Yuzuru Hanyu BR: Yuzuru Hanyu’s interview with Mansai Nomura (sep,22)

Translation by: Yuzuland

Y= Yuzuru, M=Mansai

Y: This is incredible. I have come to an incredible place. It’s chaotic inside my head now. What should I do?

Before the first competition of the upcoming season, Yuzuru Hanyu had a talk with Mansai Nomura, a Kyogen performer. Figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu will participate his first competition of the season next month. Hanyu, who will be using the soundtrack of the movie “Onmyoji” for his new programme, talked with the lead actor [of the movie] Mansai Nomura and asked for advice for expressing the character.

This talk between a figure skater and a Kyogen performer took place in a Nou theatre last month.

Y: Hello.
M: Hello.
Y: Nice to meet you. I’m Hanyu.
M: I’m Nomura. Welcome to this Nou theatre. Is it your first time [in a Nou theatre]?
Y: Yes

This is the first meeting between Yuzuru Hanyu and Mansai Nomura.

Y: I’m really nervous. Oh god I’m very nervous.
M: Really?
Y: I’m really nervous. Is it okay?
M: Feel free to ask me anything.
Unusually, Hanyu is in panic [for this interview]. This interview is requested from Hanyu. It is because…

Y: This season[’s programme] is based on Onmyoji (although the name of the programme is “SEIMEI”)…

Onmyoji is the theme of his new programme this season. This season, Sochi Olympics gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu will perform a Japanese style programme for the first time. The music is the theme song from the movie “Onmyoji”. In “Onmyoji”, which was released in 2001, Nomura was the actor for the main character, Abe no Seimei. This pose he made when he was enchanting a spell becomes familiar [to the public]. Hanyu also includes this pose into his choreography. Nomura, who was born into a family of famous Kyogen actors, contributed a lot in increasing the level of familiarity of Kyogen.. Hanyu watched Nomura’s performance many times. He received advice regarding his pose from Nomura, who he admires since he was young.

Y: This is incredible. I have come to an incredible place. It’s chaotic inside my head now. What should I do?

Gold medalist [Yuzuru Hanyu] asked for advice from the Kyogen performer [Mansai Nomura]!

Nomura, who had his first performance when he was 3, said that It is important to have an opposite “vector” when performing Kyogen.

M:When you are trying to jump down to that side, your hand of the opposite side will be important. If you merely want to jump, then you can just jump like that. But when you jump, you will have this kind of vector (from up right to bottom left).

The important point is that the performer captures the audience’s attention with his raised hand, but then he will jump to the opposite side from the hand.

Y: So you go the opposite way from where you drew the [audience’s] attention to?
M: Take an example in skating, it’s not like you skate to the same direction as your approaching run, but more like, you were making your approach run [in one direction] but then you turn and go the opposite direction. For a moment it is like a surprise [to the audience].
Y: This advice is so, so useful. Now it’s chaotic inside my head. I’m actually have a headache. What should I do?

Nomura performed as a child monkey when he had his first Kyogen performance. He was 3. He learnt his form from his father, who is living national treasure.

Y: How did you feel about the pressure from the fact that you are performing an art that has a long history or the pressure from your ancestors?
M: You can’t even stand on the start line unless you learn about the basics that is passed on through generations. It is a very important part.
Y: So they taught you the form and the basic thoroughly?
M: [They taught me to] perform the forms really well, so there will not be errors. I can do it automatically every time. This is how a form should be.

Hanyu also received training for the basics of skating when he was young.

Y: We also trained and practised a lot, eventually we can jump like a machine. That’s like the form [in Kyogen], exactly like that.

In both Kyogen and skating, “Form” is very important. That’s precisely why [Kyogen and skating] are so difficult, Hanyu said.

Y: We skate to the same programmes in different competitions [throughout the season]. So the audience will know [the programme].
M: They would be “Oh here it comes, here it comes”
Y: They would think “Here is the quad”.
M: So you have to make them go “Oh” even though they knew that it was coming. This is the fate of any sport/performing art that has a form. Although you don’t know whether it is actually above their expectation but you have to show them something that is beyond their expectations. That’s what you have to do.

With the example from “Sanbansou”, a Kyogen act, Nomura explained what is important in order to effectively express what’s inside the form.

