# Kenji Miyamoto (figure skater)

Kenji Miyamoto (宮本 賢二, Miyamoto Kenji, born November 6, 1978 in Himeji, Hyōgo) is a Japanese figure skating choreographer, coach, and former competitive ice dancer. He skated with Rie Arikawa, winning two Japanese national titles, and then with Nakako Tsuzuki. During his career, he competed at a total of ten ISU Championships.

## Career

Miyamoto began learning to skate in 1988.

### Partnership with Arikawa

He teamed up with Rie Arikawa no later than 1995. After winning the Japanese junior title, they were sent to the 1996 World Junior Championships in Brisbane, Australia, where they finished 22nd. The following season, they placed second at the Japan Junior Championships. They regained their national junior title before placing 16th at the 1998 World Junior Championships in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
Advancing to the senior ranks, Arikawa/Miyamoto competed at their first Grand Prix events and became the national silver medalists in the 1998–1999 season. They took silver at the Asian Winter Games in South Korea and placed 9th at the 1999 Four Continents Championships in Canada.
In the 2001–2002 season, Arikawa/Miyamoto won their first senior national title and then placed 8th at the Four Continents Championships in Jeonju, South Korea. Making their only World Championships appearance, they qualified to the free dance and finished 24th overall in Nagano, Japan.
Arikawa/Miyamoto repeated as national champions the following season. In February 2003, they won the bronze medal at the Asian Winter Games in Aomori, Japan, and placed 8th at their final competition, the Four Continents Championships in Beijing, China. They were coached by Muriel Zazoui, Pasquale Camerlengo, Romain Haguenauer in Lyon, France.

### Partnership with Tsuzuki

Later in 2003, Miyamoto formed a partnership with Nakako Tsuzuki. During their three-season partnership, they competed together at six Grand Prix events and placed in the top ten at three Four Continents Championships. They were coached by Muriel Zazoui in Lyon, France.
They both retired from competitive skating following the 2005–2006 season.

### Post-competitive career

Miyamoto became a choreographer for ice shows and competitive skaters. He also did the choreography for the figure skating anime, Yuri on Ice.
He has choreographed for:
* Miki Ando
* Shizuka Arakawa
* Mao Asada
* Cha Jun-hwan
* Mone Chiba
* Choi Da-bin
* Maria Egawa
* Javier Fernández
* Yuzuru Hanyu
* Tomoki Hiwatashi
* Marin Honda
* Rika Hongo
* Haru Kakiuchi
* Takeru Amine Kataise
* Kim Hae-jin
* Kim Jin-seo
* Takahiko Kozuka
* Tatsuki Machida
* Yura Matsuda
* Rino Matsuike
* Akari Matsuoka
* Kao Miura
* Satoko Miyahara
* Sena Miyake
* Yuka Nagai
* Ami Nakai
* Shunsuke Nakamura
* Yukari Nakano
* Miyu Nakashio
* Rio Nakata
* Yasuharu Nanri
* Yuki Nishino
* Shingo Nishiyama
* Miyabi Oba
* Nobunari Oda
* Mei Okada
* Shotaro Omori
* Promsan Rattanadilok Na Phuket
* Kevin Reynolds
* Shun Sato
* Koshiro Shimada
* Rion Sumiyoshi
* Tsudoi Suto
* Akiko Suzuki
* Yo Takagi
* Daisuke Takahashi
* Sena Takahashi
* Keiji Tanaka
* Tatsuya Tsuboi
* Shoma Uno
* Kaoruko Wada
* Rinka Watanabe
* Sōta Yamamoto
* Mako Yamashita
* Nozomu Yoshioka
Additionally, Miyamoto has his own TV segment titled, KENJI's Room, on the J Sports channel, where he conducts interviews with fellow Japanese figure skaters.

## Programs
### With Tsuzuki

| Season | Original dance | Free dance |
| 2005–2006 | Samba Rhumba Mambo | House of Flying Daggers by Shigeru Umebayashi |
| 2004–2005 | Charleston Slow foxtrot Quickstep | Tango Quidam (from Cirque du Soleil) |
| 2003–2004 | Boogie-woogie Blues Boogie-woogie | The Prince of Egypt by Hans Zimmer |

### With Arikawa

| Season | Original dance | Free dance |
| 2002–2003 | Waltz: Aquarellen by Josef Strauss performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Polka | Conan the Barbarian by Basil Poledouris |
| 2001–2002 | Tango: Tango del Atardecer by Lalo Schifrin Flamenco: Fiesta de Jerez by Carmen Amaya | Kojiki by Kitarō |

## Results

GP: Grand Prix

### With Tsuzuki

International :
| Event | 03–04 | 04–05 | 05–06 |
| Four Continents Championships | 9th | 8th | 8th |
| GP Cup of Russia | 11th | | 11th |
| GP NHK Trophy | 10th | 9th | 11th |
| GP Trophée Éric Bompard | | 11th | |
| National ||||
| Japan Championships | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd |

### With Arikawa

International :
| Event | 95–96 | 96–97 | 97–98 | 98–99 | 99–00 | 00–01 | 01–02 | 02–03 |
| Worlds | | | | | | | 24th | |
| Four Continents | | | | 9th | 11th | | 8th | 8th |
| GP Lalique | | | | | | 12th | | |
| GP NHK Trophy | | | | 9th | 9th | | 9th | 11th |
| GP Sparkassen | | | | | 9th | | | |
| GP Skate America | | | | 9th | | | | |
| GP Skate Canada | | | | | | 10th | | |
| Asian Games | | | | 2nd | | | | 3rd |
| International: Junior |||||||||
| Junior Worlds | 22nd | | 16th | | | | | |
| National |||||||||
| Japan | | | | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd | 1st | 1st |
| Japan Junior | 1st | 2nd | 1st | | | | | |