Ikura Kushida & Koshiro Shimada | Golden Skate

Ikura Kushida & Koshiro Shimada

synesthesia

synesthesia

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Ikura Kushida (櫛田 育良), born 29 October 2007 in Aichi prefecture, Japan, and Koshiro Shimada (島田 高志郎), born 11 September 2001 in Matsuyama, Ehime prefecture, Japan, are an ice dance team representing Japan. They announced their partnership in May 2025.

Ikura continues to compete in the junior women's singles discipline while simultaneously pursuing ice dance from the 2025-26 season. As a singles skater she is the 2022 JGP Czech Republic bronze medalist, the 2023–24 Japan Junior silver medalist and the 2024–25 Japan Junior bronze medalist.

Koshiro competed in the men's singles discipline until the 2024-25 season and is switching to ice dance from the 2025-26 season. As a singles skater he is the 2024 Grand Prix de France silver medalist, the 2022 Japanese national silver medalist and the 2019 Bavarian Open champion.

Ikura and Koshiro train at the Kinoshita Academy with coach Cathy Reed.



Last update: 23 December 2025​



Biographical information:

Ikura's Wikipedia page

Koshiro's Wikipedia page

Ikura’s JSF bio

Ikura’s Kinoshita bio



Social Media:

Ikura's instagram account

Koshiro's instagram account



Pages on Goldenskate:

Koshiro’s fan fest

Koshiro Shimada makes the move to Ice Dance




Competitive History


CompetitionRDFDFinal
Season 2025-2026
2025 Japanese National Championships2
(64.99)		2
(100.76)		2
(165.75)
2025 CS Golden Spin12
(59.19)		12
(89.43)		13
(148.62)
79th Tokyo Citizens' Sports Festival-(94.37)-
2025 Western Sectionals1
(67.19)		1
(92.02)		1
(159.21)
2025 Chris Reed Trophy(62.01)--



TypeDateScoreEventLevel
Total05.12.2025148.62ISU CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 2025Senior
RD04.12.202559.19ISU CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 2025Senior
RD Technical04.12.202533.51ISU CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 2025Senior
RD Component04.12.202525.68ISU CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 2025Senior
FD05.12.202589.43ISU CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 2025Senior
FD Technical05.12.202549.93ISU CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 2025Senior
FD Component05.12.202539.50ISU CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 2025Senior





Programs & Video links:



2025-2026 Season

  • RD:
    „Got the Groove“ by SM-Trax
    „Show Me Something Special“     by SM-Trax
    choreo by Cathy Reed

  • FD:
    „Moonlight Serenade“ by Glenn Miller
    Music from „Sabrina“ by Friedrich Hollaender
    choreo by Cathy Reed

  • Exhibition:
    „Faith“ by Stevie Wonder
    choreo by Kana Muramoto and Daisuke Takahashi

​
CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 2025​




Other Video Links:


 
Last edited:
As their competition debut at the Chris Reed Trophy on September 23 approaches fast, a fan fest was urgently needed for Ikukou!

If I understand correctly, they will "only" present their SM-Trax RD at the Chris Reed Trophy and are, at the moment, the only entry in this segment.



________________​



A few weeks ago, when Koshiro appeared on TV Asahi's "Playlist on Ice", footage of Koshiro's official announcement that he is switching to dance as well as a brief glimpse at Ikura's and Koshiro's practice were included:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_wmQctJpmnEuRglMy9ZS761NIwi66TEE/view?usp=sharing





________________​



Ikura and Koshiro debuted their exhibition program "Faith" at Friends on Ice in August.


Matinee performance, August 31st:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F8lhdMF5phBrmY2MivN2B9NW_ZeMWYBu/view?usp=sharing





Soiree performance, August 31st:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y3NdBMGapk1lRiDVkNJq1A6oYGwUVS8Z/view?usp=sharing
 
brblja said:
Somehow I missed the news that they’re leaving singles for ice dance, thank you for the recap!
Click to expand...

