Nobuo Satō (佐藤 信夫, Satō Nobuo; born January 3, 1942 in Osaka) is a Japanese figure skater and coach. He is a ten-time…
Nobuo Satō (佐藤 信夫, Satō Nobuo; born January 3, 1942 in Osaka) is a Japanese figure skater and coach. He is a ten-time Japanese national champion. He represented Japan at the 1960 Winter Olympics, where he placed 14th, and at the 1964 Winter Olympics, where he placed 8th. His best finish at the World Championships was 4th in 1965. He is married to Kumiko Okawa, and as of 2011 the couple lives near Yokohama. Their daughter is Yuka Sato, the 1994 World Champion. Along with Machiko Yamada, he is one of the most successful coaches in Japan. His current and former students include Miki Ando, Mao Asada, Shoko Ishikawa, Hirokazu Kobayashi, Takahiko Kozuka, Yukari Nakano, Yuka Sato, Marin Honda, Kao Miura, Wun-Chang Shih, and Fumie Suguri. In February 2010, he was elected to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame.
Famous Japanese People: Figure Skating
Figure Skating: 166 people
Tsuyako Yamashita, (née Ikuta) (山下 艶子; 19 March, 1928 – 12 February, 2021) was a Japanese figure skater and coach. She…
Tsuyako Yamashita, (née Ikuta) (山下 艶子; 19 March, 1928 – 12 February, 2021) was a Japanese figure skater and coach. She was a two-time Japanese champion in 1953 and 1954.
Etsuko Inada (稲田 悦子, Inada Etsuko; Hiragana: いなだ えつこ; February 8, 1924 – July 8, 2003) was a Japanese figure skater who…
Etsuko Inada (稲田 悦子, Inada Etsuko; Hiragana: いなだ えつこ; February 8, 1924 – July 8, 2003) was a Japanese figure skater who mostly competed in singles. She was the first female athlete to represent Japan at the Winter Olympics.
Zenjiro Watanabe (渡辺 善次郎, Watanabe Zenjirō; born 11 February 1914 - 22 June 1998) was a Japanese figure skater. He…
Zenjiro Watanabe (渡辺 善次郎, Watanabe Zenjirō; born 11 February 1914 - 22 June 1998) was a Japanese figure skater. He competed in the men's singles event at the 1936 Winter Olympics.
Tsugio Hasegawa (長谷川 次男, Hasegawa Tsugio; born 18 June 1913, date of death unknown) was a Japanese figure skater.…
Tsugio Hasegawa (長谷川 次男, Hasegawa Tsugio; born 18 June 1913, date of death unknown) was a Japanese figure skater. Hasegawa began figure skating in 1926 at a park in Kanagawa Prefecture. He competed in the men's singles event at the 1936 Winter Olympics. Later that month, he competed at the 1936 World Championships, where he placed last.
Toshikazu Katayama (片山 敏一, Katayama Toshiichi; born June 5, 1913) was a Japanese figure skater. He won the Japan Figure…
Toshikazu Katayama (片山 敏一, Katayama Toshiichi; born June 5, 1913) was a Japanese figure skater. He won the Japan Figure Skating Championships in 1933–1935, 1937 and 1938. In 1936, he represented Japan at the Winter Olympics, World Championships and European Championships. He studied and trained at Kwansei Gakuin University. In 1949, Fritzi Burger reported to Skating magazine that he was married with two children and still skated occasionally, including with Burger in a show.
Kazuyoshi Oimatsu (老松 一吉, Oimatsu Kazuyoshi; 30 October 1911 – 24 March 2001) was a Japanese figure skater who competed…
Kazuyoshi Oimatsu (老松 一吉, Oimatsu Kazuyoshi; 30 October 1911 – 24 March 2001) was a Japanese figure skater who competed in men's singles and a coach. He was the Japanese champion in 1931 and represented Japan at both the 1932 Winter Olympics and the 1936 Winter Olympics.
Ryuichi Obitani (帯谷 竜一; older form 帶谷 龍一, Obitani Ryūichi; born September 4, 1908, date of death unknown) was a…
Ryuichi Obitani (帯谷 竜一; older form 帶谷 龍一, Obitani Ryūichi; born September 4, 1908, date of death unknown) was a Japanese figure skater. He represented Japan at the 1932 Winter Olympics and World Figure Skating Championships in 1932.
Shizuka Arakawa (荒川 静香, Arakawa Shizuka; born December 29, 1981) is a retired Japanese figure skater. She is the 2006…
Shizuka Arakawa (荒川 静香, Arakawa Shizuka; born December 29, 1981) is a retired Japanese figure skater. She is the 2006 Olympic champion and the 2004 World champion. Arakawa is the first Japanese skater to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating and the second Japanese skater to win any Olympic medal in figure skating, after Midori Ito, who won silver in 1992. She is also the second Japanese woman to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics, following skier Tae Satoya. She was the only Japanese medalist at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Arakawa retired from competitive skating following her Olympic win and began skating professionally in ice shows and exhibitions. She also works as a skating sportscaster for Japanese television.
Honoka Hirotani (廣谷帆香) (born July 1, 2000), also "Hoka", is a Japanese figure skater in women's singles. She is…
Honoka Hirotani (廣谷帆香) (born July 1, 2000), also "Hoka", is a Japanese figure skater in women's singles. She is originally from Aomori Prefecture and is currently studying at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Iwate University.
