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April, 2009
Torazo nisai go to the mud pond - lots of pictures
Posted 30 Apr 2009 - 19:41 by Mark Gardner
It was a late night last night watching Arsenal playing Manchester United in the Champions League semi final which didn't kick off until 3.45am, as such I was enjoying a lay in today.
When I woke up, just after midday, I looked at my e-mails to see one from Tsuyoshi Kawakami advising me that he was putting his nisai to the mudponds this afternoon.
I hastily got showered, dressed, and gathered my camera gear together. No time for a breakfast stop, I wasn't sure what time 'afternoon' was going to be.
When I arrived at 12.45 Toru Inoue of Far East Enterprises was there with a customer purchasing some tosai, I hadn't missed any of the nisai action.
First stop for the nisai was the Koi house below that is now used by Torazo. Visitors prior to the earthquake may recognise this as the facility that used to be Kinsuien,Tomiei Suzuki.
This house contained some tategoi nisai Tancho Kohaku and Tancho Sanke. Tsuyoshi-san stated that he wants to grow a stunning 80cm+ example of Tancho.
These Koi were transported just a short distance up the road to a mudpond situated right next to it.
11 females were released into the pond, 9 Tancho Kohaku, 2 Tancho Sanke.
We returned back under the Shinkansen tunnel to the Torazo greenhouse on the right hand side of the road where the best nisai are housed.
Tsuyoshi-san started netting and bowling these in small batches. The first 6 below all customers Koi being left to grow on for the year.
Mrs Kawakami lending a helping hand. That wall is far too narrow for my liking.
Tsuyoshi-san photographed each bowl to keep a record of which Koi have gone where.
With the tank on the truck loaded we headed off to the mountains, this pond is next to the one where the jumbo Koi were placed the the other day. It's a beautiful location and I said to Tsuyoshi-san that I can see myself spending many days sitting out here during the summer watching the Koi.
The Koi were moved from the tank to a bowl on the back of the truck from where Tsuyoshi-san gave them a final check, and confirmation that they were female, before releasing them into the pond.
In total 49 nisai were released into the pond and it was amazing how quickly they all found each other. Tsuyoshi-san stated that 49 is not a lucky number in Japan. 'Shi', which means 4, is also a word for 'death'. This is the reason that gifts should not be sets of 4 items. 'Ku' meaning '9', is also the first syllable of a word related to unhappiness, I can't recall the word. 7 is a lucky number in Japan, I suggested that as 7 x 7 is 49 maybe that means it's going to be very lucky!
Within minutes of all the Koi being released into the pond they had schooled together and were circling the pond. Tsuyoshi-san returned to the farm and I stayed watching them. They showed no fear as they circled in a group, I could walk around the pond next to them and they showed no sign of spooking.
I was pretty chuffed with some of the pics I managed to get as I did so.
Three Generations of Maruju Koi Farm
Posted 29 Apr 2009 - 21:06 by Mark Gardner
This afternoon I conducted an interview with Jukichi Tanaka, Shigeo Tanaka and Shigeyoshi Tanaka, grandfather, father and son respectively, 3 generations of Maruju Koi Farm.
The full article, based on the interview, will be in issue 1 of Niigata-Nishikigoi.com Digest.
I'd like to share a little story that arose from it.......
I asked Shigeo Tanaka what his first memories of Nishikigoi were and when he first got involved in the Koi business.
He stated that he was very young. In those days tosai would be placed in rice fields where they would grow through the summer, Jukichi was still a rice farmer as well as a Koi breeder. After the rice was harvest the Koi would then be removed from the pond. The rice was harvested by hand, as such many deep foot prints would be left in the rice field after the harvest was completed. Whilst most tosai could be caught some would stay hidden in the deep muddy holes, evading capture. Shigeo Tanaka would wait by the rice field as it drained down. As each hole in the mud was revealed Shigeo would check to see if there were any Koi in it. For every one that he caught his father would pay him between 3 and 5 yen. Shigeo was able to earn up to 100 yen from each rice field.
The story immediately conjured up wonderful images of a young boy patiently, but excitedly, waiting in the late summer sun, almost 50 years ago, to capture Koi remaining in the pond.