Ikura continues to compete as a junior in singles as well. :)


____________​



Ikura and Koshiro debuted their RD at the Chris Reed Trophy today (the score will be announced on October 4th). Their next/first official competition will be Western Sectionals in November:

deepedgeplus.kyodonews.jp

【詳報・無料公開】いくこう、上々の実戦デビュー「経験できたことが大きな糧」　故クリス・リードさんへの思いも語る - フィギュアスケート専門情報サイトDeep Edge Plus　最新ニュース・充実のコラムをお届け

フィギュアスケートのアイスダンスで新カップルを結成した櫛田育良（木下アカデミー）島田高志郎（木下グループ）組が23日、長野県軽井沢町風越公園アイスアリーナで行われた第4回クリス・リード杯で上々の実戦デビューを果たした。 […]
deepedgeplus.kyodonews.jp deepedgeplus.kyodonews.jp

Machine translation:

Kushida and Shimada Make strong debut: ‘This experience will be a great asset’ — Also reflecting on late Chris Reed​
​
The newly formed ice dance couple of Ikura Kushida (Kinoshita Academy) and Koshiro Shimada (Kinoshita Group) made a promising competitive debut at the 4th Chris Reed Trophy held on the 23rd at Kazakoshi Park Ice Arena in Karuizawa Town, Nagano Prefecture. The pair, nicknamed ‘Ikukou’, comprising Kushida – who is attempting a dual career in women's singles – and Shimada, who switched from men's singles, took their first step towards their goal of competing at the 2030 Winter Olympics.​
​
Competing in the Senior Rhythm Dance (RD) category as the sole entry in this unofficial event judged online (scores to be announced on 4 October). After their first competitive outing, Shimada expressed relief, saying, ‘I think I was really nervous,’ while Kushida admitted, ‘I was a bit nervous.’ Shimada promptly retorted, ‘A bit?!’, drawing laughter from the press corps.​
​
Though Shimada lost balance briefly towards the end, the pair earned applause from the audience for their synchronised twizzles, lifts, and crisp execution throughout the dance. Coach Cathy Reed reportedly commended them, saying, ‘You did well. Good job.’ Shimada noted the experience, stating, ‘Gaining this competition experience is a huge asset.’​
​
Their official competition debut is scheduled for the West Japan Championships (Otsu) from 1st to 3rd November. ‘Iku-Kou’ have expressed their intention to aim for selection for the Four Continents Championships (Beijing, January next year) at this season's All Japan Championships (December, Tokyo).​
​
　The Chris Reed Trophy honours the memory of former Japanese national team member Chris Reed, who passed away in 2020. Open to enthusiasts, the event aims to promote ice dancing and enhance competitive standards. After their performance, scenes unfolded where Chris's sister, coach Cathy Reed, the Kushida/Shimada pair, and Ayumu Shibayama and Tomoki Kimura (both affiliated with the Kinoshita Academy) posed for photographs alongside Chris's costumes from his active career, displayed at the rink side.​
​
　Shimada remarked, ‘Seeing Chris's costumes displayed was incredibly moving. Of course, it's the history of ice dancing that Cathy and Chris built together, and this tournament is now in its fourth year, I believe. As ice dancers competing ourselves, it feels both incredibly strange and incredibly joyful. To be able to feel that history is a tremendous honour.’​




Mainichi photo gallery:

mainichi.jp

「いくこう」がクリス・リード杯で競技デビュー　フィギュア・アイスダンス ［写真特集1/18］ | 毎日新聞

アイスダンスRDで演技する櫛田育良、島田高志郎組＝軽井沢風越公園アイスアリーナで2025年9月23日、吉田航太撮影
mainichi.jp mainichi.jp




 
I've been having a strong feeling for quite a while that Koshiro might move either to pairs or dance but partnership with Ikura is something better than I could ever dream of :love:
What a truly exciting young Japanese team to watch!
 
I found IkuKo's RD performance video during the Chris Reed trophy - it has no sound though, but better than nothing!

