As waddy claims he is presently preoccupied with his pal Eric, pond design and most importantly his appointment as a Surecut spade dealer, see below picture from his stand at the BKKS National show, and as such has not had much time to participate here on Koiphen. Has kindly allowed me to post some of his 'people' experiences over the years.they can also be found on Waddy's website more to follow.:yes::yes::yes: TATEGOI – IN DEEP! I used to take large stand space for Infiltration at the BKKS National Shows for many years. These are held at the time of the year (late June) when good Koi are not easy to come. I used to save some from the October/November and April visits to Japan just to be able to offer new Koi at this most important UK Koi event. We had three superb display ponds for these and each Koi was photographed and displayed above the pond in question.

Around 11.00 on one Saturday morning, a guy came over with a copy of Koi Kichi under his arm – he seemed visibly agitated and asked one of the guys to point out myself to him. We met and he seemed very distraught so I asked him to sit down and poured a coffee for him. He was an American guy living in Belgium who had a 150,000 gallon Koi pond in his garden. He told me that a local dealer had taken him to Niigata that January to find Koi, it later turned out that the dealer was also making his first trip to the area and that the guide in question was none other than Mr. Isa from Uragara village – see my write up on the ‘Mentors’ page.

The guy had stayed in snowbound Yomigihira village at one of the large Japanese-style Ryokans there and had purchased many large Koi from several farms. Although I know the price paid it’s best I just say ‘substantial’. The Koi were shipped in spring and introduced to his pond, for the first few days they were fine but later started ‘scratching’. His local dealer scratched his head, he said he suspected parasites but then said that the use of medicines was not allowed in Belgium? Some Koi had been lost and the guy was desperate. I assured him we could assist by sending Harvey Leeming and Dennis Wordsworth to his pond the following weekend and a visit was arranged.

The man seemed to be a little more relaxed and started to look at the Koi on sale on the stand. He pointed to one pond and commented that he’d not seen such good Koi on his visit, I explained that these Koi had been bought in October and November when the best were available after the harvests and that his choice in late January would not be so good. He looked at the Koi again, came back over and pointed to the pond saying’ Yes, I’ll buy, can you bring next weekend? I asked him to point out which Koi he wanted and I would mark the photo with a ‘Sold’ sign to make sure someone else did not buy it. He looked at me and replied – ‘Oh, I’ll have them all!’ After a few minutes, the pond in question was covered and a ‘Not for sale’ sign placed on it.

Around mid afternoon he returned to say he’d had a good look around and had decided he’d also buy the best pond we had at the show. Again, that pond was covered from view mid afternoon leaving only one pond of Koi left for sale, in view of the fact we never took dry goods down there – pointless unless you have something that people want and no-one else has – I closed the stand down early because I needed something to offer on the Sunday. We had around six of us on the stand and I said to take it easy the next morning and get back on duty at 11.00am instead of 10.00am. As I recall it was one memorable evening in the bar!

We drifted onto the showground at 11.00 as arranged to hear jeers from the other dealers who mentioned alarm clocks etc. Whilst we replied we were giving them a start chance to sell something before we returned! We reached the stand to find the same guy waiting, he came out with a terms he used later on many occasions which was ‘Gee, I **** my pants, thought you’d met with a road accident!’ After this, he promptly bought the remaining pond and left for home!

It’s not really good for business being at the National Show at 11.30 Sunday morning with nothing at all to sell so we placed ‘Sold Out’ signs everywhere and wandered around the showground until we were allowed to pack up. The following Saturday I got a call from Harvey & Den who were at the pond side in Belgium, they had managed to sneak upon one Koi after a few attempts and take a mucus sample to find ‘Gyrodactylus City’ alive and well in the 150,000 gallon pond. Supaverm was the choice of the day before we found Flubenol and so the amount required was measured and mixed in two large buckets and the intrepid duo set about in distributing it all via a small rowing boat fortunately on hand! The next day, the pond was seine-netted and several mucus samples were taken to find only a few parasites remaining. A new measure was made and the second dose was distributed the following Tuesday to find no parasites remaining and the man was happy. This same guy got into Koi in a BIG way immediately afterwards and joined me in Japan on several occasions afterwards.

Exhibitor's Manual and Booth Layout (Floor Plan) will be sent to exhibitors. Make suggestions from the user's side 15%. MEI INDUSTRIAL (HONG KONG) JOHNSON CONTROLS KANTO AUTO WORKS (TOYOTA MOTOR EAST JAPAN) KASAI KOGYO KAWASAKI HEAVY INDUSTRIES KEIHIN KF INSTRUMENTS INDIA. As the weather warms up, you'll eventually need to clean out and store your kerosene heater for the spring. These instructions are translated from my Dainichi Blue Heater instruction manual, but they're general enough to use for any fan-heater style kerosene heater.Read on for heater maintenance and.

He built a new indoor concrete pond for his better Koi and, a few years later, took Supreme Champion at the Holland show on two occasions. By then he had built a unit near his pond to store his dry goods that would make the biggest UK Koi outlet pale into insignificance – he needed this as he was buying Hikari Excel in two ton deliveries! That’s the background – now onto the meat of the matter. The guy read everything possible to do with Nishikigoi and would ring at all hours if there was something he did not understand.

As we know, some printed matter can be very useful whilst others can be downright dangerous. He began to mention the word ‘tategoi’ with every other sentence and the word had become imprinted in his mind. One April morning he was with us at the Shintaro Koi farm in Mushigame where we were enquiring as to when he would be selecting his final tategoi/tateshita tosai before placing them into field ponds. This guy’s ears pricked up and insisted on spending the entire day with us when this would be made. At the end of the day in question we had one pond with around 200 tategoi and three other ponds of tateshita. We went to Saito san’s house for coffee and that’s when the guy enquired – ‘How much will it cost for the best ten tategoi plus growing costs for the season?’ Masaru asked him – ‘Who is selecting?’ – the guy replied – ‘You and Peter.’ A price was set including growing costs, I know the price as I was paid a commission on it but that’s another matter, again, let’s just say ‘substantial’. (However, I must point out here that, although to guys like myself the price was substantial, to the man buying them it was little more than loose change.) Masaru even took us to the small field pond where they would be grown and also said he would include choice number eleven in the event of any Koi ‘disappearing’ over summer.

The buyer was delighted and kept reminding of us throughout that summer of what he would see at the harvest in October. We now move forward to mid October when he was with us again and so were several other high-end collectors. One evening in Nomole bar, Masaru came in and advised that the harvest of the mud pond would take place the next day and invited us all to attend.

Everyone readily agreed and the spirit of anticipation was high as was the real excitement that people were showing with that prospect in mind. That was, until a new-found friend of the guy chipped in with the comment – ‘Hey - I wonder how many turn out to be male?’ There was a hush around the bar and a few minutes of silence elapsed before the guy stood up and returned to the hotel without a single word to anyone. As we drove into the mountains the next day, the silence accompanied us. We all made it to the pond in question that had been part-drained and watched as Masaru and Shousuke started the net around the perimeter. It was only a small pond but all eleven Koi were placed in a bowl of muddy water and transported the few hundred metres back to the farm on a small flat-back truck. The average size of the Koi when purchased was around 20cms and the largest harvested that day almost touched 48cms. There were around ten of us watching closely as Masaru checked the sex of each after number eleven was taken back as his rightful property.

You could have cut the air with a knife until eventually it was given that eight were female and only two were male. The eight females were placed in a large bowl for close inspection and two were truly world class Nishikigoi whilst the other six were simply superb. Everyone congratulated the guy and shook his hand after this enormous success and we thought that that would be the happiest ending one could ever dream of. I knew that the best Koi there could not possibly be bought now for the total price paid back in April. At first the guy was elated but, as the day wore on, he became quiet again. We ended up at Kazuto’s mid afternoon where several guys were making choices on certain Koi they were deliberating over when the guy came over to me visibly agitated – just like the day we had first met. He tugged my sleeve and asked if I’d go back with him to Shintaro to see if he would exchange the ten Koi for ‘larger ones’ as small Koi were ‘not his main interest’.

(I had fully realised what had been in his mind all day after the harvest. He was a businessman first and foremost and he needed a return on his ‘investment’ made in spring. Quite simply he’d paid X for 10 Koi and so his head told him that each one cost X divided by 10 and that’s how he saw things. Two were male so there was no point in even discussing the matter with him and thus we returned to Masaru’s farm.) I mentioned the exchange for larger Koi and I cannot recall Masaru ever moving so quickly, his eyes lit up and within minutes we were inside his main Koi house with large nets in hand. A large bowl was filled with water and soon four 75- 80cms female Koi were inside the bowl, a few moments later a fifth Koi joined them before Masaru said – ‘Select any four Koi from that bowl as full exchange for the ten nisai’. The guy said he thought that all five Koi were for him but Masaru said that if he wanted the five he would have to pay an extra cost that represented one sixth of the buying price of the ten. That short time and on two occasions I tried to suggest to him that he stuck with the ten Koi he already had but the sight of the jumbo Koi before him had already been calculated in his computerised brain as being by far ‘the best investment’.

He took the five and gave back the ten after paying the extra cash. Within minutes after the deal he was back to being his chirpy self again. I recall looking at the five large Koi and wondering that, if they were back at my place for sale, who would even have them for just the cost of the airfreight alone! That is not the end of the story by any means; the number one nisai was grown again for one more year in Masaru’s best earth pond and harvested at 68 cms. In January the following year she was purchased by none other than Masao Kato on the advice of his two dealers who always accompany him when he intends to find and purchase new Koi. Again, I know the actual price paid which was just over three times the price that was paid for the ten tategoi selected two years earlier. The following summer and the one after were spent in a Dainichi pond when she was harvested to measure 89cms.

After this she was entered in many major ZNA shows where she took Supreme Champion awards and became a very famous Koi known to many enthusiasts. (Incidentally I have since seen a few of the other eight Koi that were exchanged that day and three turned out to be memorable entries to some important Japanese Koi shows.) The Koi above is the Koi in question, sadly she was lost in the 2004 Chuetsu earthquake but I often reflect on the impact she would have had in Europe had she been kept for two more seasons by Shintaro and then shipped back home to Belgium! The Hit Man meets the Hit Men.

Pete Waterman was and is a very successful pop record producer he had a very popular Saturday evening TV show called ‘The Hit Man & Her’ in the late 1980’s – he became infatuated with Koi around the same time. I mentioned earlier my first ‘Trade Customer’ being Rick Astley, well he was signed by Waterman in later years and Pete moved into a lovely house only two miles from my Koi business to be close to both Granada television and where Rick lived. As most of us know, Rick Astley became a significant world pop star in later years. It was Rick Astley who first brought Pete into my shop to show him the Koi and immediately Pete was hooked! Pete travelled between his home and London to make recordings along with Stock & Aitken and commissioned a local Koi outlet to build a pond for him in his garden after becoming obsessed with Koi. I don’t know where he got the information from but he’d heard that a pond was better the deeper it was excavated and so he instructed his pond builder, John Chadwick, to make it 17 feet deep!

John did as he was told and the base was cast before I learned of this. I mentioned to Pete that it would not be advisable to have such a depth and so did a few others. In the end John filled the hole up to a 7 feet depth with ready-mix concrete!

Whilst recording in London, Pete would often visit an outlet in Kent where he purchased some Koi and the owner suggested he should visit Japan with him (the owner had only visited Japan once before). Pete readily agreed to go and the owner made the mistake of warning his agent in Japan that he would be bringing a very wealthy and very prominent man in the UK music industry with him. Without mentioning the agent’s names involved they were met at Narita airport with a limousine and entertained throughout their journey in Royal style. Pete purchased many Koi whilst the agents commented to him as to how truly wonderful his ‘eye’ was for a foreigner!

Pete’s Koi arrived back home and then he became absolutely engrossed with them, he asked me to go round and look at them to find that most of the general stocks I had for sale were far better than the ones he’d brought back from Japan. I do remember once advising him to put a cover on his raised pond in order to prevent any Koi jumping out, I also remember his reply which was ‘Oh, it’s no problem, they never jump’. I think it was a week later that one of his gardeners rang me in a panic to say a huge black fish was flapping around all over his lawn and would we come and rescue it! On occasions Pete would ring me from London and ask if I could send someone round to check out his water and I’d send a guy named Dennis Mitchell around to do the basic checks. Some months previously a friend had begged me to give Dennis a job and a weekly income as his failed motor mechanic’s business had put him into serious trouble with the UK tax office, so much so, if he didn’t come up with a weekly repayment amount they would send him for a holiday at Her Majesty’s Pleasure.

In view of the fact I had several vehicles needing regular attention, I gave Dennis the job. One of the guys later ‘promoted’ Dennis to mixing Malachite Green solution and bottling it one day only for me to find my brand new white Porsche 911 Carrera covered in green stains as I went to drive it home that night! I don’t know about green but the air was a deep blue after I’d finished with him, and had to wait hours until he’d brought it back to showroom condition. Another nice touch of Dennis’s was when he was driving the large truck to Heathrow to collect Koi and he’d filled up at one of the motorway service areas.

He paid for the fuel and then drove onto the motorway – with the petrol pump still attached to the filler cap! I think that cost me £3,500.00 or so. Thankfully Pete and Dennis became quite close, Dennis even got tickets for his TV show. Some months later, Dennis came to me apologetically and said that he would be leaving to work for Pete as he was opening a very large Koi outlet and had asked Dennis to be the manager.

Although the news of the Koi outlet was very surprising I breathed a sigh of relief inwardly as our Dennis seemed to be prone to various disasters in his day-to-day duties. Alas, that was only the beginning of the saga because Dennis, whilst working his notice with me, decided he would impress his new boss by copying several of my container invoices from Japan that detailed all my dry goods I purchased for Infiltration and then keeping them to show Pete when the outlet was ready for stocking. On the other hand, Dennis had no idea at all as to the price of any Koi! Then there was the matter of a very good Kohaku that Pete had purchased a 25% share in alongside 3 other agents. The breeder honestly thought it would take ‘best in size’ award at the All-Japan the following January and it very nearly did – it got 2nd. Award instead – still a world class Koi. In truth, Pete’s 25% payment more than paid the breeder in full for the Koi and yet three others owned 25% shares in it!

When Pete decided to open his Koi business he approached the other three owners and asked how much they would take for their shares so that he could own it 100%. Of course, being good agents and wishing to help Pete, they all said he could buy their shares for exactly the amount Pete had paid for his and Pete readily obliged! I know the cost involved and it was truly eye watering, the three agents received a substantial amount each for something that had not cost them a penny!

Some weeks later, Dennis showed up in a brand new long wheelbase Land Rover and mentioned how lavish the new outlet would be with endless display ponds and a warehouse full of all the Japanese Koi dry goods imaginable. (Soon afterwards I heard that one of Pete’s main intentions was to put me out of business.) Thankfully for me, Pete had decided to stick with the Japanese agents that had supplied his Koi before and, after the lavish facility had been completed, Koi came into the outlet by the ton!

One Japanese agent suggested to Pete that he employ one of his staff who was a ‘Koi Expert’ to take care of his stocks and soon afterwards Naoki Atsushi turned up to live in Pete’s home as Pete was then living on the farm where the outlet had been built. Now I had met Naoki at this agent’s premises several times before where he was a customer who bought a few 3” Koi for a puddle in his garden. Naoki loved Koi but his real love was modern pop music so who better to work for than Pete Waterman? Naoki was also a daily link between himself and the Japanese agent who was supplying endless amounts of Koi at incredibly inflated prices to the farm and he kept his real boss fully informed at all times.

Dennis had not been sleeping in his managerial position and had faxed copies of my dry goods invoices to the Japanese agent who replied with a true masterstroke to say: - ‘Oh, Peter San is paying far too much for his dry goods and I can supply you with the same goods for 30% cheaper at a special price to you where I will make no profit in thanks for buying my Koi!’ (Now I assure you, I was paying 10% above manufacturer’s prices and that was commission for my agent in Japan who prepared all the containers and paperwork involved.) What more could the UK Koi punter possibly want? An outlet with all the Japanese Koi dry goods imaginable and a ‘Japanese Koi Expert’ to speak to (Naoki had learned some English by then). In those days, the consensus was, if you are Japanese – you MUST be a Koi expert – and it worked like a dream with the UK public!

Thus PWL Fish Industries Ltd. Was born amidst all the glitz and advertising possible in all the periodicals and people travelled for miles to gaze at pond after pond of Koi in all sizes and varieties and all commented as to how truly wonderful it all was. No doubt, it decimated my business and I ordered no further dry goods for some time. Although I never visited PWL in its hey day, Naoki would visit my shop to buy Koi for himself – he even fell into one of the ponds on a cold December afternoon! There was a disaster that took place where Naoki confessed to overdosing most of the ponds with Malachite Green and Formalin and hundreds upon hundreds of Koi were lost.

Naoki said he had made ‘a miscalculation’ in dosage rates, which I found to be unconvincing when he related it to me. Thankfully the trusty Japanese agent was standing by to replace them all – and he did! Eventually, even dear old Dennis realised something was not quite right with it all, he was selling dry goods at an alarming rate but very few Koi at all. It was after speaking with Bernard Channing who could supply him with Koi at less than 70% of the prices he was paying that the penny finally dropped that he was being stiffed.

He reported this back to Pete immediately, Pete advised Dennis to order the Koi from Bernard (but only after the existing stocks had been sold) and just use the Japanese agent for dry goods as he needed more and more container loads. That was when the bubble finally burst and Naoki related all this back to his Japanese boss who had been happily losing 20% on his container shipments because of the 700% profit on the Koi supplied! It was then pointed out to Pete that no more containers could be supplied at those prices unless the Koi purchases continued - stalemate! I think it took 3 years or so from start to finish of PWL Fish Industries Ltd.

