2022-23 Japanese Women's Figure Skating

[RafaelAstro]

So the retirements that didn't happen last season are going to happen now?

 

[surimi]

https://twitter.com/daily_online/status/1606612078331981824?s=61&t=LTBmJUB0c8aYZc1oUMuCuA

This will be the last season for Yuhana.

So, no chance for me to see my favorite female skater again, unless she starts coaching. I'm sad

 

[cohkaix]

https://twitter.com/daily_online/status/1606612078331981824?s=61&t=LTBmJUB0c8aYZc1oUMuCuA

This will be the last season for Yuhana.

Adding:

I think after the Nationals, Yuhana still has at least 2 other domestic competitions left, and the up-coming Nagoya FS Festival to attend. (The 2 domestic competitions are Inter-college and National winter sports festival). So hopefully we'll get to see some more of her.

BTW, she did mention in other interviews that she's planning to work in skating-related business for future works, and it sounds like the work may be media related. So I'm sure we'll still get to see her around!

 

[Sai Bon]

Sad… I was hoping someone like Mone or Mana could do it, over Rinka. I really do not see anybody else on the podium other than Kaori, Mai and Mao, unless Kaori implodes.

I think it's marginally possible that Mone would have been chosen if her FS had been as good as her SP, but it wasn't, and I guess the Fed decided to stick to the rules this time. I do like Rinka too, and hope that she will grab this opportunity and make the most of it with bulldog determination.

 

[RatedPG]

I think it's marginally possible that Mone would have been chosen if her FS had been as good as her SP, but it wasn't, and I guess the Fed decided to stick to the rules this time. I do like Rinka too, and hope that she will grab this opportunity and make the most of it with bulldog determination.

Me too. Now that she is chosen, I wish her success and a post that hopefully she reads, to take out that 3Lz at the end of the free skate.

 

[cohkaix]

Mone will move up to senior level next season: https://hochi.news/articles/20221226-OHT1T51114.html?page=1

 

[yesterday]

Found some general links for programs/galas/interviews from Japanese skaters from Nationals but also earlier this season and from before that.
(the more Nats focused ones are in the Recap and Gala thread)

The NagoyaTV News Channel had a FS playlist where they put new videos on top, currently there are 92 (set a VPN to Japan if you see less)

【山本草太ヒストリー後編】GPファイナル銀メダリストになるまで「トップで戦っている」　４回転ジャンプ必須の男子フィギュア界への挑戦【秘蔵映像】

2022年、グランプリファイナルで銀メダリストになったフィギュアスケートの山本草太選手（中京大学）。順風満帆だったジュニア時代、ケガからの復帰、五輪への想い、ハイレベルな男子フィギュア界での戦い、素顔など、これまでの軌跡をメ～テレの秘蔵映像でお届けします。初出し映像&インタビューも！後編では、2018年から202...

www.youtube.com

Don't let them fool you, they often start with an interview, but the performance comes after that.

And here's a nice playlist concerning the 2021-2022 season for some (re-)watching until January competitions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJs9dihZdpQ&list=PL-_vLaPY_60yWMKhhmN79IWX8OOxiFinj (85 videos)

(crosspost with Japanese Men's thread)

 

[cohkaix]

The very 1st ice show of 23' - starting with Nagoya FS festival (the show about to begin in less than 1 hr!)

The cast: (source: https://twitter.com/skatejapanews/status/1610399918941782017?s=20&t=Cp1majeBHbcP2kT5zZC6vw)
There's a link to LIVE online broadcast, and it can be purchased (link provided from the tweeter account above).

Starting order (also taken from the twitter):

Opening
Part I
Aoha (local skater)
Hiroro (local skater)
Sara (local skater)
Sena
Rena
Shunsuke
Nozomu
Mao (Shimada)

Special guests: Mura, Akiko, Shizuka

PartII
Marin
Yuhana
Rino
Tatsuya
Rika Mana
Kao
Hana
Sota
Kazuki
Mai
Kaori
Shoma

Finale

 

[cohkaix]

I'm not sure to post this here, or in the other tread about pair/dance, but -
According to this: https://twitter.com/kinoshitaskate/status/1613074658915647488?s=20&t=NlDsaQyriTs2jnSn1k2zuw
Azusa Tanaka has decided to switching her focus to ice dance (I think she hears you, @tsuyoboogie !!)