M:So there is the element of the instrument (music). There is the design of the sound here so when I jump, the sound is there too. Of course sometime we jump without the stumping sound. In “Sanbansou”, there is a 3 consecutive jumps. So [*jumping*], only the last one will have the landing sound.
This is the actual footage from the 3 consecutive jumps from Sanbansou. He emphasises on the sound of the last jump.

M: And you don’t always “push” when you perform, you should also have the expression of pulling*. In order to highlight the part you are emphasising, you have to have parts that you are not explicitly showing. This makes it more effective when you want to highlight something.
Y: It is the variation in expression; so it will emphasise the last bit. Ah this is great. This is incredible. I have come to an incredible place. I’m very honoured [to be here] now.

Later, Nomura will give advice to Hanyu’s new programme.

Y: Oh god I want to change my choreography now.

The figure skating season is about to start. Yuzuru Hanyu challenges himself with a Japanese style programme. He received comments from Mansai Nomura, regarding his new programme. This is the choreography of the beginning of Hanyu’s new programme. This is taken from Nomura’s pose from the movie “Onmyoji”. There is a part in Hanyu’s choreography that caught Nomura’s attention.

M: I thought “what is with that left hand?” For me, there is a eboshi (the tall black hat) and a large sleeve behind my back.

Nomura thought of that pose in the movie because he wants to maintain the balance between his eboshi (the hat) and the big sleeve from the Karikinu (the costume). But Hanyu, who does the same choreography, doesn’t have those elements in his costume.

M: If you are wearing something different, then you have the need to arrange your choreography according to that. It is important that you are aware of where you want to emphasise. If I don’t have my Karikinu, then this pose will just look like I’m doing Flamenco.
If there is change in costume, the same choreography will not be as effective [as it was].

M: I think you should analyse the form yourself. Don’t ignore but try to understand the meaning behind every form. For example, this [starting] pose, you shouldn’t do it just because Seimei did it in the movie. You should not just imitate the appearance, you have to have the awareness of “mastering the heaven, the earth and the people”.
Y: So I have to know the meaning behind the choreography that I do.

Hanyu also struggle with another part of his programme, which is the ending pose that concludes the programme.

Y: In the last pose, I try to make a sound with my foot. But there is a drum beat from the taiko, so you cannot actually hear the sound [from my foot]. So I struggle to find a way to highlight the sound.
M: Although it might be important to highlight the sound, but you have to show that [the fact that there was a sound] to the audience after the sound. If you don’t use your foot but use your hand and look up to the sky as the sound echoes.
Y: So how should I express it…? It is not chasing after the sound but it is like that.
M: So it is like you master the sound. After the drumbeat, the sound echoes and reflects [in space]. As a director and a choreographer, I think this way of portraying the sound like it is spreading away will be better.
Y: Ah I want to change my choreography. I want to change many things in my choreography.

On the other hand, figure skating is a judged sports. It is important to have a balance between techniques and expression.

Y: Although the most important part is the result, I still have to put up a remarkable performance in order to get the result that i want.
Nomura believes the essential thing to a remarkable performance is…

M: The spirituality aspect of it is very important. The evil judges…maybe there are not evil but
Y: Evil, evil
M: It is important to feel the atmosphere from your entire surroundings, not only from the people. In order to master the environment, you have to have the environment on your side. You have to be aware of the entire arena. You have to master the environment, the time and the atmosphere.
Y: The audience, the atmosphere?
M: If you can do that, the audience will be happy.
Y: Yes.

Being aware not only of the judges and the audience but also the arena, it is a thought that Hanyu never had.

Y: Thank you very much.
M: Same here, I just talked as I wished.
Y: No, not at all. This has been very useful.
M: Hopefully [my advice] will not bring you any harm.
Y: No.

This interview has changed the gold medalist’s idea [of expression].

Y: I am so thankful. Just as Mansai said, I have to put meaning to every single form that I do. I can put meaning to jumps, and to spins and steps. I think I can change it with my own explanations.
Hanyu will participate his first competition in Canada next month.

*They were describing the expression as like push and pull. In order to emphasise something you don’t just go like “HEY LOOK AT THIS” but also for some parts you want to pull away from expressing it very explicitly so you can highlight your topic.