After Pete’s accountants told him he had already lost 2.5 million pounds and would be crazy to continue. As a result, everything was sold off at ridiculously low prices and the place was closed. As to the Kohaku mentioned earlier, a customer of mine begged me to go with him to the farm, as he was interested in buying it at a knockdown price.

It was the first time I’d seen the place and it was like a bombsite, Dennis had left a few weeks earlier to start a new business. I looked into the pond with a few big Koi and pointed to the Kohaku, it was netted and placed in a bowl, everything about it was perfect so I advised the guy to buy her. My customer then said he could get a better price if he took three Koi and pointed out the other two. I told him to pay more for the Kohaku and discount the other two as they were completely worthless and not even worth considering. My customer, always in search of ‘a deal’ bought all three, the Kohaku won the BKKS National show that year and, as expected, he eventually gave the other two away for 10% of what he’d paid! As to the Kohaku itself, it was purchased from PWL for 5% of what Pete had actually paid for it! Yes indeed, the Hit Man got hit but not enough that he’d really notice it; just a few bruises here and there but despite all the money he threw at it, he still didn’t manage to close me down.

It’s a lesson not to go into anything unless you know something about it first – especially where Koi are concerned. It did however; send repercussions throughout the UK Koi dry goods industry that took another three years before they were to recover.

Another one.for breeders and wannabe breeders.Stephen and Gene, take note.:yes::yes::yes: Say, does anyone find these little stories interesting, so far not even a single animated smiley.:no::scratch::scratch::scratch::scratch::scratch::scra tch: The lure of the Koi In the early 1970’s, when Koi were almost unheard of in the UK, I was a member of the Northern Section of the BKKS and we used to attend monthly meetings in various homes and halls in order to learn more about Koi. One member was a smartly attired and talented Solicitor, he was in his late 30’s and owned a very successful family business in Chester. He became captivated with Koi and often remarked how he wished to breed them as a hobby. After he’d managed to breed some of his Koi reasonably successfully in his lovely garden, the bug bit him more severely. He bought an area of land on an exposed mountainside in North Wales, the land had a very small barn on it and he fitted it out with basic items whereby he could sleep there when required and also cook meals etc. I made a visit there for the first time to see he’d hired an excavator and driver to sculpt earth ponds from the mountainside and explained that each would overflow into the lower pond until the water finally reached a large stream below. By then, his previous neat and professional appearance had suffered, he had long hair and wore very casual clothing, and Wellington boots had now replaced his expensive formal shoes.

The land was basically rocks and boulders with large deposits of slate, but some ponds did hold water that was abundant in these areas - but extremely cold. I mentioned this to him but he shrugged it off with a grin. It became obvious to many of us that his venture must have had an adverse effect on his business. I learned that some months later he’d moved out of his family home and now lived in the barn, his luxury car had now been replaced by a Land Rover that took to the mud and stone tracks much more readily. Some months later he rang me, very excitedly, and urged me to go over again to see his new ‘Koi farm’. It was an amazing sight to behold, there were pipelines draped all down the mountainside, circular metal containers full of water on the few flat areas and large ponds brimming with what initially appeared to be ‘foam’ on the surfaces. His appearance was now that of a true hermit and he’d taken to smoking endless non-standard cigarettes.

He casually mentioned that his wife and children had left him, they had also relieved him of the family business but that did not seem to have any noticeable effect on him. He had a strange ‘fire’ in his eyes as we walked up the slopes and he showed me the reason for the foam surfaces of the large ponds. These were brimming with millions of freshly deposited Koi eggs on piles of floating larch branches and he showed me these with great pride.

He would point to a few and say ‘These are red and whites’; these are yellow ones; these are red and black’ and so on. He then showed me his parent stocks in these metal containers lined with plastic sheets where his sorry parent stocks were recuperating. I placed my hands in the water that he used for drinking and cooking purposes and it was ice-cold. He then asked me into the stone barn where he lived, there was a bed, a stove and piles of fish-farming books/magazines. The interior walls of the barn had not been plastered and the wind blew through the open gaps constantly. He had three layers of clothes on day and night. All he could talk about were what he would do when the eggs hatched and future plans to acquire new ‘brood stocks’.

The very last time I heard from him was when he rang to say the hatching had not been a success, but he knew the reasons why and that he could easily resolve the problem with his next attempts! YAMAMATSU HARVEST? – No way Waddy! Back in the golden days when the Koi hobby in Japan was at fever pitch, Yamakoshi in mid October, was the ‘place to be’ for the real Koi collectors of the day.

Despite the fact that the word of the day was ‘Dainichi’, and it was repeated at every verse-end in Koi conversation, if the real truth was known ‘THE part of Yamakoshi’ to go was Mushigame village. To be specific it was at Yamamatsu or Matsunosuke – whatever name you wished to use, and to anyone who intended to visit, the actual date of the visit was known weeks in advance and committed to memory. The annual one-day event and sole reason for attending was the Yamamatsu harvests of their three best ponds. In those days, there were only two indoor ponds where the new harvests could be displayed and access to these ponds was ‘limited’ at best by way of a single row of planks surrounding them. The ponds themselves, considered ‘large’ at the time were little more than 6,000 gallons and 2,500 gallons. The large specimens were placed in the big pond and the two and three year tategoi in the smaller pond. All others were kept in outdoor ponds next to the tiny house.

The mud pond harvests were supervised and led by Toshio and Toshiyuki Sakai, but even in those days I sensed that Toshio may have had the greater ‘influence’ on the proceedings. For reasons unknown to me, it was only the staff and some hired for the day who made the harvests, there were no outsiders taken along to view the spectacles. I would often set that day aside and get to Mushigame by 10.00am to watch the big harvest trucks being loaded and checked. By 11.30am the small, quiet village was quiet no more, in fact most of the narrow roadsides were blocked with bumper to bumper cars straddling the grass borders and the road itself leaving just enough space for the large trucks to come and go.

As to the cars themselves, there were Rolls-Royce; Mercedes; BMW’s; the odd Ferrari – you name it, and many had uniformed chauffeurs inside them. Add to this the narrow wheelbase trucks driven there by an assortment of famous Nishikigoi breeders from the surrounding areas and it should give some kind of idea of the scene and the atmosphere of it all. This atmosphere increased as the trucks departed for the 20-kilometer return journey through Tanesuhara then to Tashiro village where the three famous field ponds were nearby. As to the owners of the expensive cars, most had come with an agent/advisor who clutched Polaroid shots of Koi seen the previous year or those already owned by the boss and grown for a further year. Many congregated and chatted with each other on the roadside smoking and sipping assorted cans of drinks. I used to sit down on the grass, take a few shots now and then and try to put names to the many famous Koi faces who were waiting for the return of the harvests. As the expected time approached, watches were checked, feet were tapped and the atmosphere increased as ‘show time’ approached.

By then, the ‘pecking order’ could easily be seen taking place as a few very well-dressed gentlemen and their agents stepped up inside the house with the display ponds and balanced themselves on the planks of wood in regimental fashion always leaving just enough room for the Koi to be introduced into the ponds. Eventually the Koi started to be placed into the ponds one by one and then the whispers started. Toshio & Toshiyuki already had their place on the steps of the dwelling house, each smiling and sipping a can of beer.

The onlookers had their pictures at the ready but no fingers were pointed, only whispers in each other’s ears could be seen. It may well have taken 30 minutes of this before an agent would call to the big two and mention a particular Koi in order to get price information and a closer look in a bowl. Whilst all this was taking place, the ‘second team’ were getting impatient as their turn to view approached. These were the famous buyers such as Seiji Hiroi; Hiroji Sakai; Senichi Mano and the likes. I have no idea what kind of money changed hands on those memorable days but it must have been substantial. I had to sit it all out until there was available space but it was more than worth the wait. Perhaps I got my very first glimpse around 4.00pm and it must have been almost dusk before the light stopped me.

No question at all, in those days it was the finest selection of world-class Nishikigoi on the planet! I think it was around 1992 I persuaded Toshio to let me take a trip on one of the harvest trucks and see it all take place with my own eyes, but it may have been 1996 before he’d allow the first foreigner to actually lift his Koi out of the mud ponds. Since then it has become a pilgrimage for Koi enthusiasts from all parts of the world. How times change!

Today's take.Waddy goes exploring:car: and almost does a Robert Scott.:11-20: THE LAST SIGHT OF ‘THE COPPER BEECHES’ or TANESUHARA DANGERS As I have tried to explain many times before, the area in the Niigata mountains which is also named as ‘Yamakoshimura’ (translated as Yamakoshi Village) does not really exist as a village. There is no such place as ‘Yamakoshi village’. Instead Yamakoshi is an isolated ‘area’ in the Niigata mountains which encompasses some seven square miles by seven square miles – not large by any standards. Instead the entire area is mostly countryside but it is also the home of many small villages within it. There are huge areas of pampas grass and evergreen tree forests on the mountainsides together with many rice paddies and Nishikigoi mud ponds which are easy to view from our moving vehicle. However, there are many villages just outside of the area designated as Yamakoshi which also house many other very important Nishikigoi producers.

Many Nishikigoi breeders in the entire area have warned me, strongly, about the presence of small, yet dangerous, black bears in the mountains and many less dangerous wild monkeys. However, up to now, I have never witnessed seeing either of these creatures in real life. One can also see many less dangerous and timid raccoons throughout the area which are known as ‘Tanuki’.

Yamakoshimura still remains a dangerous place to travel through, despite the enormous road and countryside repairs carried out after the Chuetsu earthquake in 2004. However, today it is almost identical as to what it was back then, despite the ravages of the enormous and very frightening earthquake that shook us all. There was panic all around, and not one single mobile telephone could receive a dialing signal.

Over the passing years many roads and mountainsides have been repaired in full and the countryside has been returned to almost normal, yet many large landslides have still to be cleared away. The map of the area I prepared and included in ‘Koi2Kichi’ still remains accurate, with the exception of one new tunnel and a couple of well-signed diversions. I have taken many visitors around this area who have no interests in Nishikigoi at all, and they all have commented as to how beautiful and tranquil the mountainsides and villages are. The large, modern building on the roadside as we enter Takezawa village is the Yamakoshi Village office and many staff are employed there.

Here, one can see large scale maps of the area, and also read some interesting details of the history of Nishikigoi throughout the years, and there are some staff there who are only too happy to translate for you. If any breeders in the area are not completely happy as to the health of their stocks in their indoor concrete ponds, they can simply ring the Yamakoshi Village office. Immediately an official, employed there, will visit them with a microscope and take random mucus samples from their stocks to accurately determine which microscopic parasite exactly is causing the problem. After this he will take a note as to the volumes of water in each of the ponds in question, and then return to the village office. He will then carefully weigh out the correct chemical and exact amount to add the dosages to all the ponds before returning to the breeder and help him to add it to the ponds – this is all done free of any charge. You will also see many areas close to the roadside which have been neatly cultured to grow just about every vegetable imaginable from chillies; peppers; cabbages and a host of root vegetables, and no-one would ever think of stealing these vegetables from the owner – although I have been known to sample the odd raw chili!

There are also many back roads and short cuts along many minor roads that my partner Dennis Wordsworth knows only too well. However, they are only safe to travel on in autumn when the roads have no snow on them, so we always like to show our guests these roads and take photographs of the many incredible views of the mountainsides during our daily sorties throughout Yamakoshi in October. Once in late April, some years ago, Dennis and I were nearing the end of an April trip, and decided to do some exploring through the mountain roads and villages. There were still small areas of snow on the ground as we climbed into the mountains, but nothing as deep as it was when we arrived in early April. After trying out several new roads we had never been on before we found ourselves high in the mountains of Tanesuhara village, which we had passed through many times before on our way to Toshio Sakai’s harvests near to Tashiro village.

The snow here was a little deeper, but we did not consider it to be a problem for our four wheel drive people carrier. We stopped at a corner shop for two cans of hot coffee and drank them in the warm sunshine. We then discovered a road to the left which we had never taken before, so I suggested we took it simply to find out where it led to. We started our drive on the road and passed some hotel complex on our left, and then a very pretty fishing pond also on our left.

After that, the road narrowed considerably, and we then came to two red signs in Kanji on either side of the road,whiih we had no idea at all what they said, so we just continued along the narrow road which appeared to becoming even narrower, and the drop on my side below started to look very dangerous as the snow became deeper the higher we climbed up the mountain. I suggested to Dennis that, if we could find an area to turn around and go back we should take it. As the road, which had now become a single track of pebbles, mud and snow was only barely wide enough for our vehicle and we were now only traveling at about five miles an hour! By now, the drop below on my side to the valley below had become seriously alarming, and the odd slip of a wheel did nothing to boost my confidence. There was not a single place for us to turn the vehicle around, and not a hope of reversing all the way back, so we just crawled higher and higher into the mountain. By then, we were both getting seriously concerned, even though we tried to laugh very nervously!

By now the road was purely a mud and snow track, and to make things even ‘hairier’, there were no other tyre tracks in front of us in the snow, which confirmed that no other vehicle had been along this same road before us. As we continued to climb higher and higher, we finally slid our way above the tree line, and eventually reached the summit of the mountain to find a large area of flat land with several wooden buildings, right on top of the mountain. We parked our vehicle and opened the doors to climb out and kiss the very ground we were standing on!

The wooden buildings were totally empty, and it was VERY cold on the top of the mountain, and the snow was very deep. We had no idea at all as to how far we had travelled from Tanesuhara village, but we now had a choice, which was to turn around and head back from whence we came, or to continue and make our way onwards and down the other side of the mountain. We both did not relish the horrendous journey we had just made so we carried on, slipping and sliding downwards on mud and pebble tracks deep in snow.

It must have taken another 25 minutes or so, of crawling downhill before the road, once more, became a proper concrete road and started to widen out. Very soon, we saw a village way below us and tried to guess the name of the village. By now, most of the snow had cleared and the roads were far safer to drive on. As we finally neared the village, a red pick-up truck was approaching us in the opposite direction, and I realised it was being driven by Shoji Tanaka, owner of the Marusyo Koi farm in Yomogihira village, who was coming up to the lower part of the mountain to check out the condition of some of his mud ponds.

We both stopped our vehicles and climbed out. Shoji pointed to the mountain as if to say ‘Have you both come from Tanesuhara across this mountain’? We nodded our heads and Shoji insisted we return with him to his home and have a warm drink and some noodles. His son, Makoto was at the house when we arrived and speaks a little English. We explained to him about our perilous journey.

He then explained to us that the red Kanji signs by the roadside in Tanesuhara were warnings that the road was very unsafe, and forbidden to travel on at this time of the year. We also mentioned to him about the wooden buildings at the very top of the mountain, and he told us that they were used only in the summer months to feed and house cattle. Since then, we have never been anywhere near that road again. Exploring the byways in Yamakoshi can be very exciting, but it does not need to be THAT exciting!

If any breeders in the area are not completely happy as to the health of their stocks in their indoor concrete ponds, they can simply ring the Yamakoshi Village office. Immediately an official, employed there, will visit them with a microscope and take random mucus samples from their stocks to accurately determine which microscopic parasite exactly is causing the problem. After this he will take a note as to the volumes of water in each of the ponds in question, and then return to the village office. He will then carefully weigh out the correct chemical and exact amount to add the dosages to all the ponds before returning to the breeder and help him to add it to the ponds – this is all done free of any charge.

If only USA could have something like this.:there: Keep them coming, delightful reading. Another one.having the 'eye'.:drool::drool::drool::drool: THE FAMOUS ‘HASHINO SHOWA’ In 1987 I escorted some 25 BKKS members around all the famous Koi breeders in all the major Koi-producing areas of Japan – it was a hectic trip, believe me, which involved lots of travel. Isawa and would be our last port of call after Niigata – but, by then we had all been to Komaki to see Mr.

Narita and then onto Mihara to visit SFF, Omosako, Masutani and Uedera. Finally we made our way by Shinkansen from Mihara to Tokyo, and thence to Nagaoka where we checked into the Grand Hotel – this took a whole day of rail travel. As far as the guests travelling with us I’ll try to recall them, but I’m sure I will miss some out – the memory is not as good as it used to be! Paul Jarrett Mike Wint Rachel Gosling Mary Riddoch Ed Clark Joe Wilmington Greg Peck Phil Edwards Greg Jackson Alan Rogers Ian Stewardson Chris Ball There, I knew I would miss some out, but there were DEFINITELY 25 people in our party – I know, because I had to arrange all the hotels and the rail travel!

I had chosen for us to arrive in Nagaoka on the Wednesday evening which would give us time to take in Yamakoshi, by coach, a whole day on Thursday, and a whole day on Friday to explore the mountainsides. Which would bring us to the annual ‘No-Gyo-Sai’ Nishikigoi show held in Ojiya – and none of us wanted to miss that event! On our two days of exploring the mountains we covered just about every Koi village available. On the Thursday we visited all the breeders in Yamakoshi such as Nigorisawacho; Yomogihira; Mushigame; Takezawa; Minaminigoro; KoguriyamA; Iwamagi and; Utogi; Araya and Budokubo and bought many Koi. On the Friday we went further afield to Ojiya, Wakatochi, Kitayama; Uragara and Koide. This was the day when Ian Stewardson bought the magnifient Doitsu Kujaku from Hiroi Seiji, and agreed to enter her into the show.

Our party finally arrived at the Show at around 11.30 on the Saturday morning and, armed with cameras and video cameras, eagerly visited every pond in the Show. The weather was kind (bright sunshine) and the standard of entries to the show were mostly of very high class. In short, a perfect day! For me, however, it was frustrating, I wanted to inspect the entries closely, but kept being disturbed by breeders who knew me and came over to shake hands with ‘Mr. Peter’ – the penalty for being infamous! In one pond containing ‘Kokugyo Champions’ (best in size, irrespective of variety), I spotted a truly magnificent Hi Showa, and could not tear myself away from her and then went on to take many photographs of her.