AO Aokiya Tosai Goshiki
Posted 29 Apr 2009 - 19:55 by Mark Gardner
I mentioned the other day that I'd made some tentative arrangements to visit AO Aokiya, more commonly known as Aoki, to get some pictures of his Doitsu Goshiki, as had been at the Niigata Breeders Auction
I was enjoying a little lay in this morning when my phone rang. It was Rob from Ornafish, he was going to be at Aoki's around 10.15am. OK, I'd be there. I had a rough idea where it was, having visited just once before, I was thankful for my breeders map!
Aoki-san junior confirmed what it was I wanted to photograph and promptly netted some of the tosai that were in one of the ponds and started sorting through them selecting some into a small bowl. These were all tosai that had been selected to go to the mud ponds and not for sale, all around 18-20cm in length.
As I was videoing the Koi in the bowl I noticed Haruo Aoki, the father, come into the Koi house. He was stood patiently by an adjacent pond with a small hand net.
After a short while he produced another small Goshiki in a bowl. It was one I recognised instantly, back in October at the Nogyosai I'd stated of this Koi, 'If they gave a prize for cutest Koi at the show then surely this would be a contender anywhere'. http://yamakoshi.blogspot.com/2008/10/niigata-nogyosai-part-4-some-more.html
At that time it was under 15cm in length, now a few cm larger, still a stunning little Koi.
Aoki-san clearly proud of it's achievement of being best in size, irrespective of variety.
And what of the Doitsu Goshiki?
You in the video gallery.
NTV 2009 subscribers can download a short HD video showing 3 of them, along with some 'wagoi' scaled Goshiki, here http://www.nishikigoi.tv/2009/index.html
You'll also be able to read a little more about them in issue 1 of Niigata-Nishikigoi.com Digest.
New Torazo Female Oyagoi
Posted 29 Apr 2009 - 01:58 by Mark Gardner
On Monday afternoon I was contacted by Tsuyoshi Kawakami, he told me that on Tuesday he'd be placing his Jumbo, and best large tategoi, to their mudpond. The harvest of this mudpond was one of the highlights of my 2008 harvest season.
In total 40 or so Koi were released into their home for the summer, a video will be available tomorrow.
Having returned from our first visit to the mudpond Tsuyoshi-san asked me to visit another of his Koi houses. As we walked over the road he explained that he'd obtained a new oyagoi from a hobbyist, the Koi originally bred by Takigawa in Hiroshima.
As soon as I glanced into the pond I recognised the Koi immediately.
Tsuyoshi san was taken aback that I recognised the Koi as being the runner up from the 2008 ZNA All Japan Show, where the above picture was taken. I joked that I wished that my ability to remember the Japanese language was as good as my ability to remember Koi.
NTV 2009 subscribers can view a video clip of her at http://www.nishikigoi.tv/2009/index.html.
Video of the Koi being released to the mud pond will be available tomorrow.
I hope we can follow the spawning and subsequent progress of fry from the oyagoi.
Video of the Nishikigoi no Sato 20th anniversary event
Posted 28 Apr 2009 - 13:51 by Mark Gardner
Sorry, this video is no longer available to view on Niigata-Nishikigoi.com.
Subscribers to NTV 2009 can still download it from http://www.nishikigoi.tv/2009/index.html
For more details about NTV 2009, or to subscribe, please visit http://www.nishikigoi.tv/ntv_2009.html
Yamamatsu jumbo tosai........
Posted 28 Apr 2009 - 12:40 by Mark Gardner
....coming to the UK soon.
I got word yesterday that some jumbo tosai were being selected at Yamamatsu for Gatwick Koi in the UK. Yamamatsu is not a breeder I've visited much to be honest so, when invited, I was keen to go and have a look.
A pond of tosai was netted, Kohaku, Sanke, Showa, Gin Rin Kohaku, with a few Tancho too, sized from 30-40cms.
When a pond is netted in this manner you end up with a writhing mass of colour. You spot tails that look good, heads that look good, only for them to disappear from view or too often to disappoint when you see the rest of the Koi.
The key to selecting Koi like this is to select more than you want as ‘possibles’ and then, once in a bowl, select more closely.
That process yielded the following Koi that will soon be flying into Gatwick Koi.’
Contact Gary at Gatwick Koi for more details.
