Three Generations of Maruju Koi Farm

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.