She was around 60 cm long, and had won Kokugyo in 60cms prize awards. I checked her photograph which was attached to the pond and, as usual, the important information was all written down in Kanji which I cannot read. Soon afterwards, Mr. Mano of Izumiya came over to me to shake my hand.

I pointed to the Showa and showed him the entry ticket and simply said to him, ‘breeder name sumi ma-sen?’ He inspected the ticket closely and replied by saying, ‘The owner and breeder is Hashino San in Tsunan village. Dead End Shambara Rar on this page. I thanked Mr.

Mano and wrote the details down in my notebook. There is a golden rule when seeing special Koi at a Koi shows, if you wish to buy them, and that is NEVER attempt to buy them there and then at the show itself – especially if has taken serious awards.

The quoted prices will be horrendous. By that time, all our party were salivating over the Showa – especially Joe Wilmington who urged me to get a price for him to purchase her. I then explained to Joe about the ‘golden rule’ and that I would have to find the village, and personally go to the farm to negotiate prices.

The next day, all our party returned to Narita for their trip home, whilst I remained in Niigata to tie up some loose ends – especially the Hashino Showa. I reasoned with myself that, if Mr.

Hashino had one magnificent Koi like that, then he must have several more at his breeding facility in Tsunan village. The ‘plan’ was to visit Tsunan, buy some nice ‘also-rans’ for sale at Infiltration and, as we were just preparing to leave, casually mention the Showa – that was my advance plan!

Alas, Tsunan is some 90 minutes drive away from Ojiya in the opposite direction but a friend offered to drive me there. Eventually after many wrong twists and turns, we found ourselves at Mr. Hashino’s facilty where I eagerly went to look at his Koi stocks, and my heart sank. After inspecting his Koi thoroughly, there was not one other single Koi there I could possibly consider buying, other than the Showa which looked and remained absolutely magnificent – even better than she did at the Show! In the end I had to bite the bullet and just had to concentrate on the Showa. I pointed to the Showa and then asked Mr.

Hashino the price, he immediately ran back to his house, and came back clutching a huge trophy and several large certificates. He then explained to my Japanese friend as to how she had just taken ‘Kokugyo Award’ in 60 cm class at the No-Gyo-Sai, and that she was a very special Koi! I remained non-plussed and wide-eyed, as if I knew nothing and just shrugged my shoulders. Hashino also mentioned that her parents came from Matsunosuke Showa and Sensuke Kohaku. Eventually Mr. Hashino gave me his price for the Showa, however, it was the very first time I had done business with him, and so I thought I would play it carefully. The thought that other Koi buyers would even find his house was rare, so I said ‘Thank you for your price – I will return to Nagaoka to think about it’.

Two days later I found my self back at Mr. Hashino’s facility in Tsunan, where I made an offer to him for the Showa. Eventually, after some discussion, we arrived at a price that we were both happy with. Eventually the Koi came back to the UK and we placed her into our main display pond where we had no trouble with her whatsoever, instead she just kept growing with perfect body and enhanced pigmentation! Koi enthusiasts from all over the UK traveled miles to admire her – after many telephone calls on the grapevine. One year later, Joe Wilmington bought her and I delivered her to his pond.

Some months later Scott Purdin, from the Purdin Koi farm in Louisiana, and Bill McGurk came to Infiltration to ask if I would show them Joe’s collection, so over we went to Liverpool. Scott immediately honed in on the Hashino Showa and begged me to let him have her as a logo for his business – I rang Joe and he gave me his permission, so Scott took the necessary photographs. Two years later the Hashino Showa took Supreme Champion at the BKKS National Show. It is wonderful when a plan comes together! The famous Hashino Showa is now spending its retirement near Dusseldorf. I have bought and imported some wonderful Koi over the years, but certainly the legendary Hashino Showa remains as one of my top ten!

As it is Sunday, here's another one.A blast from the past.:yes: Yamamatsu 1977. Yamamatsu Koi farm. Also in Mushigame village, but at the other extremity of the village from Maruju. Our coach could not access the mud and pebble track which led to the facility, and so we all had to walk down from the ‘main’ road – this was only ‘a wider’ mud and pebble track! Despite our interpreter repeating the name ‘Matsunosuke’ to us many times, we all had great difficulty in pronouncing it. She later explained, via a sheet of paper written in advance, that the true name of the farm was ‘Yamamatsu’ who was famous throughout Japan for originating and stabilising the bloodline of Sanke that were commonly known as ‘Matsunosuke’ – after this, I gave up all attempts of ever pronouncing these names, even though I had printed them in my notebook. This farm consisted of a small, wooden dwelling house, some outdoor concrete ponds and an indoor building, which contained one large, square pond and a smaller rectangular pond.

There were many varieties of Koi there, apart from Sanke there were Showa, Koromo and several Hikarimoyo and Hikarimuji specimens. The owner of the farm greeted us with a broad and cheeky grin on his face, and proceeded to show us some of his Koi by placing them in blue bowls before us, most of the farms we had visited before still used the old, oval wooden bowls. Our interpreter introduced him as Mr. Sakai which we found a lot simpler to get our tongues around. In later years I discovered that the company name of ‘Yamamatsu’ came to be as a combination of YAMAkoshi and MATSUnosuke.

The above picture must have been taken around 1982-3 in Mushigame. It shows Toshiyuki Sakai on the far right with his wife to his left and his son Toshiaki on the far left. Toshio Sakai is in the back centre of the picture with his daughter Miwa and son Toshi in front of him, his wife is standing on his left holding a child.

The lady next to Toshiyuki’s wife is his sister and the mother of Isao Nagashima who now works at this outlet – she also owns a hairdresser’s shop in the village. This picture is Nishikigoi history in black and white! My first impressions of this outlet were overall auras of a ‘friendly and restrained confidence’. Waddy is presently busy with his new filter, the Erica, only official details so far is it involves the color pink and Rhinestones..later Waddy let go of his new girlfriend just long enough to send this picture, apologies for the poor quality, but this is from those innocent days before digital images when every moment was a Kodak moment..remember.:rolleyes: (http://www.koivista.com/display_series.php?page=0&series=3122). Another past from the blast, another showa.ummmm, did I get that right.:rolleyes: THE SFF SHOWA In the spring of the late 1980’s, I was back again in Japan buying Nishikigoi.

On this occasion, I was accompanied by a close friend named Keith Edwards who was also an avid Nishikigoi enthusiast. In August 2009 I met Keith again at a Koi show in Kent where part of our discussions revolved around this Koi. We had visited all the breeders in Yamakoshi, but had only found a few Koi to purchase, so we then went south to Isawa where we visited Toshio Sakai; Sakuma and Haibara who we also could only find a very few Koi to buy from. So then I decided to try and find Koi in Hiroshima Prefecture. Isawa, where we were at that time, is on the way from Tokyo to Hiroshima but is not on the main Shinkansen line, so we had to return from Isawa to Tokyo in order to take the Shinkansen direct trip to Mihara, from Tokyo to Hiroshima for a six-hour rail journey. We arrived in Mihara at around 6.30pm. In glorious weather and checked into the Mihara Kokusai hotel which is right next to the seafront.

We both took showers and refreshed ourselves after which we started a casual stroll around Mihara, which is a really truly beautiful city. There are many small islands of the coast of Mihara, which are so picturesque and many people dwell on these islands.

In view of this, there are many ferry boats coming in and out of Mihara carrying, people and cars, in order to get them to work and back, seven days a week. We next decided to take a couple of ice-cold lagers and found a suitable bar near the seafront.

The bar was almost empty of customers, and, after we had ordered our drinks of ‘bieru’ the owner of the bar asked us why we were both in Mihara and where we came from. I tried to explain that we were both from England and were looking for Nishikigoi. The bar owner recommended that we should pay a visit to the Sakai Fish Farm and I explained that we would be going there on the following day. After we left the bar we started to explore the many seafood restaurants that are right on the seafront in order to buy our evening meal. The wonderful meal was accompanied with two excellent bottles of red wine. After which, we both retired to our beds. The following morning we had arranged to start breakfast at 8.30 before Mr.

Hideo Masutani, our guide for the area, would collect us both at 9.00am. Masutani arrived on the dot and we climbed into his car, the weather was still glorious. Mihara is a really beautiful city. We first visited Mr. Masutani’s own farm and found some wonderful Nishikigoi there from one year to three years old and we bought many of these, which would help to boost our summer selection back home. However, a BAND (British Association of Nishikigoi Dealers) show was approaching in August of that year and I needed a very special Koi to enter into the show. So, after a quick lunch, we headed towards the Sakai Fish Farm, which was only a one-hour drive away.

We arrived there at around 2.30pm. And started to look around the ponds when Hiroji Sakai, himself came over to us and apologised that he had few Koi for sale as his spring Koi sales, that season, had exceeded all his predicted expectations. In any event, we continued to look around all the ponds until I came across a pond which only contained one single Koi – and that was a magnificent 75cms Showa which was resting on the base of the pond and very still. I then asked Masutani San to place it into a bowl for me, in order that I might be able to inspect her much closer. Masutani chose not to net and catch the Koi itself and instead then went to find Hiroji Sakai to carry out the task himself as he was very afraid of possibly damaging the Koi.

However, when Hideo San returned with Hiroji San, Hiroji picked up a large Koi net and handed it to me, as if to say, ‘Go on, you are a professional, and I trust you to net my Nishikigoi safely’. Within seconds the Koi was safely in the bowl and Keith and I were salivating all over her!

She was perfect in every possible way! I then asked Sakai San as to the price of the Koi and he immediately replied by saying that, because he had caused me to pay so much railfares to Mihara and to pay commission to Hideo, he would sell her to me for 1,000,000yen but her actual price to any one other person would be 2,000,000yen.

That Showa was well-worth 1,000,000yen and so I bought her, there and then – Keith also congratulated me! That day, I also bought more nissai and sansai from Sakai San, before we returned to the UK. The Koi was shipped back in perfect condition and was rated by amateurs all around the UK, as one of the finest Nishikigoi, to ever enter the country. Then along came the huge BAND Koi show held in September that year at Stafford where Koi were permitted to be judged ‘Japanese-style’ alongside each other within varieties and size groups. We had two separate shows at these events – one for enthusiasts and the other for dealers.

I entered this Showa into the Dealer’s Showa class but during the judging, two of the judges approached me to tell me it had been entered in ‘Showa’ classification when they would have entered her in ‘Kawarimono’ classification as she was a ‘TRUE Kage Showa’ and, as such, could not be entered in ‘Showa’ class. I explained in detail to these two judges that the Koi was a true Showa from head to tail and that I would continue to enter her into true Showa class. The two judges then explained to me that, if this Koi was entered in ‘Showa’ class, she would not receive any major awards, but if I entered her into the ‘Kawarimono’ class she could receive many more important awards. I refused to budge and kept on saying that she was truly a 100% Showa and that was the classification that I had decided to base my final decision on. One of the judges even said that they could even see the ‘ASAGI LINEAGE’ in this Koi – what a load of TOSH! As promised by the judges, the Koi took no awards, whatsoever, in ‘Showa’ classification at all because this had all been determined in advance, by some of the judges of the day as ‘KAGE’! HOWEVER, WHEN ALL THE JUDGES AT THE SHOW VOTED FOR THEIR FINAL DECISION OF THE DAY IN THE DEALER’S CLASS, MY SHOWA TOOK THE SUPREME CHAMPION AWARD AWAY – AND ALSO IN ‘OFFICIAL’ SHOWA CLASS!

How can this possibly have been allowed to happen? After the show I sold this magnificent Showa to the late and truly wonderful John Pitham at Koi Water Barn, in Kent. God bless John. One more..Waddy in the Playboy Mansion..:drool::drool::drool: ‘IF ONLY I HAD ONE POUND FOR EACH TIME I’VE HEARD THIS!’ I’ve heard it so often, I can almost sense it coming now. It’s often in pubs, bars and other similar gatherings when someone enters the conversation by saying – ‘Oh, so you’re into Koi are you? Last month I did ‘a foreigner’ over a few weekends and put some double-glazing into Fred Williams’ new home, you know, the car dealer – sells Mercs and Porsches down in town.

Well you should see HIS Koi, he keeps ‘em in two bloody great ponds in his grounds. I’ve spent hours with my butties watching ‘em, absolute giants, there’s dozens of ‘em – not one smaller than this (that’s the time when the arms stretch out fully) – and the colours are amazing. Dunno what they’ve cost him, but they must be worth millions upon millions, Fred pointed to one big yellow one and said it was a prize winner – worth more than a new Roller even’. Then it just goes on and on and on, I try to look surprised and impressed, and keep throwing in the odd ‘WOW’ or a gasp, with an incredulous raising of eyebrows at times, before making an excuse to join some others after thanking him for the wonderful information he’d passed on. Although I have never dared do it, it often passes through my mind to reply to these statements by saying – ‘Look dipstick, why don’t you stick to double-glazing?

– and I’ll stick to my subject which is Koi. It’s my job to know where every single Koi of any real value is in the country, and also know where every single good Koi pond is in the country, so please do not spout endless bollocks to me. I assure you, there are not very many of either good ponds or good Koi. I’ve had to know this for the past 30 years ‘cause it’s my job.

Take my word for it, Fred Williams’ ponds will be completely useless, and his Koi will have been bought in job lots from those giving up the hobby, and are desperate to sell after all other avenues have failed, and that’s when Fred steps in and buys them on size alone to impress guys like you, who would not know a good Koi from an average salmon. He most likely feeds them from huge sacks of trout pellets. Without even seeing them, I’d be hard pushed to give him £1,000.00 for the lot, and I’d have to be very drunk at the time!’ Some years back, I wasted a whole day when a party of us were taken by coach to see the legendary mansion, grounds and Koi ponds owned by Hugh Heffner of Playboy fame. I had seen TV programes before showing some of the girls posing in illuminated underwater caverns, surrounded by water full of Koi in all varieties and colours.

I had no doubt in my mind as to what I would see so I wasn’t disappointed – just bored! I don’t know whether Hugh took advice from the guys at Disneyland or vice-versa, but the visual impression was almost the same, purely to impress the innocent visitors who thought that coloured carp were all incredibly expensive. As a result the ‘Ooohs’ and the ‘Aahs’ all followed, some of the ponds were even painted pink! Judging by the tasteful pond surrounds, the landscaper employed must have been a long-since discarded Bunny in need of employment. Each Koi may have been worth the price of one copy of his magazine, but not much more. As to the ponds and ‘filters’ – jackhammers sprang to mind here.

– not really. – now you’re talking! The Koi Experts Firstly let me say I am not a Koi expert. Articles I have written and books I have written on the subjects surrounding Nishikigoi over the years will confirm this statement. I have never professed to be an expert before, I am not an expert now and I will never be an expert.

If some wish to refer to me as one, then it is their error and not mine. However, I do know some true Koi experts and this page should attempt to highlight them.

For those who have read my previous texts over the years it will be noted that my genuine attempts to explain to others various points regarding the subject of ‘Koi Appreciation’ have, at best, been fairly rudimentary to say the least. I have always avoided going in deep in these matters and there are good reasons for this.

The only true Koi Experts I know of in the world are only to be found in Japan. The ones I speak of are professionals in their daily work and many have been raised with Nishikigoi from birth. Most of these people live within walking distance of the area in Japan where Nishikigoi were first produced although some have moved to other areas and a few were born outside these areas. I cannot recall how many times I have re-written a phrase given to me many years ago by one of theses people, which is – ‘To be able to understand Nishikigoi, first you must love them.’ The experts I will name all love or have loved Nishikigoi. Sadly there are some no longer with us.

These people devoted their entire lives to the creatures that fascinated them and yet I know of none of these people where money was their reasons for doing so although realisation of this did play some part, but only after the initial love had first been determined. Before I go on to mention names, I must first mention the Nishikigoi breeders of Japan and know of none who cannot easily select, as second nature, their tategoi produced from their own oyagoi. They do this year in and year out; to them it is as easy as falling off a log. There are many of these guys doing this as their sole source of income and their selection abilities are the real measure of achieving their best possible annual income. All these guys have their own very real expertise in reading Koi produced from their own parents and few can equal or better their abilities but there are a few who can that I know and have known and these are the real Koi experts.

Sakai was a Nishikigoi addict. In the years between 1979 and 1982, I believed he was a Yamakoshi person or a Koi collector from nearby.

There was not a time I can recall when he was not visiting the breeder’s outlets in the area and I would bump into him on so many occasions we even bowed to each other after a while. He was always alone but, whilst I could pass by as a freak foreigner of no importance at all, this man was not, he was famous in the area. It was only when he handed me a card and said ‘Nishikigoi Nihon Ichi-ban’ and pointed to himself smiling, I discovered he was based in Hiroshima which may as well have been the other side of the world to me. I later learned that he was Yamamatsu’s biggest customer and had spent fortunes with him. I can still see him coming out of Dainichi holding a small bag with a 4” Kikusui inside and complaining he’d spent all morning selecting the Koi and had no idea if it was male or female. He said he’d had to pay 80,000yen for it (£133.00 then) and it was not even worth 10,000yen! That first visit to him at his farm opened my eyes as to the visions he had, he said his father had started the business some years before but he was determined to be the best breeder of Nishikigoi in the world.

With each visit the farm expanded and more plans for further expansion were shown as were more parent Koi purchased from all parts of Japan. His base was the middle of nowhere and involved some hours to get there from the nearest cities; by the mid 1980’s he was producing just about every variety imaginable and one of his special customers was Micheo Maeda whom I saw on many visits. Sakai is another legend obsessed with Nishikigoi and always has been the eternal ‘Challenger’.

