March, 2009

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12bu Kokugyo, Kohaku

Prathana Wanasook (Thailand)

15bu Kokugyo, Doitsu

Kenji Kakimoto (Osaka Pref)

18bu Kokugyo, Kohaku

Katsuo Shibayama (Saitama Pref)

23bu Kokugyo, Sanke

Masayuki Suzuki (Kagawa Pref)

28bu Kokugyo, Kohaku

Kazuharu Imagawa (Gifu Pref)

33bu Kokugyo, Kohaku

Yukio Ashizawa (Yamanashi Pref)

38bu Kokugyo, Sanke

Masahiro Hoshino (Aichi Pref)

43bu Kokugyo, Kohaku

Yasuto Tanaka (Yamaguchi Pref)

48bu Kokugyo, Showa

Haryant Poedjianto (Indonesia)

53bu Kokugyo, Kohaku

Prathana Wanasook (Thailand)

58bu Kokugyo, Utsurimono

Jean Hoorne (Belgium)

63bu Kokugyo, Kohaku

Tepsit Rojratandumrong (Thailand)

Yesterday morning Gibbo had spare time before needing to head back to Narita for his flight for the UK and my schedule was flexible.

Ogata Koi Farm is located in Kurume, just a short distance from Tosu, so I made arrangements with Manabu Ogata to visit.

A few days ago I was reading a profile on Ogata Koi Farm in Nichirin magazine.  As a teenager Manabu Ogata decided he wanted to be a Koi breeder and made the journey from Fukuoka to Niigata where he met Ichiro Mano, Senichi Mano's grandfather, who was so impressed by his efforts he offered him a job.  Having learned much in his 6 years there he returned to Kurume to set up Ogata Koi Farm.

I would guess he is around the same age, maybe a little younger, than Senichi Mano who also started working at Izumiya straight after he left junior high school.

Having been at the Wakagoi Show all weekend Senichi Mano was also visiting Ogata Koi Farm yesterday before returning to Ojiya.

Sugiarto Budiono, Chairman of the Indonesian Nishikigoi Association, also turned up at the farm whilst we were there.  He he is showing Senichi Mano the promotional brochure for the association.

A very enjoyable few hours, Manabu and Hiromi Ogata both speak excellent English, as does their daughter who has just returned from university in Coventry.

As some readers may know my father, who was very much an important part of my life, and very much an influence on my involvement in Koi, passed away very untimely in 2005

Today is the 4th anniversary of his death.

Without him I could not be here today.

He is always in my thoughts, thanks dad, I'll never forget.

.....tonight truly made up for it.

At tonight's show party there was a raffle of various things, everyone that bought a ticket to the party gor a free raffle ticket.

We went through Koi food, filter media, Koshi Hikari rice, a Canon SLR and a DVD player, amongst many other things.

Whilst the raffle progressed it was obvious that many people had tens of tickets.  I joked to Hisashi Hirasawa that he had many and I had just one.  He gave me another.  At the same time Mitsunori San gave me another.

It came to the final item in the raffle.

The caller announced ni-sen, go-hyaku, nana-ju, i needed just the last number, number 9.  When the caller said kyu I was truly gobsmacked.

The ticket was one given to me by Mitsunori Isa, the pic below is me with my raffle prize.

That's Mitsunori-san on the right!