Home > History of Okurayama

Overview of Facilities

Location

1274 Miyanomori, Chuo-ku, Sapporo

Site area

8.2 ha

Owned by the City of Sapporo

Large hill ski jump, Administrative headquarters, Judging tower, Start house
Winter Sports Museum

Owned by the Sapporo Development Corporation

Ski lift, Crystal House
 

Timeline

February 1928

During his first visit to Hokkaido, Prince Chichibu (Yasuhito) promised Dr. Seishichi Ono (head of the ski team at Hokkaido University) assistance for the construction of a large-scale ski jump facility to be used for the Olympics. (Construction costs, etc. would be provided by Baron Kishichiro Okura.)

March 1929

An invitation was sent to Major General Olaf Helset, captain of the Norwegian team in the St. Moritz Olympics (Switzerland, 1928), seeking his leadership. The slope of the present Okurayama Jump Stadium was selected as a suitable location.

July 1931

Construction of the ski jump began based on a design by Major General Olaf Helset, a world-renowned authority on ski jump construction.

October 1931

The ski jump was completed. Total construction cost, more than 50,000 JPY; Total length of approach, 100 meters; Width of approach, 6 meters; Total length of landing slope, 130 meters; Width of landing slope, 10 – 13 meters; Total length of braking track, 150 meters; Width of braking track, 30 meters (60 meter ski jump). Donated to the City of Sapporo.

January 1932

Opening ceremony held. Mayor Hashimoto of Sapporo, who was also Chairman of the Ski Association of Sapporo at the time, named the ski jump "Okurayama Ski Jump" out of respect for the kindness of Baron Kishichiro Okura. On January 17, the ski jump's first public competition, the 5th All Japan Intercollegiate Ski Games, was held.

1952

Remodeled into an 80 meter ski jump. The 70 meter Yukijirushi Ski Jump was also constructed for use with the National Sports Festival competitions.

1970

Major renovations made in preparation for the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics, with construction expenses reaching 770 million JPY. Control of the Okurayama Ski Jump was transferred to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the facility was renamed to "Okurayama Jump Stadium" (National Stadium). The stadium had a K-spot of 110 meters and seating capacity for about 50,000 spectators.

February 1972

The 11th Winter Olympic Games were held in Sapporo (42,149 spectators). 90 meter ski jump competitions were held, and the gold medal was won by the Polish jumper Wojciech Fortuna. The highest ranking Japanese competitor was Yukio Kasaya, who placed 7th.

March 1982

In celebration of the achievements of Dr. Seishichi Ono (August 17, 1885 – December 30, 1982), a leader in the Japan skiing world since its early years and a founding father of the International Miyasama Ski Games, a stone monument honoring Dr. Seishichi Ono was built on an associated location in the Okurayama Jump Stadium.

November 1982

A ski lift (single) was constructed. It had originally taken a total of twenty minutes to reach the summit. The lift reduced the one-way-trip to four minutes. The total construction cost was approximately 180 million JPY. The lift consisted of fifty-five carriages, had a diagonal length of 285.25 meters, and could transport 450 people per hour.

1986

The landing slope and borders were renovated to comply with an amendment to the rules of the International Ski Federation (FIS). The K-spot was changed to 115 meters.

March 1995

Ownership of the Okurayama Jump Stadium was transferred from the national government to the City of Sapporo.

December 1996

In compliance with the amendment to the rules of the FIS, the profile of the ski jump was renovated on all sides. Scale: Large hill, K-spot of 120 meters, total construction cost of approximately 2.6 billion JPY (ski jump and judging tower).

November 1997

The ski jump was modified to make the jump hill into a summer hill. Lighting for night competitions was also installed (included in the above construction cost).

May 1998

The lift (single) was dismantled. (Construction period: April 1 – May 10).

November 1998

An upgraded lift (pair) was installed with a travel time of five minutes per one-way-trip. The total construction cost was approximately 250 million JPY. The lift consisted of sixty-seven carriages, had a diagonal length of 346.39 meters, and could transport 900 people per hour.

At the Time of Opening (60 Meter Ski Jump)