His achievements go before him with the Koi he has produced and others he has found and purchased from other farms. Yes, he is the best Koi salesman in the world and yes, he does come up with a few terms that belong only to him but when he goes back to Yamakoshi for his regular visits, all his contemporaries feel his presence. There is an ‘aura’ about the man that has only been earned through results and a real vision that has been with him since his youth in Mushigame. Mano, the jovial one who comes over as the happy-go-lucky Koi dealer when, in truth, more world class Koi have passed through his farm than just about any other. He grew up with the best Koi in the world when his father acted as broker or agent for special Koi produced by outlying breeders far too difficult to reach with normal transport. It is said that this outlet was the one that kick-started Minoru Mano on the road to world recognition in Nishikigoi.

There is Yoshiyuki Hirasawa with a stock of Nishikigoi that cannot be equalled in all of Niigata. He breeds every variety known apart from Showa, but if you do see a Showa there, you can bet it’s really incredible and it has been selected and purchased by Yoshiyuki from another farm. There is more than one book that can be written just about this legendary man.

That’s only four Koi Experts mentioned above, each is a Koi producer and each buys from other breeders - there are many others but the list would go on and on. However, there is one loner who has fascinated me from the very day I first met the man back in 1979. The one who resembled a young Yakuza boss, the one who had the immaculately ‘permed’ hair, an assortment of sharp clothes, and a wife who was then known to many simply as ‘Miss Ojiya’. Hiroi is unique. Every Koi breeder in Japan knows this man, who proudly shouts the praises of ‘Nishikigoi from Niigata’ at every opportunity.

He is a Nishikigoi dealer who makes his own rules and sticks by them whatever changes go on around him. His customer base consists of the ‘Who’s Who of Nishikigoi’ over many decades, and his outlet is only a mile from Ojiya station on the main road towards Uragara village (Koi Ginza). As to his ability in being able to supply world-class champion Nishikigoi, one only has to check his considerable Koi CV, and then one can realise just why his business is named Kokugyokan, which modestly translates as ‘House of Champions’. One thing you will not see when entering his main Koi house are ‘also-rans’ – he does not deal in these and never has done.

You may well see some Koi that cause significant ‘scratching of the head’, but they are there for a reason. In earlier times, every Koi he had for sale had been located and purchased from other breeders. Since around 2000 he has experimented in using his only oyagoi, which are Kohaku he breeds each June purely as a sideline. After endless culls of the fry throughout summer, he may end up with a handful of large tosai that may still have some Murata blood in them, again this is more for his own experience rather than an attempt to produce Kohaku that may be able to take on the world. There have been occasions over the years, when Seiji has produced yet another No-Gyo-Sai Supreme, that his dwelling house has been surrounded with cars from all parts of the area. These times are for ‘partying’ and the parties can last up to four days and nights – Seiji takes his celebrating as seriously as he does his trade. As mentioned, Seiji is a Koi dealer who buys stocks from any and every breeder who has Koi that may take his eye and, believe me, ‘eye’ is the important word to note.

At the well known breeder’s outlets Seiji is almost part of the furniture today, but back in the early 1980’s he was buying some Koi from breeders, whose names had never been heard of, even by these other famous outlets. Seiji can get to parts that damp cannot reach because it’s his job! Like many others in the area he has grown up surrounded by Nishikigoi, as did his elder brother who trades less than a 20 minute walk from Seiji, but there all similarities end. His elder brother owns the nearest Koi outlet to the entrance of Ojiya station, it is an all-singing and all-dancing affair at the important times of the year, with a large assortment of small, but immaculate display ponds surrounded by landscaped rocks, lanterns, bonsai and flags to catch the eyes of the newcomers. He has made much money for as long as I can recall in supplying all kinds of Koi to the ‘less-discerning’ of Japanese Koi collectors. In the years from ’79 to ’99, just about all his stocks were purchased from the local auctions in huge quantities.

Hiroi the elder specialises in quantity, I have never even considered buying even one Koi from here although I have walked around the place on many occasions. Hiroi the younger specialises in quality, I have bought many Koi from him over the years. On several occasions I have watched Seiji at work whilst being at the same breeder at the same time. I have purposely been looking, with one eye, in ponds with Koi of no interest to me, whilst my other eye has been locked on to him. He always walks in alone and he always knows which pond he wishes to view.

Once there, he finds his viewing spot and then squats on two knees, the cigarette follows and then silence. More often than not, he is there for five minutes or so and the next time you look he’s gone. I have yet to see him with a camera in his hand and would be surprised if the ones he owns ever leave his premises.

All the information he needs is stored inside his head and is far better to him than the finest computer system could ever be. Seiji Hiroi is a Koi Expert.

There are some times I truly believe that this man is the finest in the world, even at other times he is never out of my top three all time heroes. Seiji is not a dummy and nor are the breeders he buys his Koi from! He pays substantial prices for his tategoi and he grows them as he sees best for each one. Although he probably knows as much of the parentage of an acquisition equally as well as the breeder he has bought it from, this plays no part at all in his selection at all. It is the Koi before him he sets his sights on and only two things matter here. One is his eye and the other is his money.

That’s it folks – his only tools of the trade. Seiji Hiroi is a Koi Expert. He does not write about them, he does not offer tips on ‘Koi Appreciation’, and he does not attempt to teach others about them because he has long-since recognised the futility of this. He grows his tategoi as he thinks fit – each one may need some special treatment and he is the one who makes the decisions. At the end of three, four or more later years in his care he wishes to produce a perfect example of a Koi and offer it for sale at a significant price indeed, he’s been doing this for many years and he is still doing this today.

It is of no importance to him, if a sansai Shiro Utsuri from Omosako’s best tateshita is available vs a number one sansai Shiro Utsuri from Kaneko’s better stocks has been seen or others from Seki or Nagashima are available at the same time. He is not concerned as to how they are classified and rated by the maker, he is only concerned as to how he can get the best profit from it in later years, after he has first decided the Koi is worth a gamble. The term ‘Yorijo’ that can be seen after the names of most Koi farms denotes ‘fish breeder’. Many westerners believe this to be an outlet where fish are bred from parent stocks.

Whilst this may well be true in most cases, the name means a person who grows fish – in this application it refers to Nishikigoi. Believe me, Seiji is a Nishikigoi breeder. For some time now, I have wondered is Seiji is also ‘see-er’ of the future. He has never owned his own parent stocks and I believe he has good reasons for doing this, and nor has he ever had the problem of stocking and disposing with enormous amounts of tateshita produced by way of natural ‘wastage’ in order to get to the ones that have value.

I am saying this because, purely due to exchange rates which do not seem to be getting any better in the near future, now there are other countries who can produce general-grade Koi of a similar quality, for less than one third of the price. True he pays significant money for his stocks, but only after his expertise has weighed up every gamble beforehand. As to his success rate in doing all this? I have no idea at all but perhaps I could give my own estimations. Koi living up to his wildest dreams – 15%.

Other Koi he makes fair to good profit from – 25%. Other Koi he breaks even on – 20% Other Koi he loses a little on – 20% Other Koi he loses a lot on – 15% Other Koi he loses completely – 5% Again, these are only my personal estimations and only one man knows the truth. I, myself can only try to give a ‘skimming of pointers’ regarding the subject of Koi appreciation and evaluation because the most I can give are ‘generalisations’ and ‘assumptions’, both are unwise. Does the reader own or understand what is required by a reasonably good system; the water parameters produced by that system; the depth of the system; the circulation in the system; the stocking rates; the maintenance regimes; the food and the feeding regimes; the annual seasonal temperature variations; the observance skills of the owner – should I continue?

I do know that I have looked at Koi in Japan with pockets full of money in which to actually be able buy them, at the best times of the year, for a total period of time that is greater than any other individual I know of – Japanese or otherwise. However, I am not foolish enough to even consider writing detailed texts, pictures and examples of ‘what to look for when selecting Nishikigoi’. To dare to try and give pointers on ‘Koi Appreciation’ is way outside of my capabilities. I have tried by way of lectures and by texts, and every time I have failed. However, a few of the things I do know are these: - It is a myth and nonsense to even consider that all Sanke, Kohaku or Showa produced by XXXXX breeders have equal ‘traits’ (love that term) when growing these to maturity. How can anyone in the world come out with the oft-quoted phrase heard everywhere today, that this Koi or that Koi ‘Has a Lot to Do’ in their descriptions and opinions? Have they the ability to predict the future?

Do they know the conditions that these Koi will be kept in? It is the Koi you are viewing before you that is the only important point to consider, and it is almost irrelevant as to where it was produced, or by whom it was produced. Once a non Go-Sanke has reached an age over 30 months in Japan there will be little changes apart from lustre, size and volume, this also applies to Gin Rin and Doitsu Go Sanke varieties. Once a Go-Sanke has reached an age over 40 moths there will be little pattern changes from there on in. In ALL patterned varieties, ‘pattern’ is of extreme importance – sorry to harp on. No genuine Koi Expert can possibly advise how one of his Koi will develop outside of his control.

The unknown Koi breeder in the most inaccessible area of Japan has a real chance of producing a future All-Japan Champion. Not a great chance, but a chance nonetheless – Seiji Hiroi is well aware of this - it’s his job! There are books, still available today, written on the subjects of ‘Koi Appreciation’, ‘Development of Tategoi’ and other related subjects. There are articles also written covering these same subjects. There are lectures given also in many parts of the world covering these very same subjects. There are after-show resumes in bars around the world where these same subjects are discussed ad-infinitum.

I am sure it is produced, in the main part, with the best intentions in mind. But who is writing and saying all of this and, more importantly, - is it accurate advice? I’ll leave that to the reader, but one thing is certain, and that is – It ain’t Seiji Hiroi! Great reading. Nishikigoi..so many aspects to deal with, the reason some of us really get addicted. One can never learn everything there is to know.

As a four year hobbyist I'm still trying to predict my pond parameters but I'm getting closer with every season. Maybe in a few years I may be able to apply the concept of growing quality Koi and predicting their growth and quality. True to Japanese culture..Patience and Perseverance.something us westerners possess very little of.

Another one.Waddy and Freddy Mercury, sad. I’M JAPANESE - PLEASE PUT A FILTER ON MY KOI POND A Japanese gentleman contacted me one day and made the above request. He wished me to go to see a pond in London that he’d installed and was already filled with water and all he needed was a filter for it.

His statements were very brief and abrupt, London and back was a days’ travel for me, especially if it was just going to be a wasted day with unnecessary and wasted travel costs. I mentioned that there were several nearer to him who could assist, but he insisted that he’d been told that I was the person to contact. I then told him he would have to pay me for a days work and he immediately paid me by credit card. I then asked him for address details, but he said it was ‘complex’ and so we agreed to meet at the Toddington service area on the M1. After meeting him, he asked me to follow him to the pond in question, and we headed directly towards the centre of London.

We arrived at the destination where a large central block of land was in the middle of two rows of expensive mews cottages that were all kept in immaculate condition – these were also owned by the owner of the central block. The huge central rectangular area was surrounded with a 6 metre tall Japanese-style stone garden wall, my guide pointed to it and told me he had built it. He then presented his card that bore the name ‘The Japanese Garden Company’. I followed him into the grounds of the Japanese garden that surrounded the extremely modern, central dwelling house. The gardens themselves were breathtaking as my guide well knew, he pointed out all his work in detail, I had no illusions whatsoever that he was a true master of his craft.

He showed me some amazing sculptured garden trees and some incredibly beautiful boulders then told me of the specialist suppliers in Japan who had shipped them to him. He then showed me photographs taken of the many huge mobile cranes required to lift and install them into position. (I later discovered that the owner of the crane company used was another customer of mine, and he’d often recalled the expense involved in getting the expensive road access routes granted to allow his cranes into central London – usually only from 12.00 midnight to 6.00am plus all the associated extra labour costs. A small fortune sprang to mind here.) My feet returned to terra firma when he led me to his ‘pond’ where I stared in disbelief at the sight before me. If it had anything at all going for it, it could only be the total length which he pointed out was 30 metres.

Alas, the shape was that of an anaconda making its way through water and the width and depth was one metre maximum – in truth it was a twisted canal. I had to kneel down and feel the sides of the pond to find it was waterproofed with butyl, I do not know how he’d done this, because there was not one single crease or fold anywhere to be seen, and the surface rocks and moss edging hid any traces of rubber. My guide pointed out to me that he was very aware of the aesthetic limitations of liners, and had originally specified construction by concrete as usual, however this client did not wish to wait for the concrete curing and waterproofing, as he needed to get ‘some large Kois’ to put in his pond as quickly as possible, he then stressed his client was fascinated with ‘the large Kois’. I then turned to my guide in utter disbelief and asked – ‘You wish me to filter this so that your client can stock it with Koi?’ to which he replied ‘Of course, the main reason this house and garden has been designed and constructed is as a surround for the pond of Kois – he is a great lover of the Kois.’ Upon hearing this, I sat down on a rock and started to explain things to him as gently as I could. I mentioned that it could be kept clean as in a swimming pool as long as Koi were not involved; I suggested some water plants and a few goldfish; I mentioned that a ‘proper’ Koi pond could also be built on the same land by using some of the same area – I mentioned other suggestions but sensed all my words were falling upon deaf ears. My guide then informed me of all the ponds for very expensive Kois he had designed and installed for the wealthy collectors of the Kois in Japan. (It was then I reflected I had probably seen a few of them, absolutely beautiful as something to gaze at, but a nothing more than ‘a perfect sewer’ in which to keep fish of any kind.) At the end of it all I advised him I could not possibly ‘filter his pond’ and further warned him of the dire consequences that would occur, if he introduced Koi of any size into his miniature ‘canal’.

He then replied by screaming – ‘If you can’t do this, I’ll find an expert who CAN do it!’ As I made my way to the exit steps near the house, a very lean and diminutive figure stepped out of the open glass doors. He held a warm drink in his hand and was clad in tee shirt and jeans, but had bare feet; he couldn’t have been much more than five feet tall. As I was passing he raised his hand and said – ‘You the guy that’s going to put the filter on then mate?’ I stopped and saw my ex-guide approaching from behind, so I quickly replied ‘Look mate, PLEASE take my advice, do not even think about putting Koi in that sewer you have here.

I promise you, if you do, they will all die!’ He just stared at me through strange, sunken eyes. As I was going down the steps I heard my ex-guide saying ‘Please don’t worry, I’ll get someone else.’ I think it was after I finally found the M1 northbound that the penny dropped, and I realised that I’d seen the same guy performing on Live Aid a few months before, where he came over as a perfectly formed, veritable giant of a man. I have never been a Queen fan, but this was the Freddie Mercury as seen on that day, it was hard to accept that it was the same person – but unfortunately it was. That was just under a year before he passed away, it is said he bought Koi to the value of some £35,000.00 from a London garden centre outlet that had been trading for many years. I doubt if they had ever had that value of Koi on their premises if you added the total Koi they had ever offered for sale over all their years in business. The Koi were introduced to Freddie’s delight, but problems started within days and another expert was called in.

He removed them and took them away for ‘treatment’, whilst Freddie just bought some more and the further expected disasters followed. The tale does not end there, almost a decade later, a firm of London solicitors contacted me to ask me to give a valuation of a Koi collection that previously belonged to one of their clients. The Koi had all been lost due to an electrical error made by contractors whilst installing a new garden lighting system at their client’s premises, but photographs had been taken of all the dead Koi. The Koi had been removed into large temporary ponds as advised together with temporary filtration and aeration. It was said that no circuit breakers had been included and a shortage occurred one night, the entire collection had been lost immediately. A close lady friend of Freddie had inherited the London property, and he’d stressed to her the significant value of the Koi before he died.

The lady had always kept this in mind convinced they were truly rare specimens of world class Koi. If I recall correctly, they sent over 50 photographs to me, some had one Koi and others up to four Koi, each picture had the sizes on the back of the photo to find an average size of 60cms. I listed each one to find only 10% could be classified in any kind of ‘variety’; there was not one that could possibly have ever seen Japan; many were orange with black speckles in different sizes; some were simply carp.

I put my valuation besides every listing and then totalled the final amount, which came out at a little under £2,000.00. Some days later my account was paid and that’s the last I heard. One more..;) ‘TATEGOI’ AFTER THE WAKAIGOI SHOW IN OJIYA MANY YEARS AGO, I FOUND MYSELF WITH MR. MASUTANI IN HIS CAR LOOKING FOR SOME TATEGOI HE WANTED TO FIND IN YAMAKOSHI. MASUTANI IS FROM HIROSHIMA, AND HAD THREE OF HIS OWN KOI HE HAD ENTERED INTO THE SHOW IN THE BACK OF HIS CAR TO DRIVE BACK HOME, BUT HE WANTED TO SEE IF HE COULD FIND TWO MORE TATEGOI TO DRIVE THEM HOME ALSO. THE ROAD DRIVE FROM NIIGATA TO HIROSHIMA TAKES SOME FOURTEEN HOURS. AFTER VISITING MANY BREEDERS, WE FOUND OURSELVES AT YAMAMATSU WHERE MR.

MASUTANI SPENT A FEW MINUTES LOOKING AT SMALL NISSAI.(30 cm) IN ONE OF THE PONDS. HE CALLED OVER TOSHIYUKI SAKAI AND ASKED HIM TO NET TWO OF THEM INTO A BOWL WHICH HE DID. MASUTANI STUDIED THEM CLOSELY, TO MY EYES THEY WERE ONLY ‘GENERAL GRADE’ SANKE WHICH I WOULD NOT HAVE EVEN CONSIDERED TO PURCHASE.