Instagram

www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
Edit: I just realized this skateinjapan account is private, but hopefully they will accept any follow request - I have no connection whatsoever with this account and I follow them somehow 😅

I'd say they're looking good for a new team! The seem very well-matched and has good speed across the ice.
Looking forward to watch them properly 😍
 
lileychristie said:
I found IkuKo's RD performance video during the Chris Reed trophy - it has no sound though, but better than nothing!

Instagram

www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
Edit: I just realized this skateinjapan account is private, but hopefully they will accept any follow request - I have no connection whatsoever with this account and I follow them somehow 😅

I'd say they're looking good for a new team! The seem very well-matched and has good speed across the ice.
Looking forward to watch them properly 😍
Click to expand...

Yes, the video was originally posted by Fuji Television SPORTS and can be watched with a vpn client:

www.youtube.com

【フィギュア】　クリス・リード杯　櫛田育良/島田高志郎組　＊映像のみ

【フィギュア】　2025第４回クリス・リード杯　シニア・リズムダンス　櫛田育良/島田高志郎組＊権利の都合上、楽曲はカットしております＊大会側の許可を得て演技映像を掲載しております2025年５月結成！愛称「いくこう」！櫛田育良/島田高志郎が実戦デビュー！場所：長野県軽井沢　「風越公園アイスアリーナ」♪Got The...
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

I agree, they're looking strong for a new team in which both partners are new to ice dance. 😊




World Figure Skating Web published a report about Ikuko's debut at the Chris Reed Trophy:

worldfigureskating-web.jp

櫛田育良＆島田高志郎、クリス・リード杯で実戦デビュー | WFS-Web ワールド・フィギュアスケートWeb

今季アイスダンス結成1年目の櫛田育良（木下アカデミー）＆島田高志郎（木下グループ）組が9月23日、軽井沢風越公園アイスアリーナ（長野県軽井沢町）で行われた第4回クリス・リード杯で競技会デビューを果たしました。女子シングルとの二刀流で競技を続
worldfigureskating-web.jp worldfigureskating-web.jp
 
synesthesia said:
IkuKo earned 62.01 points in the RD - not bad for a debut. 😊 This is the protocol:
Click to expand...
62 points for their first ever RD performance, in front of Japanese judges to boot - that is impressive! :wonder2::cheer2:

Seeing this score IkuKo looks promising to clear the 85 TES benchmark to be sent to Golden Spin. Interesting to see that no other senior team competed the RD in Chris Reed trophy though 🤔
 
lileychristie said:
Seeing this score IkuKo looks promising to clear the 85 TES benchmark to be sent to Golden Spin.
Click to expand...

And they did it! Congrats on not only clearing the benchmark, but also winning Western Sectionals! :clap:

Thank you to moozuru for sharing their performances on twitter :pray::




They weren’t flawless, but as we’ve seen with several other singles converts – that’s part of the learning curve. Let's hope that the armchair critics have a little more understanding by now that it takes time to settle into a new discipline and that they have stopped expecting miracles.

Their RD was pretty darn good for such a new team, and in my opinion, despite the double fall in the FD, IkuKo currently look the best overall among the newly formed teams. Of course, it will take time for the teething problems to be ironed out and for the partnership to fully gel, but both are engaging performers and seem to take well to ice dance. I see the potential for them to become Utana's and Masaya's main rivals for the top spot in the near future.
I'm also super impressed with Ikura, who casually won the junior SP on the same day as the FD with a very strong performance! :jaw: I'll be thrilled, if she manages to take both titles home!



The next event IkuKo are scheduled to compete at, is the 79th Tokyo Citizens' Sports Festival at the re-purposed Tokyo Tatsumi Ice Arena on November 15th/16th (which also serves as the 80th National Sports Festival Tokyo representative selection competition).

