May, 2009

......I hope!

I mentioned a few weeks ago Torazo's new female oyagoi http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com/node/365.

As I drove past the Koi house yesterday evening in which it's been residing since her arrival I noticed the tell tale sign of a spawning net set up in there.  I popped my head in the door but she was still swimming around her pond and the net empty.

As I drove past again this evening I again popped my head in, she was now swimming around accompanied by a male Koi which, judging from the size of the female at 91cm, is probably somewhere around 67cm.  As you can see, the difference in volume is simply enormous.

I found Tsuyoshi san, his wife, staff and also the wife of Hiroi Seiji sheltering from the sun in the garage area beneath their house sorting through Showa kego that had been spawned last Friday, selecting only the black ones to keep.  I declined Tsuyoshi san's invitiation to join in.  Of all the excitement of breeding Showa this must be the most mundane part by a long way.  They'd been at it since 8am, it was now 5pm.

Tsuyoshi san said, 'oh we put big Kohaku with a male this morning.'  I confessed that that was where I'd just come from.

The male Koi it transpired was bred by Murata Nishikigoi in Uonuma.  Murata Kohaku have very good pedigree, one taking the 1998 All Japan Show.  Co-incidentally that particular Koi passed through Torazo's hands, he purchased it as a 2 year old which, I believe I'm right in saying was then sold to Hiroi Seiji who subsequently sold it to Uonoma Nishikigoi Centre.  At the time it took GC it was owned by the late famous hobbyist Ryo Kamiya.  I believe I'm also correct in saying that, after his death, it nearly went to the UK.  Murata also took a Kokugyo prize at the 2008 All Japan and won the Uonuma Show in 2008.

After speaking to Tsuyoshi san I went back and took the above pictures and also some video.  The male seemed to be taking quite a bit of interest in the female.  I'll be heading back in the early hours to see how things are progressing although Tsuyoshi san advises when a female has never spawned before it often takes 2 nights before she starts to release eggs.

Time will tell.

At around 5.15pm this evening Tsuyoshi san released the last batch of tosai to a mudpond on the flatlands close to Katakai.

I was surprised to learn that this pond had been used by Torazo for over 40 years.  It wasn't part of a complex of ponds, just a single pond surrounded by rice fields.  How this particular irregular shaped piece of land became to be dug out as a pond I've no idea.  All around it the rice fields are now relatively large angular shapes.  Tsuyoshi san explained that when the pond was first created all the rice fields around it were irregular curved shapes with different people owning each small piece of land.  In those days each rice field would be planted, and harvested, by hand.  Nowadays the planting and harvesting of the rice fields is done using automated machinery hence large angular shapes are more efficient to deal with.

Interestingly Saito san and Hiromi san had made the same comment about rice fields and ponds when we'd looked through some old photos a few weeks back - http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com/node/359.

As I mentioned last year, since the earthquake many breeders now have complexes of mudponds, mainly used as fry ponds, on the flat lands.  Tsuyoshi san that one of the great things about the ponds on the flat lands is their ready supply of high quality fresh water from bore holes at the flick of a switch.  In the mountains lack of natural running water can present a problem during the summer.  However, he stated, the mud in the mountains is very special, which concurred with something Shigeyoshi Tanaka had said to me whilst at their fry ponds last year.

The mud found in the mountains, and it's effect on the water, is often stated as one of the reasons why the original mutations of magoi took place to become the origins of what we now know as Nishikigoi.

Tsuyoshi san believes that the ponds on the flat land are fine for fry and and ake-nisai (Koi that will become 2 years old) however, any Koi older than that need to go into the mountain ponds in order to develop the full beauty of their skin.

The pond we released the tosai into was heavily protected against predators.  There is an additional predatory threat on the flatlands which, thankfully, doesn't seem to occur in the mountains - cormorants, indeed, as we finished releasing the tosai one flew over head.  There are many cormorants that can be found living and fishing along the Shinano River.  The cormorant is of course also used by the famous night fisherman to catch Ayu (sweetfish) - http://www.city.gifu.gifu.jp/kankou/08_eng_01.html.  Where I live in the UK they can be found in their hundreds along the River Thames and they dive tirelessly to catch fish.  I would imagine one getting into a tosai or fry pond could cause complete devastation to stocks in no time at all.

I made a post on The Yamakoshi Year last entitled 'Something I meant to do a bit more of', that being visiting and photographing Koi in mudponds.

With the sun shining brightly, late afternoon I decided to head out to Torazo's mudponds where we saw the jumbo and nisai Koi released earlier in the month - http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com/node/370 and http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com/node/368.

I passed by the nisai pond where the Koi could be seen quite clearly cruising in the still not too muddy water and headed for the far end of the jumbo pond where the auto feeder has been set up.  Interestingly, on the couple of occasions that i've visited this pond before the auto feeder was installed the Koi had always been located in that area, did they remember that was the feeding area?

They could be seen cruising around picking tidbits off the surface.

As I stood there watching the clack-clack of pellets firing from an auto feeder could be heard coming from a pond below. More nisai by the look of it.

I figured, or at least hoped, that this meant the feeders on the other 2 ponds would be going any time soon.  I headed for the bank between the nisai and jumbo ponds where it would be possible to see both feeding areas.

The nisai circling in the feeding ring made me sure that they knew food was iminent.

The picture below was taken at 5.30pm exactly and I felt I had the makings of a great late afternoon feeding shot. 

As I sat there willing the auto feeder to burst into life it reminded me of the many summer evenings spent in the past of the side of fishing lakes willing bite indicators to do the same.

5.45pm came and went, 5.50pm, 5.58pm, I was convinced that the feeder would start dispersing pellets at 6pm.

The picture below was taken at 6.06pm, the feeder had shown no sign of life and the sun had dipped behind the trees.

I didn't get the pic I wanted but watching the Koi was a wonderful way to end the afternoon.

I've just had a mail from Tsuyoshi san advising that tomorrow morning at 8am he'll be starting the final selection of his tosai and then releasing them to the mudponds.  I'll be there and shall be sure to find out what time those feeders are set for!