MASUTANI ASKED ME WHAT I THOUGHT OF THEM AND I GAVE HIM MY HONEST ANSWER THAT I THOUGHT THEY WERE JUNK. MASUTANI SMILED AND THEN ASKED TOSHIYUKI FOR PRICES. AFTER A WHILE TOSHIYUKI SAID ‘THEY ARE BOTH MY TATEGOI AND I NEED 200,000YEN EACH FOR THEM (£1,200.00) FOR THEM, BUT IF YOU TAKE THEM BOTH I WILL GIVE YOU A DISCOUNT AND LET YOU HAVE THEM BOTH FOR 350,000YEN (£2,100.00) – MR. MASUTANI SHOOK TOSHIYUKI’S HAND AND PAID FOR THEM BOTH IMMEDIATELY AND THE KOI WERE THEN PACKED AND OXYGENATED. MASUTANI ASKED ME TO TAKE A POLAROID PHOTO OF THE KOI FOR HIM, WHICH I DID AND HANDED IT TO HIM.

LATER, AS WE WERE DRIVING BACK TO NAGAOKA, I KEPT ASKING WHY HE HAD PAID SO MUCH FOR THESE KOI, BUT MR. MASUTANI JUST SMILED, HE THEN DROPPED ME OFF AT MY HOTEL AND THEN STARTED THE LONG DRIVE BACK TO HIROSHIMA. SOME THREE YEARS LATER I FOUND MYSELF BACK AT MR. MASUTANI’S KOI FARM NEAR MIHARA STUDYING HIS STOCKS. IN HIS MAIN POND HE HAD ONE MAGNIFICENT SANKE WHICH I COULD NOT TAKE MY EYES OFF – SHE WAS AROUND 70CMS. LONG AND ABSOLUTELY PERFECT, SO I ASKED FOR A PRICE.

MASUTANI HOWLED WITH LAUGHTER, RAN BACK TO HIS HOUSE AND CAME BACK CLUTCHING A POLAROID PHOTOGRAPH. YOU GUESSED – IT WAS THE SAME POLAROID I HAD TAKEN FOR HIM AT YAMAMATSU. HE POINTED OUT TO ME THAT HE HAD ALREADY SOLD ONE FOR 2,000,000YEN (£12,000.00) AND THE REMAINING ONE WAS AVAILABLE AT THE SAME PRICE!

I WAS TOTALLY STUNNED TO SILENCE, IT WAS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF THE UGLY DUCKLING TURNING OUT TO BE A BEAUTIFUL SWAN! One more story.Waddy and Stock Brokers.:confused2::confused2: KOI AS AN INVESTMENT As most of us all know, Koi are even less of an ‘investment’ than a new motor car. But this is not the case in some people’s view. On one visit to Yamakoshi I had a couple of spare hours, and so Den and I visited the bullring at the top of Koguriyama village to watch the event. There was an American Koi dealer sitting behind us and we smiled and nodded, he had a customer with him and we shook hands. That evening, the customer rang me at my hotel, he must have heard that I always stayed there. We exchanged small talk and then he mentioned a Kohaku he’d seen at Dainichi that he was considering purchasing.

I asked him why he had not already bought it, and he replied by saying he had to fly home the next day so he had no time. I then said he could make his mind up and ring his dealer if he wanted to make a definite purchase, but he said he’d rather I looked at it first and report back to him with my comments. I forgot all about this until two days later when he rang again from his home in Canada.

He described the Koi to me and said he’d named her ‘Aphrodite’ because she had a heart-shaped pattern on one flank. He urged me to go and see her and - in his words ‘report back’. I said we would make a visit when we had time, but he urged me to go as soon as possible, he said he’d ring back the next day. We both went to Dainichi in Ojiya the next day and spotted the Koi in a large pond of 75cms to 80cms Koi.

Futoshi Mano came over and we asked to see the Koi in a bowl, within a few seconds we had her in front of us. Her condition was perfect, her body and shape was fine and the pattern quite pleasing – in all, a very nice Koi. That evening, upon returning to the hotel the desk clerk told me a man from Canada had left 4 messages for me, I opened the room door to hear the phone ringing, and he was on the line! He asked me what I thought of her and I replied by saying she was indeed a very nice Kohaku. It was then he asked me my opinion as to her chances of taking Supreme Champion award in the All-Japan show in four years time, and I was speechless for the first time in a long time!

I tried to reply by saying – ‘It depends on the competition on the day’ or ‘It depends how she grows over the next four years’ etc. Etc., but before I could explain it all he came back with – ‘I have it on good authority that Dainichi are grooming this Koi for the All-Japan in their best mud pond’. This struck me as strange, I have heard the term ‘best mud pond’ so many times before and since when, in truth, there is no such thing.

Some mud ponds are far larger than others and so stocking rates are added accordingly, at the end of the day the Koi share roughly the same volume of water whether they are in a large mud pond or a smaller one. Some mud ponds may require re-lining with surface clay after three or four years, and these will always be attended to, but the results are pretty much the same in producing optimum conditions. The conversation went on with the guy intimating he had this ‘inside information’ on this particular Koi, and that it would be worth a small fortune if his inside information was correct – then he mentioned it could well be a ‘worthwhile investment’ whilst I shuddered at the statement – especially knowing that only one Koi per year from the whole of Japan could ever take the major award. It was then he told me that his business revolved around the investment markets dealing in stocks and bonds. It then followed that he asked me to return to Dainichi, get a price for the Koi and also obtain growing costs for it for four years.

He then insisted I email him with all the details in writing, the next day I rang Futoshi, asked him for a price and confirmed that the growing fee would be as per normal. That night I emailed this information to the guy to say the cost of the Koi was 4.5 million yen and the growing/keeping cost per year was 50,000yen. (In Yamakoshi, the growing/keeping costs for Koi up to 3 years old is 30,000yen and those over that age are 50,000yen – this is as common as knowing the price of milk or a liter of petrol.

In some cases where the breeder has realised more than he expected for a Koi, he may grow the Koi for free.) Within seconds of sending the email, the guy was on the telephone to me. The first thing he said was ‘Buy the Koi for me’, the next thing he said was ‘You have made a mistake in the growing fees’. I replied by saying that there was my commission on top of the price of the Koi, and that my stated growing fee was accurate. I then told him I bought nothing for a customer without advance payment in full. I then asked why he had not bought this through his own dealer and the conversation suddenly changed to other matters like where to transfer funds to my bank in Nagaoka. He promised the funds would be with me within 7 days, and implored me to purchase the Koi for him immediately.

After the call, I contacted Futoshi and asked if he would hold the Koi for me for a few days, he said he would but would contact me first if anyone else wished to buy it, in real terms the Koi was secure. The guy rang me every single day after that and, after the funds had arrived and I had paid Dainichi the full amount for the Koi plus one year’s growing fee, I told the guy it was his Koi now.

He was absolutely over the moon and immediately mentioned a large Sansai Sanke at Yamamatsu he wished me to comment on after emailing a picture of the Koi. I had to visit Yamamatsu to pay for some Koi purchases and finally spotted the Sanke in one of the smaller ponds, it was a Koi I would never have looked at for longer than 5 seconds.

I picked up a net and brought it to the surface, as I did so, Toshiaki entered the Koi house, looked at the Koi and then looked at me with a puzzled look on his face, I let the Koi back and smiled. As expected that night, the guy asked about the Sanke, I said it was not worth the airfreight costs even if it was given to me as a gift and the man went quiet. After a while he said – ‘That is Yamamatsu’s number one sansai’ and I started to laugh whilst saying – ‘Who on earth told you that?’ He then said he had bought the Koi and had yet to pay his dealer in the USA for it, and his dealer was asking him for his payment every day. He then told me the price he had to pay which made the Dainichi Kohaku look extremely cheap and my eyes rolled upwards after I had taken it all in. 7.5 million yen for a Koi I would be hard pressed to pay 5,000yen for! Then followed the next bombshell when he related the growing cost for the Koi was 500,000yen for one year! It was later that I learned that once he had paid the dealer for the Koi, the dealer would fly back to Yamamatsu and pay him for it – always providing the Koi had not been sold before he got there!!!!

I never actually found out the original price he’d been quoted for the 4.5 million yen Kohaku at Dainichi, but from the reaction to the price I told him where he quickly said ‘Buy it now!’ - it must have been truly horrendous. This is only the beginning of this tale and the guy bought several other Koi through me, always with the belief that he had found the special Koi that would go on to take the coveted supreme award at the All-Japan show.

He would then sell them at a huge profit and make untold fortunes for his careful investments – that was the theory at least. Of course it never happened and eventually realisation finally dawned on him. As far as I know, the Kohaku may still be at Dainichi, if she is, she must be at least 19 years old by now!

Today's tale.Waddy on Koi dealers.:there: Before I really get down to these texts I should first point out where I stand firmly. The Koi dealers all around the world are, with a few exceptions, the biggest Koi fanatics you will find anywhere – they are hooked on Koi just like me and just as stupid as I have always been! However there’s an enormous chasm between ‘what it was before’ and ‘how it is now’.

No question, Waddy was extremely lucky in deciding to become a Koi dealer when he did. It wasn’t planned in advance, it just happened. The market for Koi in the UK reached truly remarkable levels between the early 1980’s and the late 1990’s, and Waddy just happened to be there all the way through.

The incredible sales produced back then allowed for endless visits to Japan in order to learn and learn, at a time when sterling actually meant something. The overheads in running Waddy’s business throughout all those times were laughable, because for every day the overheads presented themselves, the income generated in that same day was more than 50 fold so, everything became relative and large amounts of money were just commonplace. Mistakes and howlers could be made and paid for without really feeling the effect of them for more than a few days.

Had Waddy’s intentions been to make a rapid pile and walk away, he could have done that by ’97 but it was the day-to-day involvement and excitement that continued to stoke the fire inside. Of course those days are long gone, for some years now the UK Koi business has been decimated, and the few left standing know full well that every penny counts, and even one mistake made now can be disastrous. There are few Koi outlets around now that can meet the costs of legitimate business premises and all that surrounds these buildings. Some major Koi outlets have diversified to other ventures such as garden centres; pets; other ornamental fish and even goods that have nothing at all to do with being a Koi dealer. Many others have simply closed their doors for good. It was in 2003 I first felt that the actual ‘demand’ for Koi was beginning to reduce slightly, I mentioned this to a few others but no one really seemed to be concerned. By 2005 I knew I was absolutely correct and that was the BIG problem – lack of demand!

Since then we can all throw in words such as ‘world recession’; ‘increased utility costs’; ‘increased motoring costs’; ‘dismally bad exchange rates’ and the likes, and these all do play a ‘part’. However, as far as the UK is concerned, it is the ‘reduced demand’ that has really twisted the knife! Today, the choice of available Koi is wide, from Japanese to Israeli to ‘home-bred’ to those bred in many other countries all over the world. Call me old-fashioned but, for me and my requirements, there’s still only one choice. My ‘choice’ is no different now that it has ever been and please do not mention the oft-quoted old chestnut of ‘Yes, but the Koi bred in such a country are coming on in leaps and bounds.’ The answer is the same which is ‘Yes, they may well be coming on in ‘leaps and bounds’ but so are the Japanese-bred ones – and usually in much greater leaps’. But that’s only a personal view and observation.

However, the choice of which country we buy our Koi from still remains and there are still many avid Koi enthusiasts around in the UK today, albeit their once-numerous like-minded enthusiasts have now been reduced significantly. Of the Koi outlets with Japanese Koi as their main (sometimes only) stocks, these are being caned much more than those with cheaper Koi for sale from other countries. It also does not help when many are referred to as being ‘overpriced’ and ‘rip-off merchants’ and such, from the likes of some enthusiasts who have been to Japan once or twice some years back, and they are convinced they know the true price of Koi, when in truth they know absolute ‘Jack’! To prove they know ‘Jack’, I’ll quote an actual example where I know every price and cost involved in great detail, and this should get as near to the bone as it possibly can. It should probably put some light on the matter as to whether the UK outlets today are as guilty as labelled or not. Since late 1982 I have selected 100 nisai Kohaku from Hasegawa in Ojiya and this went on every single year up to 2004 – 22 years in total.

Throughout this time span, the base price of the Koi has remained exactly the same. There are between 2,500 to 3,500 closely packed Koi to choose from depending on the year and it takes me an entire day to select the 100 I wish to buy. The moving of the net has to be slow and careful in order not to damage other Koi, and usually I select them in fives before inspecting them closely in the bowl. Often, one or two are rejected and replaced and so it goes, it is usually dusk before the job is completed. This is just a part of the job although few realise what’s involved.

Of course, many of those ‘in the know’, also knows that Hasegawa always has this wonderful selection to choose from – just as long as you get there at 6.00am on the 14th. October (unless otherwise informed) and you stand behind me, because I have always had the first choice! In truth, this choice is available on only one day of any given year and you must be there on that day because, if you snooze – you lose! In late 2004, I offered these 13” to 14” Koi for retail sale at £295.00 each, which was £251.00 plus VAT. I offered these for sale at £295.00 each because that is what someone coming in to view Koi needs to see clearly above a pond – one price for all.

In truth, they should have been priced with a sign saying ‘From £125.00 to £395.00 – ask for prices.’ However, the public do not like these vagaries at all, hence the original sign. Usually the first 20 will sell at £295.00 – total bargains!

Then the others will be reduced to £225.00 each or two for £375.00; the remainders will be reduced to £160.00 each or three for £375.00 and so on. The last to go will be sold at £95.00 each – at the end of it all, the same desired retail price is eventually realised. Then another realisation has to be faced, had I only selected 50 Koi then my buying price would have increased by 50%; had I only selected 10 Koi then my buying price would be increased by 500% - if you follow the drift. Had I bought one special Koi from the tategoi selection inside (same age, same size, same variety) then the price for that one may well have been the same as the price paid for the 100 Koi. Then we must also take into account what the retail price would have been in 2004 had I selected 500 Koi that would have, most likely, reduced my base price by 60%?

How can anyone possibly come out with the statement that ‘They know the price of Koi’? Now, relate the exact same scenario in October 2009, my base price will be exactly the same as it has always been for 100 selected Koi from Hasegawa. My air fare will be exactly the same, as will internal travel; car hire; diesel; hotels; food; drinks; air freight etc. – always providing this is paid for in the currency of the country visited – in this case Japan. Alas, today in Japan our currency is almost useless, add to this the enormous increases in normal UK business and running costs listed above, then deduct the insignificant 2.5% VAT reduction the government has generously given us all, the Koi selling at £295.00 in late 2004 will have to sell at least 2.2 times that price today which is £650.00 by my reckoning – that’s if the exchange rate figure in August 2009 is applied.

At the end of all of this, the UK dealer is not making any% increase in sales profit whatsoever and nor is the Japanese breeder. Still the ones who continue to profess that they ‘know the price of Koi’ cry ‘Rip-Off’ or ‘I find it hard to get my head around THOSE prices’ at every available opportunity. Download Free Joe Sample Sample This Rar Software Downloads more.

Of course there are ways around it all for a UK dealer today, simply buy Koi in Japan for a little under half of what one usually paid, and 2004 retail prices can still be advertised – the only set-back here is that the Koi offered for sale will be less than half as good as they were in 2004! Today the valiant band of ‘Japanese Koi’ outlets still here in the UK also need to sell many items of dry goods to supplement reduced Koi sales, and this is reflected in their very detailed websites where many are kept in stock.

If not, a telephone call to the supplier can usually get the items delivered to the customer on the following day. It ain’t easy today by any stretch of the imagination, and these outlets are to be admired as they continue to keep the lines open from the Japanese breeders to those Koi nuts in the UK who still wish to buy some special Koi.

Believe me, even in the days of plenty, these guys didn’t go into it with visions of piles of cash at the end of the rainbow. Most of them did it because they just love being involved with Koi, and do you know what? They still do!

Respect guys! Another blast from the distant past.Waddy meets a Sakai.:yes: Isawa Nishikigoi 1982. Isawa Nishikigoi Center - Yamanashi prefecture. I was first taken to the Isawa area by Mr.

Kawabata who was employed at the Chiba offices of Kamihata. Isawa is some 200km south of Nagaoka, and is a modern, bustling city with all amenities. The land is flat and the temperature is much warmer than the north. The ground water supplies are excellent, yet there are few areas where mud ponds can be excavated, as the ground will not retain the water. After an afternoon visiting Sakuma Koi farm; Yoshida Koi farm; Gamo Koi farm and Haibara Koi farm, we found a nearby hotel, took a shower and a meal and then slept for the night. The next morning we entered the Isawa Nishikigoi Center where I first was introduced to the owner - his name was given as 'Sakai San'. The facility was enormous, but had the outward appearance of a scrapyard!

Pond after pond after pond - all large and all outdoors, he also had several large indoor ponds which appeared to be for his more expensive stocks. I was asked to look around his farm freely, whilst Kawabata San and Sakai San took tea and made conversation.

If you need 'the reddest reds' - which I did; if you need 'the blackest blacks' - which I did and if you need 'the whitest whites' - which I did, then look no further than this outlet because every Koi in the ponds screamed of this incredible depth of pigmentation. I also knew that every Koi enthusiast back in the UK would actually fight to own just one of these specimens. After impatiently waiting for a further 30 minutes or so, Sakai San finally came out of his office and ambled over towards me with a deadpan face. I pointed to a pond and asked - 'Ikura Desca'? - how much please? He looked at the Koi in the pond and simply replied - 'Takai' - expensive. Thus followed more ponds where the same answer followed.

I immediately re-named him in my mind as 'Takai San' (Takai translates as 'expensive') as opposed to 'Sakai San' and started to become very inwardly agitated. Sakai San noticed my agitation immediately and began to smile, he already knew I needed to buy his Koi and I also knew that he knew!

