include the men’s singles, women’s singles, pair skating, and the ice dance. This international competition is widely viewed as the most prestigious of the ISU Figure Skating Championships.

This competition first took place in Saint Petersburg in 1896. It was hosted in Japan for the first time in 1977, the same year Minoru Sano won Japan’s first medal in the competition. While Japan only won one men’s singles medal during the 20th century, it has won 19 since 2002. This drastic improvement is a tribute to the focus that Japan has placed on developing young skaters and turning them into champions since the 1990s. In the women’s singles, Japan has won 22 medals in total.

Japan will host the World Championships for the eighth time in 2023.

Minoru Sano wins Japan’s first bronze medal in the men’s single at the World Figure Championships. 1977/03/05 19770305 Yoyogi Daiichi Gymnasium (Photo By Nikkan Sports/Aflo Images)

Four Continents Figure Skating Championships

This annual competition was established in 1999 in order to provide an equivalent competition to the European Figure Skating Championships for skaters from the Americas, Asia and Oceania. Since it began, Japan, China, Canada and the United States have won a combined 267 medals out of a total of 276.

(L-R) Jason Brown (USA), Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN) and Yuma Kagiyama (JPN), Feb 9, 2020 – Figure Skating : (L-R) Silver medalist Jason Brown of United States, gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan and bronze medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan during the men’s award ceremony at ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Lee Jae-Won/AFLO Images)

ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating

The Grand Prix series began in 1995 and is made up of a series of six separate international senior events and one Grand Prix final. Participation for the series is by invitation only based on the results of the previous ISU World Figure Skating Championships. The top ranked skaters in the series qualify for the final.

Kaori Sakamoto (JPN), NOVEMBER 20, 2022 – Figure Skating : ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2022/23 NHK Trophy Exibition Gala at Makomanai Indoor (Photo by MATSUO.K/AFLO SPORT)

Figure Skating in Japan

Japan’s figure skating history officially dates back to the early 1920s, with the JSF established in 1929. The real turning point for figure skating in Japan came when the JSF set up a Youth Development Summer Camp in 1992. The intention of the camp was to encourage the development of a competitive spirit among young skaters and to allow the JSF to monitor for potential future stars.

To this day, being selected to attend the camp is a huge achievement for young skaters. Once they arrive, young skaters are evaluated not only on their abilities as a skater but on their general attitudes in life off the ice. This camp and the initiatives that followed have allowed Japan to develop a fierce domestic competition environment and a large pool of talented skaters.

Kaoruko Wada, NOVEMBER 27, 2022 – Figure Skating : All Japan Junior Figure Skating Championships 2022 Women’s Free Skating at Yamashin Swimming Arena, Ibaraki, Japan. (Photo by YUTAKA/AFLO SPORT)

Japan Figure Skating Championships

The Japan Figure Skating Championships is an annual competition for senior figure skaters. As with the major international competitions, the disciplines are men’s singles, women’s singles, pair skating and ice dance. The first championship was held in the 1929-30 season for men’s singles and the 1934-35 season for women’s singles.

Yuzuru Hanyu won this competition six times between 2012 and 2021.

Japan’s Figure Skating Stars

A steady stream of champions has emerged from Japan over the last twenty years. With the exception of Midori Ito, all of the following figure skating stars were discovered at the JSF’s Youth Development Camps:

Yuzuru Hanyu: Widely considered one of the best male figure skaters in the sport’s history, Hanyu has broken nineteen world figure skating records and is the first men’s singles skater to achieve a “Super Slam” by winning all major competitions in both his senior and junior careers. Hanyu announced his retirement from competitive figure skating in July 2022, with the intention of continuing to skate as a professional athlete.

Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN), Feb 9, 2020 – Figure Skating : Gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan during the men’s award ceremony at ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Lee Jae-Won/AFLO Images)

Mao Asada: Asada was the first Japanese skater to win the World Championships three times. She won silver in the 2010 Winter Olympics, won the Four Continents three times and the Grand Prix four times. She is considered one of the best women’s singles skaters of all time.

Mao Asada, APRIL 26, 2021 – Figure Skating : Mao Asada Thanks Tours at Yokohama Arena, Kanagawa, Japan (Photo by AFLO SPORT)

Daisuke Takahashi: Takahashi was the first Asian male figure skater to win a World title (at the 2010 World Championships), the first Japanese man to win a medal in theGrand Prix Final in 2005 and to win a gold medal at theGrand Prix Final in 2012-13. He has won the Four Continents twice and the Japanese Nationals five times. He retired in 2014 but returned to skating in 2018 and began partnering with Kana Muramoto in the ice dance competition in the 2020-21 season.

Daisuke Takahashi (JPN), DECEMBER 25, 2010 – Figure Skating : Japan Figure Skating Championships 2010, Men’s Free Skating at Big Hat, Nagano, (Photo by AFLO SPORT)

Midori Ito: Considered to be one of the best figure skaters of all time, Ito was the 1989 World Champion and won silver at the 1992 Olympic Games. She was the first woman to successfully land a triple Axel at the Olympics. Ito was also the first woman skater to complete a triple-triple jump combination. Ito was a pioneer for Japanese figure skating and as Japan’s only star she was under a huge amount of pressure to win for her country. When she won silver in the 1992 Olympic Games, the JSF realized that they needed to focus on building a good team of talented skaters rather than relying on one individual. In that respect Ito served as the inspiration for the establishment of the Youth Development Summer Camp.

Midori Ito (JPN), FEBRUARY 23, 1992 – Figure Skating : Figure Skating event at the 1992 Winter Olympic Games in Albertville, France. (Photo by AFLO Images)

Since the turn of the century, Japan has enjoyed explosive success in the figure skating world and it continues to dominate internationally. The depth of talent in Japan across all figure skating disciplines is a huge factor in this success. As Japanese skaters continue to succeed around the world, they inspire the next generation of skaters.

For more information about the history of figure skating in Japan, click here.