Ayumi Ishida (いしだ あゆみ, Ishida Ayumi; March 26, 1948 – March 11, 2025) was a Japanese actress and singer, whose real…
Ayumi Ishida (いしだ あゆみ, Ishida Ayumi; March 26, 1948 – March 11, 2025) was a Japanese actress and singer, whose real name was Yoshiko Ishida (石田 良子, Ishida Yoshiko). She was the second among four daughters. She won the award for Best Actress at the 4th Yokohama Film Festival for Yajūdeka. She also won the awards for best actress at the 29th Blue Ribbon Awards and the 11th Hochi Film Award for House on Fire and Tokei - Adieu l'hiver. As for her musical career, she was best known for the singles "BLUE LIGHT Yokohama" (which topped the charts in 1968/1969 at #1), "Anata nara Dō Suru (#2), and "Sabaku no You na Tokyo de" (#3). On March 17, 2025, her agency announced that she had died from hypothyroidism on March 11. She was 76.
Mao Asada (浅田 真央, Asada Mao; born 25 September 1990) is a Japanese former competitive figure skater. She is the 2010…
Mao Asada (浅田 真央, Asada Mao; born 25 September 1990) is a Japanese former competitive figure skater. She is the 2010 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World champion (2008, 2010, 2014), a three-time Four Continents champion (2008, 2010, 2013), and a four-time Grand Prix Final champion (2005–06, 2008–09, 2012–13, 2013–14). She is the first female figure skater who has landed three triple Axel jumps in one competition, which she achieved at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Asada is also the 2005 World Junior champion, the 2004–05 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and a six-time Japanese national champion (2006–2009, 2011–2012). She is the former world record holder for the ladies' short program score, which she set at the 2014 World Championships and held until it was broken by Evgenia Medvedeva in 2016. A former prodigy, Asada is the fifth woman and the first junior girl to land the triple Axel, accomplishing this at the 2004–05 Junior Grand Prix Final. She won her first Grand Prix Final at the age of 15. Considered by many to be the best figure skater in the world at that time, Asada was 87 days too young to compete at the 2006 Winter Olympics. She is the first figure skater in a singles discipline from Asia to win multiple world championships. At the 2013 Skate America, she became the first singles skater, male or female, to win all seven of the current events on the Grand Prix series. She holds 15 Grand Prix series titles, the second-highest total among ladies and the sixth-highest total among skaters of all four disciplines. Due to her success in ISU competitions, she became one of the most highly recognized and prominent athletes in Japan and is widely considered to be one of the greatest women's figure skaters of all time. She has been credited with helping to popularize the style of figure skating that combined athleticism and artistry. Several notable athletes, including Yuzuru Hanyu and Shoma Uno have regarded Asada as a role model.
Kanako Murakami (村上 佳菜子, Murakami Kanako; born November 7, 1994) is a retired Japanese figure skater. She is the…
Kanako Murakami (村上 佳菜子, Murakami Kanako; born November 7, 1994) is a retired Japanese figure skater. She is the 2010–11 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, 2014 Four Continents champion, 2010 World Junior champion, 2009–10 JGP Final champion, and a four-time Japanese national medalist (bronze in 2010, 2011; silver in 2012, 2013).
Aki Sawada (澤田 亜紀, Sawada Aki; born 7 October 1988) is a Japanese former competitive figure skater. She is the 2005 ISU…
Aki Sawada (澤田 亜紀, Sawada Aki; born 7 October 1988) is a Japanese former competitive figure skater. She is the 2005 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final silver medalist and 2005 JGP Japan champion.
Riku Miura (Japanese: 三浦 璃来; born December 17, 2001) is a Japanese retired pair skater. She and pair partner, Ryuichi…
Riku Miura (Japanese: 三浦 璃来; born December 17, 2001) is a Japanese retired pair skater. She and pair partner, Ryuichi Kihara, are the 2026 Olympic pair skating champions, two-time Olympic team event silver medalists (2022, 2026), two-time World Champions (2023, 2025), two-time World silver medalists (2022, 2024), two-time Four Continents champions (2023, 2025), two-time Grand Prix Final champions (2022–23, 2025–26), eight-time ISU Grand Prix medalists (five golds, two silvers, one bronze), three-time ISU Challenger Series medalists (one gold, two silvers), and two-time Japanese national champions (2019–20, 2024–25). Miura and Kihara are the first Japanese pair skating team to win gold at an ISU Grand Prix event, an ISU Grand Prix Final, an ISU Championships, and a Winter Olympic Games. They are also one of only few skaters to achieve a Career Golden Slam. With her former skating partner, Shoya Ichihashi, she competed in the final segment at three World Junior Championships (2017–19).
Kaori Sakamoto (坂本花織, Sakamoto Kaori; born April 9, 2000) is a Japanese retired figure skater. She is the 2026 Olympic…
Kaori Sakamoto (坂本花織, Sakamoto Kaori; born April 9, 2000) is a Japanese retired figure skater. She is the 2026 Olympic silver medalist, 2022 Olympic bronze medalist, a two-time Olympic team event silver medalist (2022, 2026), a four-time World champion (2022–2024, 2026), the 2025 World silver medalist, the 2018 Four Continents champion, the 2023–24 Grand Prix Final champion, two-time Grand Prix Final bronze medalist (2024–25, 2025–26), a thirteen-time ISU Grand Prix medalist, the 2025 Asian Winter Games silver medalist, the 2023 World University Games silver medalist, and a six-time Japanese national champion. At the junior level, she is the 2017 World Junior bronze medalist and the 2016–17 Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist. She is the first Japanese woman to win the World Championships since Mao Asada in 2014, the first Japanese skater to win three consecutive World titles in any discipline, the first woman to win three consecutive World titles since Peggy Fleming (1966–1968), the first woman since Michelle Kwan to win four World titles, the first and only Japanese skater in any discipline to win four World titles, and the only women's singles skater from Japan to compete at three Olympic Winter Games.