Some pictures from the Nishikigoi no Sato 20th birthday event
Posted 27 Apr 2009 - 19:13 by Mark Gardner
The day dawned dry but the clouds were a sure sign of the weather to come. The morning saw quite a crowd gathered.
There were around 30 vats containing what was billed as 'special tosai and nisai' from different breeders. It has to be said the quality was indeed very good, and the prices quite keen as well, I could certainly have been tempted by a few.
The Koi below were mainly tosai Showa,with a couple of Kohaku and Sanke, from Isa Koi Farm.
This Doitsu Showa was one of the larger Koi for sale at 60cm, offered by Kase for 200,000 yen.
The Koi below were offered by Aoki. I was hoping to see some of his Doitsu Goshiki in order to get some decent pictures but unfortunately there weren't any. I've arranged to visit him later in the week.
It seemed that quite a number of Koi were sold during the morning.
As always, the bullfighting guys drew a crowd with their mochi making.
A video, including a tour of Nishikigoi no Sato, will be available soon.
It looks like being a damp birthday celebration
Posted 25 Apr 2009 - 18:08 by Mark Gardner
Well everything is set for the event celebrating Nishikigoi no Sato's 20th birthday tomorrow, it looks like it's going to be a very damp affair.
Well now the party has really started....
Posted 24 Apr 2009 - 21:02 by Mark Gardner
I'm in the process of putting together an article about Goshiki which will appear in the first issue of Niigata-Nishikigoi.com Digest.
Given that the latest development of Goshiki seem to be Aoki's Doitsu Goshiki I wanted to get a picture of them.
I visited Aoki briefly last autumn with Saito-san and Gibbo but I wouldn't say I know him particularly well. As such I dropped Rob at Ornafish a mail to ask if it would be possible for him to ask Aoki-san on my behalf.
It transpired that Rob had actually visited Aoki this afternoon spookily, given the time of the clock in the pictures below, I mailed him whilst he was there, albeit to his PC.
Rob mailed me the following pictures this evening, amazingly, given it's still April, Aoki has undertaken his first spawnings of the year, to the best of our knowledge the first spawnings of the year in Niigata.
This pictures are of his new born Goshiki, Kujaku, Ginga and cross bred KujakuxGoshiki. Apparently the dark ones are the Ginga. The first sembetsu will take place on 20th May.
Shintaro mudponds - May 1987
Posted 24 Apr 2009 - 20:32 by Mark Gardner
I was chatting with Saito-san the other day and he asked where I'd found the book with the old picture of Shinoda-san, or Ushizo as he's more commonly referred to in Japan it seems. The book is actually new, in fact published 2 years ago tomorrow, 25th April 2007, I found it in a local Ojiya bookstore.
The book title is 'Furusato Yamakoshi ni (a Kanji I don't know) kiru'. Furusato means 'old village'. I'll shortly be joining a group of breeders for a beer, hopefully i'll be able to find out the missing kanji symbol.
I popped into see Saito-san this afternoon wish him a good business trip to the USA next week to visit Sugarloaf Koi and took the book with me to show him.
I'm not sure I'd ever have recognised the view below, despite the fact I've photographed it 100's of times, and spent many hours in the heart of it.
The picture, taken in May 1987, shows some of Shintaro's mud ponds. The bank along which you can see the figure walking was obviously in 1987 a rice field. The 3 rows you can see next to him being rice seedlings being grown before being planted out. This is now one of Shintaro's mud ponds, indeed the pond where these photographs were taken last autumn.
The pond behind the 'hut' was the pond that contained the 39 best Shintaro ake-nisai last year.
You can get an idea from the picture below how it looks today. The empty mudpond being the one that's the rice field in the picture above.
Tomorrow I shall try to replicate the original picture which I suspect was taken from the bank of mud ponds which are now owned by Kanno Koi Farm.
Just last Friday Saito-san could be found preparing that empty mud pond ready to hold Koi for the coming season. Exactly what will go in it I've no idea at this stage.
This week Saito-san was still busy preparing mud ponds, this time the tosai ponds in Katsuraya.
Interestingly, despite the fact these ponds were full of water, they've all been drained to tamp down the sides ensuring they retain water through the summer.