Source: https://www.jsfresults.com/local/2025-2026/fs/13/852/attach/13_852_7_20251102095141.pdf


After that we will see them at Golden Spin (provided that the federation doesn't walk back on its word and nothing unforseeable happens 🤞). Since international judges are usually stricter than the domestic ones, I’ll keep my fingers and toes crossed they’ll achieve the 4CC (and Olympic) tech mins there.
 
synesthesia said:
Since international judges are usually stricter than the domestic ones, I’ll keep my fingers and toes crossed they’ll achieve the 4CC (and Olympic) tech mins there.
Click to expand...
Japan is actually one of the few countries, when you can expect the international scores to be in the same range or even higher than the domestic ones. Barring a disaster, they should clear the 4CC minimum if they get the assignment.
 
brblja said:
Japan is actually one of the few countries, when you can expect the international scores to be in the same range or even higher than the domestic ones. Barring a disaster, they should clear the 4CC minimum if they get the assignment.
Click to expand...

For singles and for established dance couples, yes, but in recent years they’ve unfortunately been lower for the young/not yet established senior dance teams. Looking at the scores of UtaMasa and AzuShin during the last two seasons – international panels have almost always given lower GOE and slightly lower PCS than domestic panels for comparable performances, resulting in a deviation of 7-15 points in the average total scores.

UtaMasa domestic (Sectionals, Nationals): 173.14

UtaMasa international (Golden Spin, 4CC): 165.17

AzuShin domestic (Sectionals, Nationals): 173.75

AzuShin international (Golden Spin, 4CC): 158.16

UtaMasa domestic (Sectionals, Nationals): 175.34

UtaMasa international (Nebelhorn, NHK Trophy, Asian Games, 4CC)*: 168.21

AzuShin domestic (Sectionals**, Nationals): 166.46

AzuShin international (NHK Trophy, Asian Games, 4CC**): 157.12


* leaving out Worlds where UtaMasa didn’t advance to the FD and WTT where they had a double fall on their curve lift in the RD + got a double fall deduction (not on an element) in the FD

** AzuShin had a fall at Sectionals and 4CC, but both times not on an element

That said, if the aforementioned pattern doesn’t apply to IkuKo and they skate a clean FD at Golden Spin, they could theoretically gain around 8 points overall that they lost due to the double fall (6 points on TES) (or at least make up some ground, even if the panel assesses them more strictly) and comfortably clear the 4CC tech mins. 🤞
 
They are so refreshing and charming, and so well matched. I have never felt this excited about a Japanese ice dance team ever since I saw Kana and Chris doing Hi-Lo from Bishop Briggs as an EX at DOI 2018 (their last public program before they split and Chris passed away 😭😭😭😭)

I think for me, what sets them aside from other singles converts is that they didn't really have a previous ice dance partner. It may just be me feeling this, but their skating feels a lot more compelling because through the skating I can feel that they are coming from the same place, and each are bringing something to the table that the other needs, but neither of them are necessarily so much better than the other one. The packaging so far also helps, it really showcases that it's not just two skaters skating together and being awesome, but they are necessary to bring out the others' best qualities and together they bring the programs to life.

Their RD is pretty great for what has been a questionable theme 😂 but I am very, very taken by their FD. I love, love Moonlight Serenade, so I was waiting with excitement to finally see it. It's just so classy and elegant but still flying fast across the ice, qualities you don't get to see often in ice dance. It also reminds me of Koshiro's The Artist FS which I love because of his sensitivity to its delicate music. One of the little moment I loved was when after the first lift, they were stroking backwards facing the audience and Koshiro offered his hand to Ikura, who takes it without looking- but in this very graceful, delicate way, perfectly with the music.

Of course teams can't really just survive with vibes, and I think Koshiro is still trying to figure out how to build his body safely for more security in those lifts. I hope they are able to take their time with that, their physical awareness of each other is pretty good already. Maybe it's the financial backing and better access to ice speaking (especially compared to other domestic teams with less financial support and opportunity), but they looked like they really worked hard in the last 10 months.
 
