2022-23 Japanese Women's Figure Skating

[cohkaix]

Upcoming summer local competition list (this list will keep on being updated):

2022 Kinoshita Trophy Aug 5~7

Skating order of Kinoshita Trophy has been announced (Link to be added). The following is the list of Sr. women's skaters. But I'll put the empahsize on the Jr. women's skaters

Sr. women (partial list)
Maria Egawa
Azusa Tanaka
Kinoayu Yokoi
Hina Takeno
Yuhana Yokoi
Hanna Yoshida
Rion Sumiyoshi

Jr. women (partial list, with information about the programs)
6. Haruna Murakami
SP: Just Wave Hello (Mihoko Higuchi)
FS: Australia (Cathy Reed)
8. Yurina Okuno
SP: Beethoven's 5 secretes (Noriko Sato)
FS: Australia (Cathy Reed)
9 You Tanagi
SP: Under the sky of Paris (Akiko Suzuki)
FS: Mask of Zoro (Kenji Miyamoto)
10 Sakurako Daimon
SP: TBA
FS: Oblivion
11 Ikura Kushida
SP: Red violine
FS: Samson and Deliliah (both from last season's)
12. Ami Nagai
SP: I got rhythm (Akiko Suzuki)
FS: Miss Saigon (Kenji Miyamoto)
13. Ayumi Shibayama
SP: Cantus: Song of Aeolus (Cathy Reed)
FS: Turandot (Tom Dickson)
14. Mao Shimada
SP: Running (Tom Dickson)
FS: Passepied (Lori Nicol)

I think this is a very impressive list of Jr. women's skaters. It's going to be quite interesting and a good indicator for the upcoming JGP assignments!

 

[Trusova4Ever]

 

[cohkaix]

1st round of JGP assignments (Jr. Women's)

(Source in Japanese)

JGP1 Courchevel - Hanna Yoshida, Ayumi Shibata
JGP 2 Czech Skate - Mao Shimada, Ikura Kushida
JGP 3 Riga Cup - Nagai Ami
JGP 4 Armenian Cup - Hanna Yoshida, Mone Chiba
JGP 5 Grenoble - Mao Shimada
JGP 6 Baltic - TBA 1 entry*
JGP 7 Enga -TBA 2 entries*

*TBA entries pending, may depend on the results from previous competitions

 

[Jumping_Bean]

*Space holder for 1st round of JGP assignments (Jr. Women's)

Stop 1, France - Hanna Yoshida, Ayumi Shibata
Stop 2, - Mao Shimada, Ikura Kushida
Stop 3 - Nagai Ami
Stop 4 - Hanna Yoshida, Mone Chiba
Stop 5 - Mao Shimada
Stop 6 & 7 -TBA

I thought Japan only had one entry per event due to the girls' placements at Jr Worlds? Has Switzerland given up some of its entries?

 

[cohkaix]

I thought Japan only had one entry per event due to the girls' placements at Jr Worlds? Has Switzerland given up some of its entries?

Yes, originally it was 1 entry per event. But now it looks like Japan is getting 1 more entry for at least 4 of the stops.
So the only ones who got 2 JGPs are Yoshida and Shimada (for now).

 

[surimi]

Then Rinka and Rion are going senior, it seems? The 4 planned Challengers on JSF's list are going to be full if JSF assign most of their top 10 (as they should because of the rule change). Plus I'd love to see Yuhana get an event

 

[surimi]

No GP for Rinka, I wonder why

 

[Jeanie19]

No GP for Rinka, I wonder why

Is she staying in Juniors? She might have a better chance there to make the JGP final.

 

[surimi]

Is she staying in Juniors? She might have a better chance there to make the JGP final.

She's not on JGP. :[

 

[Jeanie19]

She's not on JGP. :[

That's too bad, but I hope she gets some challengers. She is a joy to watch.

 

[Dreamer57]

She's not on JGP. :[

Rinka just turned 20. I hope she's in the running for NHK host spot, along with Rion and Yuhana.

 

[RafaelAstro]

Maybe she will be invited to one if she is good at challenger competition

 

[cohkaix]

Rinka just turned 20. I hope she's in the running for NHK host spot, along with Rion and Yuhana.

Rinka didn’t get high enough placement from JWC last season, and her WR is probably not high enough for her to get picked.

The NHK host/TBA spot will be decided based on a closed door competition, which will be held 7/30-31. Yes, I was expecting Rinka, Rion, and Yuhana to be in the running for that spot.