After a further three hours of selection and serious negotiation, I purchased many Koi that day. As we drove back to Tokyo that afternoon, I gazed at the Polaroid photos I had taken of my purchases and the very high prices I had paid to Takai San. I then tried to imagine these Koi on display back in my ponds at Infiltration and the gasps that would emanate from the Koi enthusiasts of the day, knowing full-well the prices I would have to charge. I think I had sold every single one of these Koi after a mere two weeks of arrival in the UK! A few customers and dealers back then also wanted to know the breeder of these Koi, and I chose to refer to them simply as 'Sakai Sanke' - the Koi world was not yet ready to be able to pronounce 'Matsunosuke'.

Alas, this resulted in confusion some years later when some UK dealers began to visit Japan to find 'Sakai Sanke'. They did find them and bought them, only to discover later they had bought them from the wrong Sakai! I was then besieged with telephone calls asking when more of these Koi would be available.

Although I returned again and again to 'Takai San' and purchased many more Koi from him, it was not to be until 1986 or so when he finally decided to take me under his wing, and the relationship between us grew as the years passed. I owe more to this man in the subject of Nishikigoi than any other. My first impressions - 'complete arrogance with total disconcern'. One more..Waddy in the Playboy Mansion..:drool::drool::drool: ‘IF ONLY I HAD ONE POUND FOR EACH TIME I’VE HEARD THIS!’ Some years back, I wasted a whole day when a party of us were taken by coach to see the legendary mansion, grounds and Koi ponds owned by Hugh Heffner of Playboy fame. I had seen TV programes before showing some of the girls posing in illuminated underwater caverns, surrounded by water full of Koi in all varieties and colours. I had no doubt in my mind as to what I would see so I wasn’t disappointed – just bored! I don’t know whether Hugh took advice from the guys at Disneyland or vice-versa, but the visual impression was almost the same, purely to impress the innocent visitors who thought that coloured carp were all incredibly expensive.

As a result the ‘Ooohs’ and the ‘Aahs’ all followed, some of the ponds were even painted pink! Judging by the tasteful pond surrounds, the landscaper employed must have been a long-since discarded Bunny in need of employment. Each Koi may have been worth the price of one copy of his magazine, but not much more.

As to the ponds and ‘filters’ – jackhammers sprang to mind here. – not really. – now you’re talking! Waddy all right, so the Koi were no good.you seem to have forgotten to report on the swimming mermaid Bunnies, were there any Tategoi amongst them, or were they all Tateshita..:scratch.

Koi - Origins & Myths The correct name today for ‘Koi Carp’ as many generally refer to them is ‘NISHIKIGOI’ (nish-key-goy) – taken from the Japanese term that translates as ‘brocaded carp’. The Japanese words ‘Koi’ or ‘Goi’ simply translate as ‘Carp’.

The real origin of these coloured creatures was, in truth, more of an accident than by any real intentions and they are truly ‘man-made’ - albeit originating from the ancient, wild black carp known in Japan as ‘Magoi’, however, Magoi are not a native species to Japan as many still believe. Magoi – (Latin name ‘Cyprinus Carpio’) were originally only indigenous to the temperate climate areas surrounding the Caspian Sea and were, in later years, introduced to many other parts of the world for valuable food purposes via the Crusaders and the monks. They are ‘temperate water’ species as opposed to being a true ‘cold water’ species. It is said that Magoi were introduced in the mid 1700’s into Niigata Prefecture by the wealthy landowners of Nijimura, (twenty villages) - a mountainous area lying due north west of a straight line between Nagaoka and Ojiya cities which was mainly involved in rice farming together with vegetables and a few beef cattle. The landowners employed local peasant farmers to carry out the work of growing rice and tending the vegetables for the summer and autumn months but snowfalls of over six metres in winter stopped all work and thus, all earnings.

The peasants living in these mountains had only rice and vegetables to eat during the winter months, as it was not possible to travel to the coast to find fresh fish, they were prisoners in their own homes due to snowfall. Since those early times in Japan, Magoi have escaped or have been intentionally introduced into the waterways of Japan’s eco-system and are, by far, the largest species of fish to be found there today. The largest (longest) Magoi ever to be recorded in Japan was netted by fishermen in Lake Biwa, (Japan’s ‘inland sea’) in the mid 1980’s and measured exactly two metres. It was later transported to an aquarium centre in Kyushu but could not adjust to the water make-up and sadly died some days later.

This picture shows a rod-caught, record-breaking ‘carp’ weighing 44 kilos, taken from a lake in France some years ago. One only has to look to see how little this resembles the original true carp. These 'fish' have evolved over many years into an entirely different species in order to withstand much colder winter temperatures.

Even so, the biggest specimens are still only found in warmer parts of Europe where thousands of dedicated carp anglers make their journeys to fish for them today. Back to Japan now, Takezawa village office records state that in the late 1780’s, some coloured Carp were produced by local villagers as a private hobby but it was not until the 1820’s to 1850’s that crossbreeding between red and white parent Carp produced ‘Sarasa’ – a white Koi with red spots on the belly. This is said to have been produced in Takezawa village where the monument to the birthplace of ‘Fanciful Carp’ can still be seen today. Monument to the first coloured carp, this can be seen today in the centre of Takezawa village after it was re-sited in the late 1980’s from the original roadside location between Katsuraya and Mushigame villages. Over the last sixty years or so, many onlookers have built up the myth that Nishikigoi have been a part of Japanese culture and heritage for Centuries.

They have been wrongly included alongside true Japanese traditions such as Origami; Japanese Garden Landscaping; Ikebana and Japanese (Samurai) Swords. This has been further enhanced by the oft-quoted reference to a Higoi named ‘Hanako’ and said to have lived to the ripe old (and impossible) age of 278 years after living her life in a spring-fed pond in Japan – more later. Alas, Nishikigoi are not a part of the traditions of Japan and have only really been seen first hand by the majority of Japanese people living today, since the 1960’s. At around the early part of the 1900’s the name ‘Nijimura’ was changed to ‘Yamakoshimura’ and coloured Carp began to be produced in greater numbers right up to the outbreak of WW2 where most of the coloured Carp were eaten by the villagers in a time when food was almost impossible to find. Since those early times, Magoi have escaped or have been intentionally introduced into the waterways of Japan’s eco-system and are now, by far, the largest species of fish to be found there. Yamakoshi spring scene showing man-made mud ponds (‘doro-ike’) being filled again after the winter snows.

Koi will be introduced to these ponds in mid-June. The large plastic hoses shown are used for transferring water by siphon from higher ponds to those lower down the mountainsides. Yamakoshi winter scene showing mud ponds filled with snow water This area in winter, in those times, could have snowfalls of 6 metres deep coupled with summers of intense heat. The original plan was to breed the Magoi males and females in spring and grow the fry throughout the summer months in the warm water reservoirs high in the mountains mentioned earlier.

By mid October the fry were around 4” (10cms) long and could be harvested, salted and stored for food. These young carp could then be eaten during the harsh winter period ahead when most villagers were housebound due to the heavy snowfalls and at a time when supplies of animal protein were almost impossible to find. Parent Magoi were usually kept indoors for winter in earthen ‘ponds’ dug into the floors of dwelling houses. They had to be kept there during the winter to protect them against the freezing outdoor temperatures until they could be used to spawn and produce fry again during the following spring. (The parent carp originated from different strains of Magoi initially imported from several lines (‘Tetsu Magoi’ and ‘Asagi Magoi’ being the most prominent names given) yet all these varying Magoi strains produced fry that made valuable edible food for the table.) During some harvests of the small Magoi it was noted that a few showed the odd, coloured scale, presumably due to interbreeding of these different strains of parent Magoi. Some carp farmers kept these as their own pets and, purely as a private hobby, bred them with other carp from local farmers that were also showing some coloured scales.

It was never realised at the time, nor was it considered to be of any possible importance, but this discovery was the 'very beginning' of the Nishikigoi we can see today. At around the turn of the Century there were several small breeders producing ‘coloured carp’ (then known as ‘Irogoi’) purely for ornamental purposes.

They were also selling some of their production to wealthy professional people in the surrounding areas who had ornamental garden ponds in which to keep them. In those times it was only possible to transport them for short distances. In 1914 the Tokyo Taisho Exhibition was held and 28 ‘Irogoi’, from Yamakoshi, were transported by slow train in badly leaking wooden ponds and displayed to the Japanese public for the very first time. Many were lost in transportation and also during the exhibition itself. The surviving Koi were then taken from the exhibition afterwards and introduced into the huge moat that surrounded the Emperor’s Palace in the centre of Tokyo.

An artist was commissioned to make a record of this event and that original and only document is owned today by a business acquaintance of mine who lives in Chiba. (He discovered this unique document for sale in the huge second-hand book store area in Tokyo during 1985 and purchased it complete with the lavish wooden presentation case, for £2.00! - It now resides in a Tokyo bank vault!) Most Koi and parent Koi were lost in the mountains during the Second World War and serious attempts in breeding could only be continued in earnest after the war ended. However, in the other parts of Japan, it was not until the early 1960’s that coloured carp really became well known it and this was directly after the invention of the vinyl bag.

It was soon learned that the bag could be filled with water and then inflated with pure oxygen for safe transportation of the Koi – hitherto this was not possible. During the mid-1960’s Nishikigoi became very popular in Japan and have since been exported to many countries all over the world. The first few Nishikigoi were imported into the UK during 1966 and, soon afterwards, a few enthusiasts began to collect them and then form Societies and clubs in order to further their knowledge on basic Koi keeping methods. In 1969 the first Koi show was held in Japan.

The British Koi Keepers Society was formed in 1970 and is still going strong today. In 1975, the first Koi show ever held outside of Japan was in my own back garden.

It was staged by The Northern Section of the British Koi Keeper’s Society. I have touched upon the above subjects and also the ‘origins’ of Nishikigoi in both of my earlier books previously. However, after re-reading the texts thoroughly I feel I have not explained this as correctly and as detailed as I should have done with the full information I have to hand. In view of this, I will try again by devoting more information on these matters.

The text below is the opening excerpt from a post I made on a Nishikigoi bulletin board in early October 2008. I will highlight this text in blue and then continue from there as I feel that only very few enthusiasts will have already read this post.

My post went as follows:- ‘It is said by some that – ‘About the 1st. Year of Genna (1615 – 1623) the people began to breed carp in villages within Nijimura (Yamakoshi)’ – magoi for food only, taken from Amano and first published in 1968.

Others state that magoi were first introduced to the area around Takezawa village for ‘food production only’ around 1850 – (please bear this date in mind). Many state in writing that ‘Hanako’, a very early form of Aka-muji or Higoi, lived to 278 years of age. I often wonder why today our Koi rarely, if ever, exceed 40 years in age despite the far better water conditions we can now produce.

This is a photograph of the late Dr. Koshihara feeding his world-famous pet carp named ‘Hanako’ and was taken in 1966. Hanako was kept in a five metre square pond near Gifu City which was constantly fed by a trickle of water from a nearby spring.

Hanako finally died in in 1977. A Poem about ‘HANAKO, the RED CARP’ [I]‘There lives in our pond Hanako, a carp Longer than two hundred years and still. Still brightly aflame is Hanako, the red carp Put a swimming long ago in Horeki by our forefather. A bright day after rain, a killifish crosses the way Of the red carp coming toward me at my call. Hanako, Dear, thou eatest feed from my hand Then fondlingly suckest thou my empty fingers. The aged carp, knowing all the family history of ours, Deep under the limpid water has gone’.

Oh, I would dearly love to be able to accept this wonderful fable but can we really accept this as fact and as truth, even bearing in mind that Hanako was not a true Nishikigoi/Irogoi? How OLD are Nishikigoi/Irogoi really? I do not recall the name ‘Nishikigoi’ ever being used in 1977 on my first visit, although ‘Koi’ and ‘Koi Kichi’ were often mentioned and probably the first time I personally saw this word ever used in print was in Kuroki’s book ‘Manual to Nishikigoi’ as recently as 1980 – only 28 years ago.

The first All-Japan Nishikigoi Show ever staged was in 1968 – only 40 years ago. Why, I ask myself, were shows not staged earlier if, as many also profess, they have been ‘a part of ‘’Japan’s Heritage’ for Centuries? The Tokyo Taisho Exhibition staged in1914 – this was the very first time ever that the Japanese people had even heard of them, let alone actually seen them. To transport 28 ‘Irogoi’ from Ojiya/Nagaoka to Tokyo by train, in those days, meant using wooden ‘ponds’ that leaked badly and adding the necessary aeration to the water by hand – (no air pumps back then) - indeed a very difficult task to carry out.

Some years before WW2, Koi were transported in wooden containers by rail to other areas of Japan – Saitama; Shizuoka; Kyoto; Osaka; Hiroshima; Kyushu etc. For breeding purposes in some warmer climes – many were lost during the lengthy travel times of these long and slow journeys. Quote from Amano (again first published in 1968):– ‘the bitterness of feeling which the producers (breeders) experienced in delivering up their pet carp to cover the (WW2) wartime deficit of foodstuffs’.

(In short, most were eaten by the starving villagers as food) ‘Consquently, the production declined to such an extent that it was feared recovery after the war would be past hope, but thanks to the efforts of the parties concerned to preserve adult carp, the recovery of carp breeding has rapidly progressed.’ (Once again, ‘the recovery’ refers to 1968 or just a few years prior to that – still only 40 to 43 years ago). From many conversations with Nishikigoi breeders and Koi historians over many years it appears that the real beginning of coloured carp production, as we know them today only commenced AFTER WW2. Another quote from Amano - ‘the standard price of fancy carp, in reality, does not exist and the sale-price and purchase-price differ according to the seller and the purchaser.’ This statement has always remained to be the same in my experiences.

Please also note that around 1962/3 – the first vinyl bag was invented and produced. Later it was discovered that, by putting water into the bag, adding the Koi and then inflating the bag with pure oxygen, it was, at last, possible ‘to transport Koi safely for the very first time’ – and that was only some 45 years ago. Despite all of the above ‘snippets’ of texts, the real truth of the matter remains that NO real and accurate documentation of the very early days of ‘coloured carp’ production can be found anywhere today and, believe me, I have tried on many occasions to dig up the truth from many Japanese Koi breeders and Koi historians only to get an array of both incredibly confusing and completely conflicting answers. Magoi may well have been bred for food purposes in Nijimura/Yamakoshi many years ago and some scant information has been recorded from time to time. I documented some of the Takezawa official village records in my book ‘Koi2Kichi’. The very first mention of coloured carp to the area served by this ‘village office’ was in 1906 when it was recorded quite simply that ‘The first doitsugoi was produced’. I can assure you that the very first ‘Sakura’ varieties ever produced and detailed in 1917 at the recorded time bore absolutely no resemblance to the actual Kohaku strains produced in the late 1950’s and then developed through the years into the Kohaku we can all see and admire today.

As also stated in ‘Koi2Kichi’ and for the purpose of the text continued below:- Can we simply just accept that the ‘serious beginnings of today’s production of Nishikigoi’ only really commenced around 1947- 1948? Just a mere 60 years ago or so! My very first visit to Yamakoshi was really just an incredible ‘eye-opener’ for me, I was far too excited and bewildered with my surroundings, the people and the Koi to be concerned about mundane origins, history and quoted prices. It was only after a few more visits under my belt that I started to ask pertinent questions and record details in my notebook. By then I could get by more easily with my ‘Koi sign language’ and valuable translations from Naoji Takanashi who often accompanied me to the area despite the fact he was almost as ‘lost’ as I was. Add to that, the vast difference in dialects between those from the big cities and the Yamakoshi folk, even trying to ask directions was a problem on many occasions. On my very first visit to Izumiya in Iwamagi, the late Ichiro Mano, then owner of the company, together with his son Senichi both proudly claimed that they built and opened ‘the very first ‘coloured carp’ outlet in the world during 1947’.

Hiroshi Kawakami from the Torazo Koi farm was also with me that day and confirmed, via Mr. Takanashi that this was indeed a true fact.

In later years I came across a sign which remains today at the Torazo farm and states:- ‘Torazo – since 1917’. Was it 1947 or was it 1917?

All my information leads me to 1947 – only two years after World War Two and 30 years prior to my very first visit back when ‘Waddy’ was just four years old. Let us then accept, as read, that magoi were first introduced to Nijimura in the mid 1800’s for food. At that time a few very wealthy landowners who employed the very poor, peasant village dwellers, to provide the necessary labour for them, owned the entire area. This consisted of arduous manual excavation of rice paddies (then circular) and the production of rice from spring to late September. It also involved planting, tending and harvesting of vegetables as well as harvesting wild mountainside vegetables which are still collected today. Oxen were also provided to carry exceptionally heavy loads and these were cared for by the labour force. Even as recently as 1977, Yamakoshi was difficult to access by road other than by very narrow wheel-base vehicles that could negotiate the earth and stone tracks.

I cannot even begin to consider this area in 1850 some 127 years earlier – wild, untamed mountains, man-made mud tracks and dangerously steep valleys way below! The landowners purchased the parent Magoi and instructed the labourers to include them in their daily farming activities as a supplementary task to rice and vegetable production. The aim was to breed them in spring, feed them in summer in the circular ‘canals’ that bordered the then circular rice paddies and harvest them in autumn. After this, the tiny carp were to be salted and stored for safe eating later throughout the long, cold winter ahead. This would provide an important source of protein to add to the standard vegetable and rice diet when snows prevented foot travel to the nearest point of civilisation some five to ten miles distant.

As to the majority of parent stocks, I would estimate that these too were used as food before winter set in as there could have been no facilities there to store them safely over winter. I would now ask the reader to consider the following ‘carved-in-stone’ facts. Concrete had not made it to the labourers of Nijimura back then and so concrete ponds/tanks were not possible. All dwelling houses were made from local forest timber and insulated with ‘wattle and daub’. A few ruins still remain today as evidence. Early ‘wattle & daub’ dwelling house in Mushigame village – still in use today for storage purposes. Hope you spotted the Koi net!

