SKIERS from Japan

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Japanese Skiers of all time. This list of famous Japanese Skiers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Japanese Skiers.

1. Noriaki Kasai (1972 - )

With an HPI of 50.20, Noriaki Kasai is the most famous Japanese Skier.  His biography has been translated into 34 different languages on wikipedia.

Noriaki Kasai (葛西 紀明, Kasai Noriaki, born 6 June 1972) is a Japanese ski jumper. His career achievements include a gold medal at the 1992 Ski Flying World Championships, winning the 1999 Nordic Tournament, individual silver medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics, and two individual bronze medals at the 2003 Ski Jumping World Championships. During his career, Kasai has broken numerous ski jumping records. In 2016, he was honoured with two Guinness World Records certificates for the most individual World Cup starts, not only in ski jumping, but in all World Cup disciplines organized by the International Ski Federation. At World Cup level, Kasai competed for a total of 33 seasons between 1988–89 and 2023–24.

2. Yukio Kasaya (1943 - )

With an HPI of 48.94, Yukio Kasaya is the 2nd most famous Japanese Skier.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Yukio Kasaya (笠谷 幸生, Kasaya Yukio, born August 17, 1943) is a Japanese former ski jumper. At the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo he became the first Japanese athlete to win a gold medal and the second Japanese (after Chiharu Igaya) to win any medal at the Winter Olympics. Previously he placed second at the 1970 World Championships and won the first three jumping events at the 1971/72 Four Hills Tournament. He also took part in the 1964, 1968 and 1976 Olympics and served as the Olympics flag bearer for Japan in 1976 and 1998. Kasaya took up ski jumping at the Taketsuru facility in his native Yoichi, which was built by the founder of Nikka Whisky Distilling Masataka Taketsuru. The facility was renamed after Kasaya in 1972. Kasaya was a long-term employee of the Nikka distillery, eventually becoming its section head.

3. Chiharu Igaya (1931 - )

With an HPI of 45.66, Chiharu Igaya is the 3rd most famous Japanese Skier.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Chiharu Igaya, (猪谷 千春, Igaya Chiharu, born May 20, 1931) is a former Olympic alpine ski racer and silver medalist from Japan. He competed in three Winter Olympics (1952, 1956, 1960).

4. Kazuyoshi Funaki (1975 - )

With an HPI of 39.39, Kazuyoshi Funaki is the 4th most famous Japanese Skier.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Kazuyoshi Funaki (船木 和喜, Funaki Kazuyoshi) (born 27 April 1975) is a Japanese former ski jumper. He ranked among the most successful sportsmen of its discipline, particularly in the 1990s. Funaki is known for his special variant of the V-style, in which the body lies flatter between the skis than usual.

5. Masahiko Harada (1968 - )

With an HPI of 39.24, Masahiko Harada is the 5th most famous Japanese Skier.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Masahiko Harada (原田 雅彦, Harada Masahiko) (born 9 May 1968) is a Japanese former ski jumper. He is best remembered for a meltdown at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, which cost the Japanese national team a victory, and his subsequent redemption at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano; the latter of which led to him being affectionately called "Happy Harada".

6. Ryoyu Kobayashi (1996 - )

With an HPI of 38.25, Ryoyu Kobayashi is the 6th most famous Japanese Skier.  His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Ryōyū Kobayashi (小林 陵侑, Kobayashi Ryōyū, born 8 November 1996) is a Japanese ski jumper. He is one of the greatest ski jumpers of all time, having won 31 World Cup individual competitions, the World Cup overall title twice, Four Hills Tournament three times, and individual olympics gold medalist. During his victorious 2018–19 World Cup season, Kobayashi scored 13 individual wins and won all six possible titles in a single season: the World Cup overall title, the Ski Flying World Cup overall, the Four Hills Tournament, the Raw Air tournament, the Planica7 tournament, and Willingen Five tournament. He is the third ski jumper in history to win the 'Grand Slam' of all four events in the 4Hills Tournament, the gold medal at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing on the normal hill and the silver on the large hill. With 252 metres (827 ft), the second longest jump in history, he is the current Japanese record holder.

7. Takanobu Okabe (1970 - )

With an HPI of 36.52, Takanobu Okabe is the 7th most famous Japanese Skier.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Takanobu Okabe (岡部 孝信, Okabe Takanobu) (born 26 October 1970) is a Japanese former ski jumper.

8. Daiki Ito (1985 - )

With an HPI of 33.46, Daiki Ito is the 8th most famous Japanese Skier.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Daiki Itō (伊東 大貴, Itō Daiki, born 27 December 1985) is a Japanese former ski jumper who competed at World Cup level between 2002 and 2022.

9. Sara Takanashi (1996 - )

With an HPI of 33.27, Sara Takanashi is the 9th most famous Japanese Skier.  Her biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Sara Takanashi (高梨 沙羅, Takanashi Sara) (born 8 October 1996) is a Japanese ski jumper. She is one of the most successful female ski jumpers to date, as well as one of the most successful athletes in the history of the sport, having won four World Cup overall titles (an all-time female record), seven World Championship medals, and a Winter Olympic medal. As of April 2024, Takanashi holds the record for the most individual World Cup wins, male or female, with 63. She also has three Guinness World Records certificates for the most podium finishes in the Ski Jumping World Cup, the most individual victories by a female in the Ski Jumping World Cup, and the most Ski Jumping World Cup individual victories in a career (overall).

10. Tae Satoya (1976 - )

With an HPI of 32.07, Tae Satoya is the 10th most famous Japanese Skier.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Tae Satoya (里谷 多英, Satoya Tae, born on June 12, 1976, in Sapporo, Japan) is a Japanese freestyle skier. She won the Olympic title in the moguls event at the 1998 Winter Olympics, and she finished third at the 2002 games. Satoya became the first Japanese woman to earn a gold medal in the Winter Olympics. She was banned by the Ski Association of Japan from participating in the 2005 Freestyle World Ski Championships in Finland. Although reportedly suffering from back problems, Satoya competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Ladies' Moguls where she finished 19th after falling on her last jump.