In this interview entitled “Idol, sports, and youth” we’ll hear about the wonders of competition from an idol who has a background in athletics.
The idol in question whom we asked to take part in this interview is Kamata Natsuki of SKE48, who released their 23rd single, Ikinari Punchline, on July 4. It ranked first on Oricon on its release day.
Kamata is a liberal arts type who likes reading and manga. She’s known as a shougi idol and has played against the former pro Kato Hifumi (Hifumin).
However she’s also a sports idol, having done swimming for six years, ballet for seven years, archery for three years, kendo for two years, rugby for three years (in her P.E. classes). She has a rich history of doing sports, and this year she ran the Nagoya Women’s Marathon.
In this first part we’ll go over her infancy and her reasons for picking up swimming and ballet and we’ll ask about her experiences and impressions.
The road to becoming the best swimmer in SKE48
-You have the image of being the indoor type since you like shougi, books, and manga, but you have a long history of sports too.
I’m not particularly good at exercising, but I’ve always loved moving around. At home I was raised to try my hardest at everything I do, so I think my strong point is continuing to do things for a long time.
-What got you interested in swimming?
My kindergarten was linked to a swimming school so when it was summer I’d go to the pool once a week after the classes. It was fun. We were divided by skill into the eel, goldfish, and crab classes.
-Those are some funny names. Which class were you in?
I started in the crab class and thought it’d be nice if I could be like the other kids around me who could swim, so I practiced floating. After that I practiced the backstroke so I wouldn’t be scared about putting my face in the water. By the second year of elementary school that school ceased to exist. I went to another school after, but their plan was to start with floating and move onto the crawl, so I had to start over and float again.
-That seems quite frustrating.
After learning the crawl we moved onto the backstroke, which I already learned, so it felt like a waste of time. It’s a bitter memory.
-When did you stop taking swimming lessons?
I had classes until the fifth grade of elementary school, I think. I learned the crawl, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. After that I did a medley of them. However there were middle schoolers at that school and I wasn’t able to compete with them endurance-wise. People around me thought it was a waste to quit, but I did so since I couldn’t compete at that level yet.
-Staying on that topic, you used your swimming experience in your idol life too. You got the best spot on the swimming competition on Zero Position in 2014.
For the first part we swam in teams, and then I raced against the members of the winning team… I was in the water for almost an entire day. I must have swam ten kilometers. The second battle was more a battle of endurance than anything else.
-That sounds tough.
It was really fun. I was happy that a pro told me that my swimming form was good. I hadn’t swum in a while but it was like riding a bike.
Discovering the importance of being on the side through ballet
-When did you start ballet?
I did ballet from the second grade of elementary school until the second year of middle school. I ended right in time to focus on my studies for high school acceptance exams.
-What got you to pick up ballet?
I had a close friend who was doing ballet, and I was surprised by how flexible her body was. I saw how she could bend her legs and thought that I wanted to be like that too.
-So it wasn’t because you liked the outfit then. Well, it’s impressive that you continued doing it for so long after starting ballet so casually.
It was fun to discover new things I wanted to do with ballet, such as wearing pointe shoes, doing different kinds of moves, and performing a certain role during a recital.
-You had swimming and ballet lessons during the same time. How did you manage that schedule?
I did ballet four times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. When a recital was coming up I’d have practice on Sunday as well. I did swimming on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
-That sounds like a tough schedule.
Ballet started at seven at night, so I had time to play with my friends. On the days where I didn’t have any extracurriculars I went to borrow books from the library. That practice has stayed with me, as I still love reading.
-What did you start your ballet lessons with?
In the preclasses for small kids we’d hold a ball while elevating our bodies, that was fun. I made a promise with my mom to stretch for thirty minutes a day, so my body got very flexible.
-So you’d get that promise done with your class. So why did you continue ballet?
While learning the moves during elementary and middle school I really got the feeling that I wanted to wear pointe shoes quickly. At the school I went to we didn’t all get to wear the shoes at the same time. Therefore I wanted to wear them faster than anyone else and I adopted a competitive mindset.
-Did you get to wear them before others?
The school I went to didn’t let you wear the shoes until you matured past a certain age.
-Why’s that?
If your feet get accustomed to the shoes while your body is still forming your body isn’t able to grow properly and you become unable to dance. Your feet become really warped if you wear the shoes while you’re still growing. I didn’t start wearing the pointe shoes from such an early age, but some of my toes still became weird. My index toe is long, but if I push downwards with it, it bends outwards.
-Are there a lot of people whose feet change shape?
Ballerinas upload pictures of their feet on social media, and you can see that their feet are messed up. They often say that they can’t sleep at night due to the pain. Those who start ballet at a very young age are especially like that.
-I’m assuming that people continue to do it because it’s fun in spite of all the pain?