1932

Kenji Hama (SSC) 34.0m

1932

Shiro Yamada (Hokkaido University) 44.5m

1932

Shunji Tatta (Otaru Junior High School) 47.0m

1932

Kenji Hama (SSC) 48.0m

1932

Kinya Kojima (The Sapporo Chamber of Commerce and Industry) 49.5m

1932

Shigetada Matsuyama (Sapporo Daiichi Junior High School) 51.5m

1933

Takeo Asagi (Otaru Junior High School) 56.0m

1934

Shunji Tatta (Waseda University) 61.5m

1934

Masaji Iguro (Hokkaido University) 67.0m

1937

Noboru Hoshino (Hokkai School of Commerce) 70.0m

1938

Goro Adachi (Sapporo Railroad Administration Bureau) 70.0m

1939

Fumio Asagi (Hokkai School of Commerce) 79.0m

1952 - Hill Renovated into an 80 Meter Ski Jump

1952

Shibono Hiroaki(Waseda University) 84.0m

1955

Hiroji Yoshizawa (Dowa Mining) 86.5m

1956

Sadao Kikuchi (Meiji University) 87.0m

1957

Koichi Sato (Touatu) 90.0m

1957

Sadao Kikuchi (Clover) 91.0m

1958

Koichi Sato (Clover) 92.0m

1961

Takashi Matsui (Haboro Coal Mining) 94.0m

1962

Sadao Kikuchi (Snow Brand Milk Products) 94.0m

1963

Sadao Kikuchi (Snow Brand Milk Products) 102.0m

1964

Sadao Kikuchi (Snow Brand Milk Products) 103.5m

1969

Josef Matouš (Czech Republic) 104.0m

1970 - Renovation Work Performed, K-spot: 110m

* Renamed the "Okurayama Jump Stadium"

1971

Yukio Kasaya (Nikka) 112.5m

1971

Amatsugu Konno (Takushoku Bank) 114.5m

1974

Yukio Kasaya (Nikka) 115.0m

1977

Walter Steiner (Switzerland) 115.5m

1978

Bjarnd Naes (Norway) 118.0m

1982

Hirokazu Yagi (Takushoku Bank) 119.0m

1985

Masahiro Akimoto (Chizaki Construction) 122.5m

1986 - Renovation Work Performed, K-spot: 115m

1987

Hiroo Shima (Chizaki Construction) 120.0m

1987

Primož Ulaga (Yugoslavia) 121.0m

1990

Naoki Yasuzaki (NTT Hokkaido) 121.5m

1990

A. Nieminen (Finland) 123.5m

1992

Masahiko Harada (Snow Brand Milk Products) 123.5m

1992

Jinya Nishikata (Snow Brand Milk Products) 123.5m

1993

Kenji Suda (Tokyo Biso) 124.5m

1994

Jens Weißflog (Germany) 125.0m

1994

Noriaki Kasai (Chizaki Construction) 127.0m

1994

Noriaki Kasai (Chizaki Construction) 135.0m

1996 - Renovation Work from April to December (Large hill, K-spot: 120m)

1997

Masahiko Harada (Snow Brand Milk Products) 127.5m

1997

Kazuya Yoshioka (Otaru Hokusho High School) 128.0m

1997

D. Thomas (Germany) 134.5m

1997

Falko Krismayr (Austria) 138.0m

1998

Takanobu Okabe (Snow Brand Milk Products) 138.5m

1998

Masahiko Harada (Snow Brand Milk Products) 140.5m
(This became the longest record of the 20th century. The record has increased four times since the first competition held at the ski jump seventy years ago.)

2002

Masahiko Harada (Snow Brand Milk Products) 141.0m
(The 41st STV Cup International Ski-Jumping Tournament held on January 13)

2005

Yusuke Kaneko (Tokyo Biso) 145.0m
(The 6th Ito Cup Season Final Okurayama Night Ski-Jumping Tournament held on March 25)

Timeline

December 1929

Toshichiro Hirota, under the leadership of Major General Olaf Helset, designed a ski jump to be used as a practice slope while the Okurayama Ski Jump was undergoing construction. He assembled the scaffolding and constructed a 40 meter ski jump. This ski jump was named "Mt. Arai Memorial Ski Jump" in order to commemorate the prince's visit to Hokkaido. The first and second International Miyasama Ski Games were held at this ski jump in 1930 and 1931.

January 1940

Renovated into a 45 meter ski jump. Called the "Times Memorial Ski Jump" after the company that contributed the construction costs.

1954

Morinaga & Co., Ltd renovated the ski jump with iron frames and offered donations. As a result, the jump became known as the "Morinaga Memorial Ski Jump."

1973

A 25 meter ski jump was newly constructed.

November 1981

Two ski jumps – a medium hill with a K-spot of 50 meters, and a small hill with a K-spot of 25 meters – were constructed. These were mostly used by elementary and junior high school students.

1983

The medium hill ski jump was transformed into a summer hill, and events including the Junior Summer Ski Jumping Tournament were held there.

October 2003

Due to aging equipment and the profile of the ski jump being what is referred to today as a V-jump style, the jumping distance increased and became unsuitable. From 2001, the facility underwent a complete three year long overhaul.
(The creation of a medium hill and small hill jump, preparations to make the hill suitable for summer use, provision of a monorail [ten person capacity], construction of an administrative headquarters building, construction of a judging tower, etc.)

Ski Jump Profiles

Medium hill

K-spot: 55m, Total length: 200.0m, Difference of elevation: 61.5m, Approach: 51.0m, Landing slope: 83.0m, Braking track: 66.0m

Small hill

K-spot: 25m, Total length: 138.0m, Difference of elevation: 28.0m, Approach: 32.0m, Landing slope: 46.0m, Braking track: 60.0m