Hopefully she'll find a suitable partner soon!

 

[surimi]

I'm not sure to post this here, or in the other tread about pair/dance, but -
According to this: https://twitter.com/kinoshitaskate/status/1613074658915647488?s=20&t=NlDsaQyriTs2jnSn1k2zuw
Azusa Tanaka has decided to switching her focus to ice dance (I think she hears you, @tsuyoboogie !!)

Hopefully she'll find a suitable partner soon!

I wonder if she and Shingo could team up. It's such a pity that he's been unlucky in his partnerships so far; he's so talented. I recall Moa Iwano switched to ice dance too, a year or two ago, but I think she was based in France.

 

[cohkaix]

I wonder if she and Shingo could team up. It's such a pity that he's been unlucky in his partnerships so far; he's so talented. I recall Moa Iwano switched to ice dance too, a year or two ago, but I think she was based in France.

I saw someone suggested this on Twitter as well . (As for Moa, I'm not quite sure about her situation at the moment.)

 

[yesterday]

Is that something interesting?

 

[macy]

Is that something interesting?

ive never heard of something like this...i assume this company sponsors all of them? i'm not sure how skating clubs work in Japan, but i assume they all need to be sanctioned/recognized by the fed as an actual skating club?

 

[rabidline]

ive never heard of something like this...i assume this company sponsors all of them? i'm not sure how skating clubs work in Japan, but i assume they all need to be sanctioned/recognized by the fed as an actual skating club?

This is actually the second time this happened recently in Japan, with a company establishing a skating club and recruiting young skaters in Japan to be its members. The first one was Oriental Bio Corporation, who established their skating club in May 2022, with Yuma Kagiyama, Kao Miura and Rion Sumiyoshi as the members. The company sponsors all of them, which I assume is the case as well with Tokio Inkarami and Rinka Watanabe, Ami Nakai and Rio Nakata.

It's notable that the article mentioned that Rinka was linked with Tokio Inkarami before with an "advertising contract" but now they will continue with an "affiliation contract". I assume this is a different, higher level of sponsorship for Rinka, which is well-deserved.

The news report about Yuma, Kao and Rion with Oriental Bio:



It must be noted that after signing with Oriental Bio, an official Twitter account and an official Youtube channel run by staff in support of Yuma, Kao and Rion were established at https://twitter.com/yumarionkaostaf and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClB8VGNpLexmzAXSMEidw_Q . So this could be part of their sponsorship too, that they are all under the same management and gets the same benefits and sponsorship.

Also on December 2022, Yuma, Kao and Rion entered into a sponsorship contract with Artistic & Co. Global (their logo can be seen at the rinkside during GP series this season). So it seems there are some companies that have deals with them as a trio, not just with each of them.



I think more Japanese companies are getting into sponsoring young skaters in Japan, especially those who are deemed promising for 2026 Olympics qualification. Oriental Bio is also now one of the sponsors at Chukyo University rink alongside Toyota. Toyota Corporation of course is not a new face in Japanese figure skating or even figure skating in general, with its current skating club consisting of Shoma Uno and Rika Kihira.

 

[macy]

wow very interesting, thanks for the information!!

 

[rabidline]

New international assignments from JSF:

Challenge Cup (February 23-26, The Netherlands)
Senior Men: Shun Sato, Sota Yamamoto, Tatsuya Tsuboi
Senior Women: Kaori Sakamoto, Mai Mihara, Mana Kawabe
Senior Ice Dance: Misato Komatsubara/Takeru Komatsubara
Junior Men: Haruya Sasaki, Haru Kakiuchi
Junior Women: Ikura Kushida, Ayumi Shibayama, Yurina Okuno

Source: https://twitter.com/figure365/status/1618112834914910209

Coupe de Printemps (March 17-19, Luxembourg)
Senior Men: Koshiro Shimada, Takeru Amine Kataise (Alternate: Sena Miyake)
Senior Women: Mone Chiba, Rika Kihira
Junior Men: Tsudoi Suto, Seigo Tauchi
Junior Women: Ami Nakai, You Takagi

Source: https://twitter.com/figure365/status/1618114207022731266

A busy schedule for Kaori and Mai: Universiade, Winter Sports Festival (still rumored) and Challenge Cup, although they aren't doing 4CC. Rinka has no further pre-Worlds assignment after 4CC.