I found it fun to complete the units one at a time. You begin with standing up, then learn how to spin, and eventually become able to do a pas. (Step/movement)
-Was there any particular moment in which you felt a sense of achievement?
I felt a sense of accomplishment when I was able to do my first pique (tiptoe and twirl) while wearing pointe shoes. At first my body swayed while I tried tiptoeing, and I couldn’t keep my balance steady, and in the worst cases I’d fall on my butt. Therefore when I was finally able to do the movement cleanly I remember feeling extremely good.
-Where there any recitals that left an impression on you?
There are many! The one I’ll never forget is when I danced on the side.
-Rather than the center?
The dancers in the center are more noticeable, but during big performances side dancers and soloists are also present. The side dancers hardly move at all during a song. A song lasts around five minutes, and they only move three times. The rest of the time they don’t move at all.
-That sounds pretty tough.
Yes, but doing that part is the way to success. A lot of people are entrusted those parts and then become picked to dance in the center
-So if you can’t do the side role you can’t be in the middle.
I was entrusted with that role too, but only because I raised my hand. It was hard to concentrate while following other people’s dancing, and people got mad at me, it was really hard. In elementary and middle school you really want to move, so I wanted to practice spinning rather than standing in place. I don’t remember it, but my mom told me I complained about being fed up of just standing. But looking back at it I think it was a good experience. You need to experience that before becoming the prima donna of any ballet group, and now I know that ballet productions are propped up by the people who have such roles.
-So it was a good lesson then. Did you feel a similar thing in SKE48?
Yup. For example, if only one person’s arms are slumped while dancing lined up next to everyone else, the whole scene looks bad. In ballet and idols, as well as many other things, the center isn’t always the most important thing.
Archery in middle school and an appearance at the prefectural tournament
-It seems like you started kyudo (Japanese archery) in middle school. Why did you start?
During that time I was still doing ballet, so my evenings were very long. Therefore I thought it’d be good to take a sports club that took place in the morning. I thought about a liberal arts club, or the cooking club. However I thought it’d be better to move around, so in the end I settled on kyudo.
-How was it when you joined?
I heard it wasn’t popular, but there were about twenty girls from my grade alone so I was surprised. But there were only four circular targets and two hay targets. So we’d practice by substituting each other during each half. Other than shooting arrows we’d go running around the school and up the steps.
-How far would you run?
The school’s circumference was about one kilometer, and we’d do five or six laps, and sometimes ten when we’d do a lot. There were some quiet girls who weren’t good at sports in the kyudo club who’d think things like “we’re running so much despite being in the kyudo club”, and so they resented the club.
-What kind of firing practice did you do?
First you spread your feet and face forwards, and you follow the same order until you fire the arrow, called the eight steps of archery. First you hold the arrow with the kake, the glove made out of deer’s hide, and practice your stance while looking in a mirror. Once you do that, you fire from nearby the hay targets, but it’s quite hard to hit.
-It’s difficult merely to fire an arrow.
What’s more, a bow and arrow have enough force to make a hole. If your arm shakes just a little, the bowstring will hit your arm and you’ll get some marks on your arm that look like earthworms. So it’s really dangerous. For this part we got some thorough coaching.
-Did you appear in any tournaments?
Yes. I took part in the prefectural tournament when I was a first grader.
-That’s great!
Few schools have a kyudo club in middle school, and I won twice at the municipal tournaments, and I went on to the prefectural tournament.
-How were members chosen?
First we were picked by our school, and my grades happened to be good so I was picked. At the time I was doing ballet and I wasn’t practicing kyudo very passionately, so I felt some stares when I was picked which was a bit scary.
-What are the rules at the tournaments?
There are a bunch of rules, but when I went we were a team of three competing against other teams, and each person fired at a target six times, with your hits getting you points.
-Was it ok merely to hit the target?
Archery and Kyudo are both part of the same discipline where you fire arrows, however it’s rather easy to hit the target in archery. Therefore it becomes a competition to see how close to the middle your arrow can land. However it’s much harder to hit the target in kyudo. When I went to the tournaments it was enough to hit three of your six shots to advance onto the prefectural tournament.
-Were you able to focus more on your club after appearing at a prefectural tournament in your first year?
Not at all. I think it was pure luck that I got to the prefectural tournament. I leaned towards ballet over kyudo, so I just tried to enjoy myself when I was practicing the latter.
-How was it balancing it with ballet?
I had kyudo every day of the week, and before a tournament we’d go on Saturdays to a neighbouring city to practice. I went to do ballet after the kyudo club.
-I said this before, but that’s a tough schedule.
I don’t have any recollection of it being that way during that time. I only remember being bitten a lot by mosquitoes! The shooting range was outdoors, and you spend much of the time maintaining the same movements in stillness, so you’re an all you can eat buffet for the mosquitoes. The biggest impression I have of that club is how itchy it was.
