Photos by Haruki Yamada, Yoshio Yoshida, Hideki Kakimotoa & Joji Shimamoto
Interview by Jonathan Hay as seen in Confusion Magazine issue #36
Age, what do people call you and where do you live?
25. Takeshi. I’m from and am living in Osaka.
Japan is more well known for street skating than transition skateboarding, how did you get so stoked on vertical slashes & huge airs?
A skate park with a crazy bowl called FUZENNA was completed three minutes by bike from my house, and I started skating there. I had so much fun that I skated all day, and the owner said I didn’t have to pay the skate fee, so I started skating there every day. FUZENNA closed, but then a park with a bowl called Woodsskatepark opened nearby, and the way I skate there has developed even more. It’s all thanks to the surrounding environment.
Who has influenced your style of skating?
Chris Russell, Uzi Matsui, Kenji Kumed and Kento Yoshioka.
Who is in your skate crew or who do you skate with mostly?
It’s not really set. Some friends will suddenly contact me and we’ll go and skate together the next day, and for friends who live far away, it’s also not really set. It’s just people who are fun to skate with.
Where have you traveled outside of Japan?
Copenhagen three times, San Francisco, a short trip to Austria, Germany twice and Czech.
Where did you get discovered by skaters not in your local scene?
When I was a teenager, I participated in many AJSA contests, and the All Japan Championships were the opportunity for me to connect with skaters of my generation from all over Japan. I also made friends when I occasionally traveled alone.
What trick scares you the most?
A trick that I can believe to be absolutely safe but the scariness changes depending on the spot. But if I had to name one trick, I would say a slippery curved box frontside 5-0. So scary.
Top 5 music groups you are listening to right now?
Moreru, GEZAN. I often listen to Japanese music. I like punk, but sometimes I want to listen to calm music.
Who are your sponsors?
Creature, Independent, HASCO distribution, VANS Japan, and Woodsskateshop.
What is something most people don’t know about you?
I like to do the same thing over and over again.
What do you like to do besides skateboarding?
Nature, taking a Onsen with a close friend, and playing with initial impulse.
What’s your worst nightmare?
In 2019, I dislocated and broke my ankle and spent a month in hospital recovering. This was the first time in my life since I started skating that I was out of skating for three months.
But I’ve been skating a lot more carefully than I ever have before, so I’ve had a few fewer injuries since then.