One notable senior women non-assignment despite finishing pretty high in Senior Nationals is Yuna Aoki, who finished 7th above both Mana Kawabe, 9th and Rika Kihira, 11th.

 

[hermine17]

Poor Yuna! She deserves to be sent somewhere. I'm glad Mana got an assignment though.

Congrats to Yurina and You for getting their first international assignments (I think).

 

[surimi]

I kind of get why JSF would want to give an opportunity to Kaori who struggled a bit in some of her competitions. Possibly the CC organizers also want her there to attract audience. But I do wish they'd given an opportunity to Rino Matsuike or Rion Sumiyoshi, or even Yuna Aoki, with her nice Nationals result. Rino and Sena both paid a high price for being ill and injured in the first half of the season, and slow to return. At the start of the season, Yuhana Yokoi also deserved to get a Challenger or B event for her nice 4CC skating, but only got one GP, which is harder, got meagre points for it, and decided to retire during the season.
Good for Mai that she finally got an opportunity to to compete at a smaller event. I'll never understand why JSF chose the injured Wakaba (speedy recovery to her, she's missed) for CS, but not her.

 

[rabidline]

Oh, regarding Challenger selection for Japan, I remember reading this absoluteskating interview with Angelo Dolfini (Koshiro's coach, Champery technical specialist) and he talked about going to Japan in the summer 2022 for the first time to accompany Koshiro to the qualifying event for NHK Trophy 2022.

Absolute Skating

Welcome to Absolute Skating, information site for and by the skaters and their fans. The place to meet the person behind the skater and experience events on and behind the stage.

absoluteskating.com

It's interesting that Angelo implied that after the qualifying event in the summer, Sota got the spot for NHK and then Koshiro got Lombardia Trophy (Koshiro only got his second GP spot because of a withdrawal, he was originally only assigned for 1 GP). Following that logic, a similar thing happened for the women- Rion Sumiyoshi got NHK, and Rinka Watanabe got Lombardia Trophy, Rinka being the only woman not finishing on the Nationals 2021 podium to get a Challenger series in 2022.

My assumption is that both Japanese men and women who didn't have 2 GP spots already assigned from the start had a similar qualifying process, and the competitions on the table for that selection were only the NHK Trophy host spot and one Challenger, Lombardia Trophy. And the ones that didn't get those spots probably did worse than the top 2 skaters in the qualifying event.

 

[yesterday]

Oh, regarding Challenger selection for Japan, I remember reading this absoluteskating interview with Angelo Dolfini (Koshiro's coach, Champery technical specialist) and he talked about going to Japan in the summer 2022 for the first time to accompany Koshiro to the qualifying event for NHK Trophy 2022.

Absolute Skating

Welcome to Absolute Skating, information site for and by the skaters and their fans. The place to meet the person behind the skater and experience events on and behind the stage.

absoluteskating.com

It's interesting that Angelo implied that after the qualifying event in the summer, Sota got the spot for NHK and then Koshiro got Lombardia Trophy (Koshiro only got his second GP spot because of a withdrawal, he was originally only assigned for 1 GP). Following that logic, a similar thing happened for the women- Rion Sumiyoshi got NHK, and Rinka Watanabe got Lombardia Trophy, Rinka being the only woman not finishing on the Nationals 2021 podium to get a Challenger series in 2022.

My assumption is that both Japanese men and women who didn't have 2 GP spots already assigned from the start had a similar qualifying process, and the competitions on the table for that selection were only the NHK Trophy host spot and one Challenger, Lombardia Trophy. And the ones that didn't get those spots probably did worse than the top 2 skaters in the qualifying event.

JSF figures: Sending them out is