All villages were snowbound from early December until the following April when depths then would have easily exceeded six metres or more. Obviously any snow that had to be cleared was done by hand after first ensuring that house roofs were cleared, often daily, to prevent collapse. Any possible thoughts of excavating small outdoor mud ponds to hold their magoi parents throughout the winter would all have been in vain once the snows took hold.

In view of the above, I would ask how it was ever possible in those times to successfully keep a parent Magoi throughout winter? Live adult Magoi were readily available cheaply in warmer parts of Japan at the time and it would be much more economical to replace these in spring rather than attempt to keep them alive throughout a winter in Nijimura. Even as long ago as the 1850’s the genes of the original magoi had long since been altered – generally to make them more acceptable whilst preparing them for the table. ‘Doitsu’ and ‘Leather’ strains had been developed in parts of Europe where carp had become very important as an economical source of food. Akiyama introduced some of the ones now available in Japan from several different countries of the globe whilst ‘doitsu varieties’ did not enter Japan until 1913 and were imported by sea from Germany. I started to research into the development of varieties of coloured carp in 1984 and published my findings in ‘Koi Kichi’ during 1995. Much of my information came from written texts by Dr.

Matsui - probably the earliest chronicler of coloured carp in the world. His texts were carefully translated for me by Naoji Takanashi and presented to me on typed sheets of paper. His earliest documented information as to ‘varieties’ only really starts in the early 1900’s. From this information can we now assume that, at some time between 1850 to 1910 – a 60 year time-span, coloured carp were present and could be found in Nijimura but only if one could spare the available time and energy to make the daunting journey required. As to actual ‘origins’, this information was never documented at all. Most of my information has been noted by comments and ‘snippets’ of information offered to me by the elderly Japanese breeders from 1984 to 1987. As we know, the rice farmers cum carp breeders of Nijimura were the first to notice random evidence of ‘coloured scales’ in offspring at harvest time.

It is said that some were kept by the farmers as ‘pets’ instead of being used for food purposes. As the years passed the production of ‘coloured carp’ and perpetual development became a winter pastime for these farmers. As I have said before, this can be readily compared to the hobby of pigeon fancying in the UK – a cheap hobby originated by working class people of the day. In later years, Nijimura breeders used coloured carp from other enthusiasts for inter-breeding purposes in order to further develop their very private hobby whilst, all around them, farming of carp became more successful as production techniques improved annually. I must stress here that the keeping of coloured carp during those years was simply a private pastime of the early masters who had no idea at all that their pets could ever possibly become an item of monetary value in later years. As this unique pastime grew, so did the numbers of local farmers who found this hobby both challenging and interesting.

Sadly, no-one could possibly have found any use at all in documenting their hobby, instead they just continued to enjoy their new-found discovery. Let us now set a point in time between 1910 to 1920 when Nijimura was still very difficult to access from distant major Japanese cities. However, by then, production of young carp for the table in parts of Niigata had become a very real cottage industry.

As the years passed so too did decades of experience and better breeding and growing techniques. These experiences were also shared by the farmers who adopted these techniques in production and keeping methods for their own coloured pets. It was only in 1930 when Yamakoshi was first introduced to the true wonder of electricity. Soon concrete became widely available to be transported to the area at acceptable prices.

These two wonders of civilisation allowed the coloured carp enthusiasts to build concrete ponds both inside and outside for the very first time. Electricity supply enabled them to provide aeration to these ponds and later, both mechanical and biological filtration could be added, again for the very first time. Throughout the 1930’s both the business of farming Magoi for food and the hobby of keeping coloured carp flourished alongside each other. But still, the involvement of keeping coloured carp remained to be almost a secret amongst the breeders of the area who were more concerned in producing new types and new patterns from both their parent stocks and those of their contemporaries.

Many years ago I was also shown by Seiichi Miya of the Miyako Koi farm in Araya village a very early method of heating indoor pond water during winter which he still continued to employ. This was by way of a closed metal container about the size of a standard house brick which was heated to very high temperatures inside his oven and then submerged into a small concrete pond.

Heat was then transferred slowly to the water over a two-hour period after which it could be then be heated once more. There is no doubt at all in my mind after speaking to many individuals involved that the production of coloured carp as a hobby really came to be possible and far easier during the 1930’s. Then, just as everything in the garden was looking rosy:– Along came World War Two! The vast majority of able-bodied men from all parts of Japan were conscripted to fight for Japan to the death – and many did until Hiroshima and Nagasaki were dealt the final blows and Japan surrendered.

The soldiers who returned to their mountain villages to commence farming again after 1945 could not have possibly expected their coloured carp to have survived the past five years or so of grueling winters without the necessary and vital care involved. Instead they soon discovered that most had died and the villagers who were desperate for food and without money or means to purchase this readily ate the carcasses. After 1945 the method of food carp production was continued and improved upon right up to around 1950 whereby carp fry were still grown from eggs in ‘canals’ mentioned earlier which irrigated the then circular rice paddies.

These canals were usually 60cms wide and 45cms deep and had no form of aeration at all, as a result dissolved oxygen content of the water was seriously depleted during high summer. Many young carp were taken by birds, cats and raccoons especially as the fry grew to become more easily visible. During this short five year period coloured carp production re-started in earnest with a few parents that had managed to be secretly protected against the ravages of war. As mentioned earlier, in 1947 the Izumiya farm began to trade, albeit in a very small way, in both carp for the table and coloured versions to be kept as pets. From 1950 the hitherto inaccessible mountainsides were terraced by machine and new, rectangular rice paddies were excavated to replace the circular ones. The ‘tamed’ mountains now became new and valuable areas for farming rice whilst the flatter, surrounding areas could then instead be used for more valuable industrial and domestic dwelling purposes. Now, instead of each paddy being irrigated by its own canal, large reservoirs were excavated at the top of each mountain and were used, as and when required, to irrigate the paddies below.

Many carp food farmers used these reservoirs to grow their fry for the summer after the canals started to disappear. In 2000, Toshikatsu Igarashi from the Marusada Koi farm in Mushigame told me that there were no purpose-made mud ponds at all for coloured carp in Yamakoshi even as recently as 1950 and the mountain top reservoirs were all completely reserved in growing Magoi for food – a far more valuable commodity at the time.

Now we move on to the important part in the development of 'coloured carp'. By 1955 the annual production of salted Magoi for food exceeded the demand for this in Yamakoshi – even by extra demand from the rapidly expanding communities in adjacent areas. As a result the producers had to find other areas in Japan where their surplus production could be sold for money rather than having to be wastefully destroyed. As a result ‘wet-fish’ wholesale companies were contacted in all other areas of Japan advertising the availability of delicious, salted baby carp for sale direct from the producers in Niigata. Thus followed visits in small trucks by employees of some of these companies to Niigata in order to sample the product and negotiate prices for purchase.

After business had been completed on the same day of arrival, the employee usually spent the night at the home of the producer for a meal and a good night’s sleep. The following morning his truck was loaded and then the long return journey was made back to his home base. Return visits were made annually after the autumn harvests by these employees to Niigata to purchase more stocks. Soon afterwards, personal relationships were formed as well as business relationships between the buyer and the seller. As the years passed these visitors to the area were taken to see ‘coloured carp’ for the very first time purely as a diversion from daily business. Upon seeing these magnificent creatures for the very first time, they left a lasting impression to the visitors who returned home and began to spread the word of these rare forms of carp they had witnessed swimming in ponds deep in the mountains of Yamakoshi.

Very soon, the very effective form of advertising known as ‘word-of-mouth’ began to be spread slowly to the major cities of Japan. Even as late as 1959 to 1961 only a very few had ever seen these ‘coloured carp’ which, as yet, had no official name tag. In the mountains they were still referred to as ‘Irogoi’ or ‘Hirogoi’ – (coloured carp) - and in later years they were referred to as ‘Hanagoi’ – (flowery carp) and ‘Moyoogoi’ – (fanciful patterned carp) before the final name of ‘Nishikigoi’ – (brocaded carp) became the name they have been known by ever since. Even then, the only ‘outsiders’ keeping these pets in their own ornamental garden ponds were mainly professional people who lived close to Yamakoshi where road transportation in wooden bowls could be safely made. It was also around that time that some amateur producers of coloured carp first began to realise that they could command significantly higher prices than those of magoi in similar sizes! Soon a few visiting wet-fish dealers began to purchase some of these coloured carp in order to transport them back home along with the salted carp. The road journey took over eight hours to Tokyo and many coloured carp were lost as a result.

The survivors, however, had no problems at all in finding new homes, and a real demand followed by dealers and enthusiasts alike who were astounded by the beauty of these creatures for their ornamental garden ponds. Meanwhile, back in Yamakoshi, things were still pretty basic as these pictures show. Then in 1962 to 1963 the floodgates were opened to Japan, and later to the world, by the innocent invention of the very revolutionary Vinyl Bag!

Once this came about, the producers of coloured carp in Yamakoshi really kicked into action after witnessing the real wealth that was already coming into their area. Soon afterwards the food fish dealers from all parts of Japan became pet fish dealers and flooded into the region to buy stocks after the autumn harvest had been completed. IMPORTANT - The early promoters of these pet fish to other parts of Japan deserve SIGNIFICANT recognition, as these were the vital link between the breeders, hidden away in the mountains, and the Japanese public at large. This produced a ‘knock-on’ effect that later would introduce these coloured carp to the rest of the world.

The promoters in question were as follows: - The Niigata area was developed by the late Mr. Miya (Miyakoya Co.,) together with Mr. Hirasawa and Mr. Ichizo Kawakami. The Tokyo area was led by Mr. Akiyama and Mr. Saikichi Yoshida.

The Osaka area by Mr. Tsujimoto and Mr. The Hiroshima area was promoted by Mr. Watanabe and Mr. After all this, many rice farmers began building their own mud ponds for coloured carp and some far-seeing ones ventured into producing coloured carp as a full-time employment after forsaking their rice paddies which still only produced a meager income. As a result, many rice paddies were changed to become much deeper mud ponds. (‘doro-ike’) – This was to be the real start of coloured carp production in earnest and the producers soon realised that they would have to expand quickly if they were to be able to meet the ever-growing demand.

Between 1963 to 1969 the hitherto quiet and reserved mountainsides of Yamakoshi became a hive of unprecedented activity. Mud ponds were being excavated everywhere, the first indoor facilities started to take shape and autumn saw the area awash with visitors from all parts of Japan. Coloured carp had finally become ‘the word’! By the time 1965 came around and, after significant promotion by different individuals in different areas of Japan, the newly-found hobby of keeping coloured carp took off at an alarming rate. However, even then most of the villages were extremely difficult to access other than by foot as this map made by hand in 1966 shows. In 1963, the late Sadaichiro Miya opened the first auction site for magoi in Ojiya and it would be a few years later when Nishikigoi entries took over the magoi entries. In the 1965, Mr.

Miya produced the first ever ‘all-picture book’ on Nishikigoi. This was a lavish and enormous volume simply titled ‘The 100 Best Koi’ – the Koi shown were indeed the very best to have ever been produced at that point in time – simply the best in the world! Alas, they could hardly pass for ‘fishing pond’ standards if compared to the incredible Koi we can see today. After the breeders of these coloured carp became used to many visitors placing huge sums of cash money into their hands, they made regular evening visits to Ojiya and Nagaoka by taxi to celebrate their new-found wealth.

Bars and restaurants soon became aware of the enormous spending power that these unshaven, rubber-booted mountain men carried on their persons in cash! Around the same time, many producers of these coloured carp made deals with individual wholesale customers from various parts of Japan to give them ‘first choice’ after the autumn harvest, to purchase their entire production for the year. This only meant that there was one sale, one packing operation and one payment. After this the breeder could relax comfortably without having any concerns about losing any stocks over the forthcoming winter. In short – perfection!

Also, between 1963 to 1968, the producers of coloured carp priced them by only one criteria and one only - that was simply SIZE. They also expected this situation to continue for the foreseeable future where all their annual production could be quickly sold after the harvest and all they had to do was to produce ‘new colours’ and larger sizes by investing in different parent stocks and excavating both more mud ponds and larger mud ponds. Alas, this expectation turned out to be extremely short-lived. As the keeping of coloured carp became so popular throughout Japan, along with this came very serious enthusiasts who began to form area ‘Koi clubs’ as they had no written information from their dealers regarding any form of keeping methods. Some of these enthusiasts began to write articles and these were published in popular fish-keeping periodicals of the day whilst some others produced books on the subject.

During this period names were given to colours and patterns, some names originated from Yamakoshi and others added by enthusiasts. Very slowly, armed with new information and experience in keeping these creatures, standards and firm names were set and published. Some of this new information became accepted by the majority of enthusiasts at the time and was also conveyed to their suppliers namely:- Health of a Koi is the most important aspect to consider. Female Koi become more valuable than male Koi in later years as their body shape is far more desirable. Male Koi should be far cheaper than females. Kohaku, Sanke and Showa varieties are far more difficult to produce and should be more valued than other varieties.

Pattern is very important when selecting a new Koi. Lustre is very important in all metallic varieties. Any deformities at all should not be considered for purchase.

And so it went on, the Koi keepers were becoming to be selective in their choices of purchase and now ‘size’ became of far lesser importance to ‘quality’. The wholesalers of the day returned to Yamakoshi with the news and related this to their suppliers. In a few years time this was to change the entire industry surrounding the business of producing Nishikigoi which has remained to be so ever since. As a result, the wholesalers became ‘picky’ and, instead of purchasing the entire production of their traditional supplier, chose instead to select, by hand, only 5% of the production. The clever breeders heeded the news and took it on board especially with advance knowledge of Koi shows planned at the time where their production would be entered into, and judged, in a ‘beauty contest’. They also advised their wholesale customers that if they wished to select only the very best 5% of their annual production then their standard ‘size’ prices would have to increase by 20-fold to compensate them for their unsold stocks.

Soon the words ‘tategoi’ and ‘tateshita’ came to be VERY important and the enthusiast was, in truth, completely responsible for substantial price increases. The many breeders who disregarded this important advice eventually closed down and many can still be seen today in ruins along the roadsides and villages. Some of these farms produced and sold Koi in huge quantities until the words ‘quality’ and ‘selection’ became the in-demand words of the day. Since around 1970, the clever breeders concentrated all their efforts on ‘quality’ that was to be further impressed upon them by Koi shows and the results forthcoming after final judging had been completed. These breeders concentrated on one or two varieties only and any other varieties required for resale could be readily found at many other farms where simply exchanging stocks without any need for hard cash could often make the necessary ‘payment’.

A combination of clever breeders and important Koi shows produced astronomical prices for certain Koi which never could have been dreamed of in the early days of production. Meanwhile back in 1972, the young Waddy who had just glimpsed his first Koi, was totally unaware of the happenings in Japan. It was to be another four years before he caught his first glimpse. Later, the enthusiasts replaced the need for ‘local suppliers’, instead they made their own annual visits to Yamakoshi in order to see the availability of new stocks on sale at hundreds of outlets and make their own purchases with their own eyes and experiences. The wholesalers still continued to make annual visits but only to find tateshita they could sell on to pets shops and fishing ponds.

Between 1970 to 1985 the Yamakoshi mountainsides, after the October harvests, were packed with Japanese enthusiasts scouring the area for tategoi that they could find, purchase and grow to eventually realise their dream. The breeders catered for this demand by building comfortable indoor display facilities where they could show their stocks in the best possible light. This then, is the truth as to the origins and development of Nishikigoi in Japan as far as I have heard it and have experienced it.

Sad to say, the 'entire truth' of it all was never actually documented and much of it relies on memories and some suppositions. One more..;) ‘THEY WERE ONLY ‘GENERAL GRADE’ SANKE WHICH I WOULD NOT HAVE EVEN CONSIDERED TO PURCHASE. MASUTANI ASKED ME WHAT I THOUGHT OF THEM AND I GAVE HIM MY HONEST ANSWER THAT I THOUGHT THEY WERE JUNK. YOU GUESSED – IT WAS THE SAME POLAROID I HAD TAKEN FOR HIM AT YAMAMATSU.

HE POINTED OUT TO ME THAT HE HAD ALREADY SOLD ONE FOR 2,000,000YEN (£12,000.00) AND THE REMAINING ONE WAS AVAILABLE AT THE SAME PRICE! I WAS TOTALLY STUNNED TO SILENCE, IT WAS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF THE UGLY DUCKLING TURNING OUT TO BE A BEAUTIFUL SWAN! Waddy nothing like eating crow - I love it - great story. Nothing like eating crow - I love it - great story Cindy - I've eaten more 'Crow' than you'll ever know! Come to think of it - I'm still eating it.:yes: Waddy. Am in Montpellier at the moment trying to install a filter unit. Air temperature 35C and so the kind lady who has the filter unit drove me to the beach to get a taste of the sea breeze that wasn't there - it just got hotter.:there: Anyway it made me realise just how deprived the area is - the South of France is not what I thought it was.

The poor ladies here can only afford to purchase one half of the swimwear!!!:yes::yes::yes: I know few in the USA will believe this:no: so I took a few shots as proof of this sad state of affairs. (Didn't check the settings and it took 47 shots per second!):confused: I am trying to resolve this matter as a personal crusade so if anyone reading this has any bras not being used please send to me here. Someone has to do it. I will personally distribute them to these ladies after first checking that the fit is perfect on each.:yes::yes::yes::yes::yes: The things Koi Dealers have to do!:D: The sooner we get a stocking to cover the entire body - the better this world will be!:cool3. Cindy - I've eaten more 'Crow' than you'll ever know! Come to think of it - I'm still eating it.:yes: Waddy. Am in Montpellier at the moment trying to install a filter unit.