Starting kendo with aspirations of becoming a police officer
-In high school you moved onto the kendo club, correct?
At that time I wanted to be a police officer. In order to become one you need to pass the first dan of a martial art. At the school I went to lots of people wanted to become police officers or JSDF officers, so there was a reference book for that in the club room, and the club was built around that. I planned to do kendo for a long time, but in autumn of my first year I passed the auditions for SKE48 and I was unable to continue the club. However I absolutely wanted to pass the first dan, so I tried my best until I was able to pass it.
-When did you pass it?
I was already in SKE48, so I think it was during my second grade. After that you had to practice for tournaments, so I thought that if I’d participate in those I’d be a bother, so I didn’t participate in those, but I stayed on as part of the club, so I’d show my face near the end.
-So there was a period where you were an idol and did kendo.
That’s right, and there were many people who were of a high skill level, so it felt natural to drop out. One of my seniors ranked number one in Aichi in terms of physical strength, they were really strong. It was scary to face them, the pressure of facing a certain blow once you moved was intense.
-Posture is important in both kyudo and kendo. Did your experience with ballet help?
Hm, I wonder… Image-wise, ballet has the feeling that you’re being suspended from above. However it feels like your body is firmly on the ground in kendo, so it’s different. You also focus on the area below your navel.
-So they’re opposites.
Yes. In kendo your lower back is curved a bit, while it’s completely straight in ballet. Therefore when I was told to fix my posture in kendo and thought I fixed it, I was startled when the problem turned out to be my lower back.
-By the way, you also have experience playing rugby. When did that begin?
I only played rugby in my school classes. We played it every winter.
-It’s still impressive for girls to play it.
My high school was on top of a mountain, so there weren’t any sports like baseball where objects go flying a great distance. It seems like rugby was its replacement. The boys also wanted to be made to play rugby but it would’ve led to injuries if they went at it for real so only girls did rugby.
-Did you practice tackling?
We did tackles and lined up for scrums too. We learned how to hit with our shoulders and chest, and we learned the proper way to hit others so that our collarbones wouldn’t break.
-That’s the real deal.
At the time I thought that kind of class was perfectly normal but it seems rather rare.
Her current interest is mountain climbing. She's running in preparation.
-What exercise do you do nowadays? You recently ran the Nagoya women’s marathon.
I run about three times a week.
-How far do you run?
About five kilometers. On days where I want to challenge myself I run ten. Depending on the day I’ll run after a theatre performance too.
-By the way, how long did it take for you to run the marathon?
5 hours and 51 minutes. However I had some help from the trainers and other helpers along the way, so it felt like I was being helped along.
-Even so, completing the race is impressive by itself.
I don’t mind steadily doing the same action. I’m bad at having to do something like dancing, where you have to move while thinking.
-So you feel like you’re not good at dancing despite having done ballet.
Doing ballet and doing idol songs are two completely different things. In ballet you dance in a certain form that’s been decided from the start, with a clear idea of what is correct. With dance there is no feeling of correctness. It also seems like I have no sense about it, since even though others around me tell me that my movements are creepy, I can’t pinpoint those movements myself.
-SKE48’s new single, Ikinari Punchline, has a rather hard choreography, right?
The new song has a jazz-like choreography, so my ballet experience has no relevance.
-You don’t get dizzy?
I don’t. I’m actually good at games where you need to tag someone after spinning around. This ability comes in useful for dance and other things.
-This is your second time being in the SKE48 senbatsu. You’ve surely felt some frustration seeing people from your generation and your juniors making leaps within the group. Did the lesson you learn in ballet that being the center isn’t everything help you succeed in continuing to work hard?
It did. When I first joined the group I was the type put to the side, and I just thought that my moment hadn’t come yet. I was commuting to my ordinary high school on my bike and thought that the important things you need to do in any kind of work are always the same. There was a period where I didn’t worry about being in the senbatsu.
-That’s what you thought, then.
However Oya Masana told me that it was too early for me to think that way, and I changed my way of thinking after being told that. Being an idol is about making your fans smile, and it wasn’t good to worry my fans with my lack of confidence and cowardice. Since then I got myself to start saying that I wanted to enter the senbatsu. To be honest I think I was given a lot of chances to enter the senbatsu, and my fans gave me the ticket to make it in, so I want to
-Is there anything you’d like to do?
This year is SKE48’s tenth year, so I’d like to work hard to spread the group from my home area to all over Japan. The first step is a live concert at Nagoya Dome!
-How about for you personally?
I want to do some mountain-climbing related work. A lot of my friends from the kendo club used to climb mountains and it looked fun. So I’ll keep running while waiting for that opportunity to come knocking.
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