Last edited:
IkuKo were the only senior dance entry at the 79th Tokyo Citizens' Sports Festival (after the team of Yajima/Yajima had unfortunately withdrawn) and scored respectable 94.37 points for their revised FD. (They didn't perform their RD.)

Imo it was a wise decision to test the waters and get feedback on their revised FD layout before competing at Golden Spin. They lost crucial levels on their dance spin and stationary lift here, so now they have some pointers on what needs to be improved.

This is the protocol:



And a mainichi article including IkuKo's comments (partly under paywall):

mainichi.jp

リンクサイド：「いくこう」"自己ベスト"に「へえー」　国際大会でミニマム取得へ | 毎日新聞

フィギュアスケートの都民体育大会が16日、東京辰巳アイスアリーナであり、アイスダンスの櫛田育良選手（木下アカデミー）島田高志郎選手（木下グループ）組はフリーを滑って94・37点だった。前回の全日本選手権予選会（11月1～2日）でマークしたフリー92・02点から上積みした。
mainichi.jp mainichi.jp


Machine translation of the non-paywalled part:
​
"Let's go" - "Personal best" and "Wow" - Aiming to achieve minimum score at international competition​
​
Hitoshi Kurazawa​
​
2025/11/16 17:44 (Last updated 11/16 17:45)​
​
　The Tokyo Citizens' Sports Festival figure skating competition took place on the 16th at Tokyo Tatsumi Ice Arena. The ice dance pair of Ikura Kushida (Kinoshita Academy) and Koshiro Shimada (Kinoshita Group) skated their free dance, scoring 94.37 points. This improved upon the 92.02 points they achieved in the free dance at the previous All-Japan Championships Qualifying Event (November 1-2).​
​
　In their first season together, the pair—affectionately nicknamed “Ikuko”—took first place at the qualifiers, surpassing the selection criteria set by the Japan Skating Federation for the international figure skating competition “Golden Spin” (December 3-6) in Croatia. This event marked their final domestic competition before the international meet. Their post-performance exchange went as follows. [Hitoshi Kurazawa]​
​
​
“Cathy looks like she's having a tough time.”​


--Your score improved from the qualifying event.​
​
Both: Huh.​
​
Shimada (looking at Kushida): In terms of potential, I was hoping for a bit more. (Looking at the reporter) There were some mistakes like in the spin, and I think we probably missed out on some levels too. We'll work on those things little by little... (laughs).​
​
​
--What mindset did you approach this competition with?​
​
　Kushida: There wasn't even an official practice (in the morning)...​
​
Shimada: It was a unique competition format, arriving on-site in the morning. We haven't done that very often... (nodding to Kushida to continue).​
​
Kushida: During the 5-minute practice (right before the performance), we focused on correcting risky parts in the steps and layout, skating carefully while paying attention to those areas.​
​
　​
--What did you feel went well and what are the challenges you saw in your skating?​
​
Kushida: I think the steps felt pretty good, sensation-wise.​
​
Shimada: Well, staying calm. After the West Japan (All-Japan Championships Qualifier), we changed the structure and placement of the very first diagonal step sequence quite a bit. Considering we haven't fully skated it yet, I think we managed to skate it smoothly while consciously focusing on the turns. That part was better than at the West Japan event. We couldn't do it at first, and we both fell during the West Japan (qualifier).​
​
Kushida: Hahaha (laughs)​
​
​
--Kushida competes at the All-Japan Junior Championships next week, followed by the Golden Spin, making for a very tight schedule. What prompted you to compete this time?​
​
　Kushida: Huhuhuhuh (laughs). After the Western Japan Championships, we made a lot of changes to the steps and other elements in the free dance. We wanted to get one skate in before the Golden Spin, so that's why we entered.​
Click to expand...



I think it's obvious how seriously Ikura and Koshiro are taking this new challenge and UtaMasa (who train on the same ice with them when they are in Japan) confirmed that they are very hard workers, so I have no doubt that they will prepare the best they can for Golden Spin.

Gamba IkuKo! :cheer:
 
Last edited:
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