Some more information on Japanese skaters:
-Takahiko Kozuka: Not only his father, but his mother and one of his aunts also were figure skaters.
But the most important thing is, his grand father Mitsuhiko Kozuka was the one who introduced figure skating into Japan, and established the first organization for figure skating in Aichi, and years later it was transformed to the current JSF.
That is why Taka's grand father is referred with great respect as 'the Father (=founder) of figure skating in Japan'. As of today Aichi holds an annual competition 'Kozuka Cup' which is named after and in honor of Mitsuhiko Kozuka. Thanks to Mr. M. Kozuka's huge contribution to the sport, Aichi has a tradition of producing top skaters year after year, sucha as Midori, Yoshie Onda, Yukari Nakano, Miki Ando, Mai & Mao Asada, Takahiko Kozuka, Kanako Murakami, Shoma Uno.
I wrote it wrong. Seems my memory did not serve me right.
It wasn't the first organization in Aichi, which was transformed to
the current JSF later on.
It was
'Kozuka Cup', which was transformed to
NHK Trophy later on.
In the early years of 'Kozuka Cup' when figure skating as a sport was less popular in Japan, Mr. M. Kozuka himself started and hosted this competition. He invited foreign skaters to this competition by sepnding his personal fortune, in order to show Japanese people what figure skating as a sport on the world level was like. Aichi still holds Kozuka Cup as a local competition every year in honor of Mr. M. Kozuka.
The reason Takahiko was taken notice of by skating officials when he was merely a kid, is not only his superior skating skills, but his family name. The Kozukas is a skating family, indeed.
And The Kozukas and the Satos are just miles above the rest in the skating world in Japan, owing to their devotion to the sport for generations.
JSF believes, and rightfully expects it will be Takahiko's turn to win the Olympic medal at Sochi, the second one by a Japanese male skater after Dai, in a better color of course.
But Taka seems less pressured, taking it too serious in a bad way. He normally appears, for some reason, not to be affected (a sort of less sensitive, sorry Taka...) by outer things, and I think it is a good side of his personality, for someone of such high lineage like Taka.