 

[cohkaix]

Summary of GP 22' season assignment (subject to further changes):

SA: Kaori, Rino
SC: Wakaba, Rika, Yuhana
FRA: Mana, Rino, Rion
GBR: Mai
NHK: Kaori, Wakaba, TBA
FIN: Mana, Rika, Mai

[Overlapping with regional competitions]
* indicating seeded skaters (for All Japan National)
SA: Kaori*, Rino [Western Regional Exempted]
SC: Wakaba*, Rika [Western Regional Exempted] , Yuhana [Western Regional Exempted]
FRA: Mana*, Rino, Rion [Eastern Regional Exempted]
GBR: Mai
NHK: Kaori*, Wakaba*
FIN: Mana*, Rika, Mai

Finally, with 2 spots assigned, we should see Rika moving into the Special Category of National Team (by JSF) soon.

 

[surimi]

ohh, just realized France will host both sides of the split Yamada-Higuchi camp. Higuchi has Mana, Yamada's team has Rino. A bit awkward...

 

[cohkaix]

ohh, just realized France will host both sides of the split Yamada-Higuchi camp. Higuchi has Mana, Yamada's team has Rino. A bit awkward...

Good point! But I doubt Yamada will accompany Rino to France, given that she's almost never showed up in any international competitions with students in recent years (mainly due to age and long distance travellyg). Yamada's team will need to find someone to assist her students in the competitions overseas...

Speaking of which, I've been observing something interesting re. choreography post Yamada-Higuchi camp split. In the past when Yamada-Higuchi teamed up, their students almost got choreography exclusively from Higuchi. Now after the split, it looks like students working with Yamada will no longer get choreography from Higuchi. So they have to find other ways (either self-choreographing their old programs, or work with other choreographers: e.g. Rino, Mako). On the other hand, for Higuchi's students from her own skating school, of course they get choreography from Higuchi (e.g. Mana). Interestingly, Higuchi will also branch out to choreograph for skaters from other areas (I've seen at least one or two skaters from Kansai area getting new programs by Higuchi).

In general, I'm guessing Yamada's influence in FS remains, and it will be interesting to see how Higuchi will develop with her new FS school.

 

[RafaelAstro]

Someone can explain me about this Yamada-Higuchi situation I don't understand

 

[surimi]

Someone can explain me about this Yamada-Higuchi situation I don't understand

Machiko Yamada and Mihoko Higuchi were the head coaches of the Grand Prix Tokai club for years. They collaborated successfully, and coached Shoma until he left in 2019, and subsequently went to Lambiel. Last season their biggest star was Rino Matsuike, and among their skaters were also Mako Yamashita, Sota Yamamoto, Chisato Uramatsu and others. IIRC, Higuchi sometimes got criticism for only giving her students her own choreography.
Early this spring, Higuchi left the club, and set up her own club, LYS, which is based at two different rinks. She didn't keep any of her and Yamada's students, though we'll likely never know if it was their own wish, or against their will. However, at least one of those students specifically joined Tokai club last summer to be coached and choreographed by Higuchi, and she left several months later, which I personally don't like. Who knows what went on behind the scenes- there are even rumors that Higuchi didn't feel comfortable with Rika Hongo's mom, Yuko Hongo, joining the Tokai team a couple of years ago, and gaining some influence there. It is now Hongo who goes abroad with the Tokai skaters as Yamada is getting on. Higuchi has taken on Mana as her only named student since the split. Now the two camps will face each other in France.
Hopefully someone with deeper understanding can explain better...

 

[RafaelAstro]

Well that's awkward, I don't even know what to expect from Rino and Mana now, I hope they come with better consistency and strong programs but knowing the situation behind it can affect their carrers

 

[RafaelAstro]

I did a mean of the scores from the skaters scheduled to participate at the grand prix this season considering the result from the last international competition they participated, personal best total score from last season and personal best total score overall, and japanese ladies are in a good position for medaling in all events. According to this, Kaori Sakamoto, Mai Mihara, Rino Matsuike and Rika Kihira have good chances to qualified to the grand prix final, Wakaba Higuchi being another contender. The main contenders from other nations are Loena Hendrickx, Young You (especially these two), Yelim Kim, Bradie Tenell and Isabeau Levito, of course this is just a supotition of what we could expect because things can be different at the moment, we need to see how skaters come this new season (new rules, new jumps, new programs, consistency, injuries, change of coaches, etc) and if there is some changes in the assigments, plus Bradie and Rika didn't compete last season so we don't know the state they are at but I hope they are improving, for now I predict 4 japanese ladies at the gpf.