Air temperature 35C and so the kind lady who has the filter unit drove me to the beach to get a taste of the sea breeze that wasn't there - it just got hotter.:there: Anyway it made me realise just how deprived the area is - the South of France is not what I thought it was. The poor ladies here can only afford to purchase one half of the swimwear!!!:yes::yes::yes: I know few in the USA will believe this:no: so I took a few shots as proof of this sad state of affairs. (Didn't check the settings and it took 47 shots per second!):confused: I am trying to resolve this matter as a personal crusade so if anyone reading this has any bras not being used please send to me here. Someone has to do it. I will personally distribute them to these ladies after first checking that the fit is perfect on each.:yes::yes::yes::yes::yes: The things Koi Dealers have to do!:D: The sooner we get a stocking to cover the entire body - the better this world will be!:cool3: had to convert 95 degrees - yoweee, they have our temps, we're gettin a little rain here. The poor ladies here can only afford to purchase one half of the swimwear!!! Seen 2, seen them all:lmao: You better be careful, in that heat, you might be keeling over.

With pics in case you're asking, who the heck is Waddy? Introduction The ‘Koi Road’ My road to addiction started in ’72 after I first saw those enormous coloured fish for sale and I realised I would have to get one for my truly wonderful new garden pond. It all seemed harmless enough on that fair summer’s day in Cheshire. The owner called them ‘Koi Carp’ and, after hearing those two words, so did I for the next few years. My first purchase was ‘an Assagai’ so the man said, I liked it because it had a blue-grey colour on the body and it was different to the others. The others were red and white and appeared to me to look just like big, boring goldfish and I could buy them ten at a time for a few quid anywhere.

No, these were ‘special’; I loaded the plastic bag in the passenger foot-well of the car, turned the heating off and drove home carefully ensuring there would be no heavy braking on the way. Later that day, I carefully floated the bag on the surface of the magnificent pond which was to be a perfect home for my new Assagai (I kept repeating the word to myself endlessly). The masterpiece of a garden pond had been excavated with my own hands and the soil removed was used to make the rockery you can see in the pictures. In truth, the rockery, for me was just as important as the pond and I made many journeys to find the right conifers and heathers. The excavation was made to incorporate a shallow ‘shelf’ around the perimeter after the liner had been installed as per the instructions, to accommodate an assortment of water plants to be incorporated in order to maintain the pond water ‘naturally’.

Fortunately for me, the same place that sold me the liner, the pump, the hose, the fish and the fish food ALSO had the plants - that was lucky! I thought my pond was very deep (18” at the centre) and my new pet took to it like an ‘Assagai to Water’. I still cannot recall any other Koi fanatic I’ve met over the years who did not go through exactly the same wasted attempts in building their first pond. Like myself it always had to be ‘Mark Two’ or ‘Mark Three’ and there were also plans for a better pond in the future. My first summer with Koi proved to be one disaster after another until, in autumn ‘72, I discovered ‘The British Koi Keeper’s Society’ – that chance meeting was to be an opening for me to be able to leave my twisting, turning, bumpy ‘B-roads’ and turn on to a larger, straighter and smoother ‘A-Road’ on my journey to keep Koi Carp alive.

I found this old Polaroid recently and, as far as I am aware, this is the only photographic record left (in COLOUR!) of what must have been the first public exhibition of Koi Carp held anywhere outside of Japan. This was the BKKS stand at the 1972 Federation of British Aquarist’s Show at Belle Vue in Manchester. I saw this stand, spoke to the guy in charge and then paid my annual fees of £3.00 to become member No.61 of the British Koi Keeper’s Society, and then my addiction increased. Roland Seal was ‘The Man’ back then, if the truth is known, he was the one who kicked it all off in the UK. He was the Chairman of the tiny Society and, rumour had it, that he also had the finest collection of Koi in the UK. One must recall back then, that there was no information anywhere on pond build methods or keeping methods.

We collected some information from aquarium magazines but much of our knowledge came from mistakes made by ourselves and passed on between each other by long evening telephone conversations to the few members dotted around all parts of the UK. Although we thought we knew ‘a thing or two’ – we were all completely in the dark and Roland was the guy who had the only torch with a battery – and that was always on the point of failure! I think it was around March ’73 when I got the hallowed invitation to visit Roland’s pond and days could not pass quick enough for me until I could see it with my own two eyes. The advance publicity from those who had been lucky enough to get the invite previously became more and more of an added attraction for me and, when I did finally enter Roland’s garden, my eyes and mouth opened wide as I began to try and take in what my eyes saw. The Polaroid here may not look to be very exciting but, 36 years ago this was Koi keeping beyond belief. Roland was a Koi fanatic whose life revolved around his hobby.

Roland Seal’s Koi pond 1973. The first thing that hit me was the colours of the Koi and the incredible size of them, some were easily 18” long and I watched, mesmerised, as Roland’s wife Pauline came out to hand feed them with prawns.

Roland’s eyes were always on the Koi and the pond base – even in summer he grumbled about UK water temperatures and the need for added heat. The pipe to the right of the picture was connected to a flexible pipe that ended near his house sewer and was a siphon, kept in prime always with a cork at one end. By placing the pipe in the pond and releasing the cork the siphon started again and Roland would vacuum every inch of the pond base to ensure there was no debris ever visible. He complained endlessly that our summers were too short and our winters too long, in later years he was always trying to find economical ways of heating his water and not just in winter! His home contained pristine copies of Japanese ‘Rinko’ magazines he subscribed to purely for the pictures. Looking back, if I had to describe what the term ‘Koi Keeper’ really means to me over the years, my immediate thought would simply be ‘Roland Seal’.

It must have been Roland’s genuine enthusiasm and knowledge that first really kindled the fire in the young Waddy. I soon began to take an active part in the Society and wrote some articles for our monthly newsletter.

In ’74 Roland mentioned his dream of staging a Koi show and I offered my back garden for the event when I still had a lawn to offer! The pond here belonged to a local member who lived on the eighth floor of some high rise flats. He became infatuated with Koi and, as he had no garden, he ‘claimed’ a patch of land surrounding the flats and staked it out as his! Cyril was an imposing man to behold and kept his pond locked. His armchair overlooked his pond from a window that was always open. He would watch television with one eye and his pond with the other. Next to his chair was a broken, but fully loaded, twin-barrel.410 shotgun, just in case!

In September 1975 the first ever Koi show held outside of Japan was staged in my garden after many weeks of evening meetings held in the homes of various Northern Section members who were involved in the organisation of it. We had no idea at the time but we were the true pioneers of the hobby and, if I recall correctly, the entire show was financed with a little less than the £85.00 we held in the Northern Section bank account.

This must be the only remaining colour photograph remaining of the event which shows the benching staff entering the Koi into their display ponds. Around 75 serious enthusiasts attended the show from the most far-flung parts of the UK. I can still recall the atmosphere that day, it was positively electric and the only subject was Koi. All those who entered Koi into this show were presented with a certificate to commemorate this. I still have mine although it is a little worse for wear. The Koi I entered sadly received no awards from the judges of the day but I can still recall the atmosphere of mystery and an opportunity to meet other like-minded people from distant areas. One painfully thin and quiet guy who sported a kaftan, long hair in a pony tail and a beard, bred fish on an isolated fish farm in Cornwall came to check out Koi that he had heard of but never seen before.

He wished to produce them on his farm in order to make his fortune. He said nothing to anyone and just nodded when approached. Later in the day he had to speak as nature called, he came over to me and asked ‘Toilet please?’ – I pointed him to the room and asked ‘Are you enjoying the show?

He turned round and muttered ‘The fish are lovely, I just don’t like people!’ At the presentation ceremony Cyril, he of the loaded shotgun mentioned earlier, was disgusted to hear his prize Koi had received no award. On being presented with his certificate he promptly tore it up and threw it over the fence as a protest. Within seconds my neighbour collected it, peeked over the fence and then threw it back at him! That was to be my first realisation, of many I would experience later, that judging decisions at Koi shows could be a source of potential discontent. The first-ever BKKS ‘National Show’ was staged in Birmingham in 1976 in the gardens of Ron Hodgson’s home near the city centre. It brought far more enthusiasts as the Koi hobby started to grow, it was also another perfect day for the weather. I recall I had a ‘secret weapon’ at the ready with my Gin Rin Shiro Bekko that received its due award (I don’t recall if any other Bekko varieties were entered!) – whatever, I still have the proof as evidence for the records.

My very first visit to Japan in autumn ’77 was so eagerly awaited by me and the days before the flight seemed to drag endlessly until we arrived at Heathrow – after that the time just flew! The trip was organised by the BKKS and led by Roland with 25 Koi fanatics in tow. We took the south route on the outward journey and stopped over for 3 days in Thailand before going on to Tokyo. The return leg came over the north route stopping in Anchorage, Alaska for re-fuelling – no direct flights were allowed over Russian airspace back then. KLM were the cheapest option back then with economy return fare at the ‘snip’ of £1,200.00.

In today’s terms I reckon that’s around £8,000.00 give or take! Our stay in Japan was arranged between the BKKS, Kamihata Fish Industries and our sister society ‘Zen Nippon Airinkai’ or ZNA which was the Japanese equivalent of the BKKS but on a far grander scale as we were soon to discover. We were accompanied throughout the visit with an interpreter who, incidentally, had never seen a Koi before but she spoke perfect English. I had read before that ‘Niigata’ was the area to go as far as Koi were concerned because that was where they were actually produced.

I knew we were scheduled to visit there for the last four days before returning home but between landing at Narita to actually getting to my ‘land of dreams’ we had to visit Tokyo; Himeji; Kyoto & Osaka first. Our reception was truly lavish at all these cities where we were treated like royalty at the expense of ZNA members each trying to out-do the other in terms of what they could provide us with. We had been pre-warned as to the ‘strict etiquette and rooted traditions’ of the Japanese people and tried to abide by these rules to the letter. It was to be later when I discovered that all this was just ‘tommyrot’, they were just the same as we were in just about every respect apart from the single fact that they removed their shoes before entering a house! Yes, the ponds of the ZNA members were truly magnificent to the point of being incredible.

Cameras clicked endlessly taking in Koi that one only saw in pictures plus ponds and filter systems that were difficult to even begin to understand. I asked question after question of our overworked interpreter regarding the filtration systems only to get replies from the owners to say ‘Oh, we did not build the ponds and filters, our local dealers and builders take care of all this, and they also maintain them for us. We just enjoy our Koi and feed them daily.’ My previous thoughts of ‘Koi Keeping’ as a hobby were dashed on many occasions in the company of these extremely wealthy yet very hospitable people who lived in homes that one could only imagine in the wildest of dreams. ZNA evening reception held by the Osaka Chapter of the Society.

We were showered with so many gifts and Koi mementos that became harder to carry from hotel to hotel as the days progressed. The famous ‘rooftop pond’ at the Sanyo Securities building in Tokyo owned by Mr.

Tsuchiya, a famous Koi collector of the day. This was built on a specially reinforced roof of the building because the cost of land in central Tokyo to build a pond was unthinkable even for someone so wealthy. But there were around ten chauffeur-driven Mercedes available for the top executives or valued customers!

I suppose I was disappointed after seeing all these wonderful Koi and ponds but then discovering that no-one could give me answers any regarding filtration and keeping methods as the owners paid people to do this for them. Yes, we all marvelled at the Koi before us but there was little more we could do. On reflection, if I saw these same Koi today, they would be little more than fishing pond grade and pond filters seen then would be totally useless – but at that time they were the very best in the world! All through the trip my mind was set on the last leg – namely the trip to Niigata, my land of dreams that I had only read about a few Japanese publications with brief translations or overheard at Koi meetings. Yes, I finally made Niigata for a few short days and it was an experience I will never forget but being captive on a coach with some 25 other fanatics all with ready money and a desire to spend it on Koi was not the best way to go about it all. True, we were fussed over and treated like royalty but certain large breeders were warned well in advance of our visit. Although I never knew it at the time but did find it all out on later visits, one of the most ‘financially powerful’ breeders of the time was Miyaishi in Uragara and this was nothing to do with his ability as a Koi breeder because he is not even on the ‘start ladder’ when compared to the ones who are the masters – nor will he ever be.

The reason for his wealth and his incredible home and facility is purely because he had the good fortune in owning an area of useless mountainside that the Japan Railway Company needed to buy in advance of a future bullet train line to Nagaoka from Tokyo. He made a significant fortune out of this and also built a dry goods outlet on the main route 17 highway named ‘FA Miya’ which traded for a few years before going into complete ruin.

Sadly, ‘a fire’ started there and burned his valuable premises to the ground soon afterwards. Fortunately for the very unlucky individual, the huge insurance payout enabled him to build a large and extremely modern facility across the road in a prime spot where it remains today. Back in 1977, it was Miyaishi who ‘kindly’ paid for our coach and also ‘kindly’ guided us all through the mountainsides of Yamakoshi for those four days of fun.

Alas, the only places we visited in those four days were the breeders who had agreed to give Miyaishi substantial commissions on their sales and Mr. Miya ensured that ‘Our expert Koi guides’ were present at all times to witness every single sale made – and there were some! On the road between one breeder and the next, our ‘guides’ were far more concerned with calculating and recording percentages rather than pointing out to us places of interest! The breeders of Yamakoshi know Miyaishi well, I have never once heard any bring the name up in conversation in all my visits. His lavish outlet is still there right on the main street of ‘Koi Ginza’ and he continues to pounce upon any visitor passing by – his preference is for wealthy visitors from the USA whom he entertains lavishly before they part with huge amounts of cash into his palms.

He has a ‘main pond’ right in front of his indoor house, in this pond there will be, at any time of a given season, one, and only one, example of just about every variety of large Koi imaginable. He then professes to all visitors just how difficult it was for him to produce these rare and beautiful ‘one-off’ examples of world-class Koi and his necessary expertise, gained through years of trial & tribulation.

However, the real truth is that not one of these Koi have ever been bred by Miyaishi. More often than not, many have mild faults and many have been bought at low prices at auctions or from other breeders needy of ready cash. One thing is certain, none of these beauties could ever come close to taking a serious award in size at any modest Koi show. They are there specifically to tempt the wealthy visitor by way of a wonderful selection of varieties in a wonderful showroom. The deals are always made more easily if a visitor has a knowledge of basic Koi varieties and points at one saying – ‘Gee, look at that Tancho Showa’!

It is then when Miya San steps in and looks so surprised that his visitor has such knowledge of Nishikigoi – thus the ground is paved for the way ahead. In recent years, Miyaishi has a new overseas promoter by way of the likable rogue Martin Symonds from the UK. It is a very suitable partnership indeed. In truth, I learned nothing at all on my first visit and knew I would have to return alone if I really needed to get to the truth because there was still only superstition abounding in the UK and Yamakoshi was a closed shop to foreigners. There are others pages on this website that detail my lone sorties into the mountainsides and the beginnings of my real learning curves. I started out as a full-time ‘Koi-Only Dealer’ in early 1979, not knowing that I was the first to do so. I was also unknowingly lucky that I started around four years before the ‘UK Boom Years’ were to follow.

By mid 1980, my entire house and garden contained filtered ponds full of Koi and Koi keeping items and customer flow became an embarrassment as I had one of only four outlets where Koi could be found. The Koi enthusiasts of the day had no problems at all in making 500 mile round trip to see my stocks nor did I ever need to ‘sell’ them – they just sold themselves, first come – first served. I knew I needed premises and my neighbours gave me the urge to do this after they involved our local council who gave me six moths to find other premises. I chose a large industrial building rather than a garden centre outlet – again, purely by chance and a situation of the time. It was then I took a real gamble and put all my eggs in one basket by financing, with every penny I had – and more, and then designing & building, again unknowingly, the very first professional ‘Koi-Only Outlet’ outside of Japan.

It was a total financial gamble that I was constantly reminded of by close friends throughout the entire expensive build, which took me 24/7 from summer 1981 to May 1982. Fortunately sales came in throughout the build period that almost left me at ‘break-even’ point before I opened the premises to produce this finished picture. This sight is exactly what met my customers on the opening weekend, it’s the only picture I have of it. The glass cases to the sides of the central pond contained just about every Koi keeping accessory one could ever possibly require. Risky in 1982? – you bet your boots it was - it was completely unheard of back then! I still recall that same weekend of utter chaos, the car park outside was heaving with Koi visitors from all parts of the UK – all as a result of a £20.00 advance advertisement in the BKKS monthly magazine.

All over that weekend, the guys helping me kept telling me of overheard conversations where it was generally said – ‘If you want some Koi, buy them now because this place will be closed in six weeks time’. On the Sunday evening after the last customer had left, I drove home and made some calculations to discover that I had taken a little over £33,300.00 in the two opening days only. In those days, a reasonably good, modest new home could be easily bought for £17,000.00.

A nice new saloon car would cost £5,000.00 and, more to the point, my One-Pound sterling bought me over 700 Yen! Probably the value of £33,000.00 in 1982 would be more like £230,000.00 today? What was more important, this new funding allowed me to return to Yamakoshi and try to learn as much as possible it also gave me the purchasing power to find and buy more Koi stocks. By the end of 1982 the first container of Japanese Koi dry goods arrived and then I realised I had successfully ‘infiltrated’ the UK Koi market and now I commanded it. Back then, the UK seemed to be captivated with Koi and then, many other would-be Koi dealers asked me to design their new outlets.

‘Too Many Customers’ was the big problem back in those days and by 1984 I employed 12 staff and had 10 vehicles of various sizes to keep on the road. It was then I realised I had to get back to Yamakoshi as often as possible to start to learn everything possible about Nishikigoi – that’s when the learning curve REALLY started for Waddy because, thankfully, I realised my knowledge then was almost one big ZERO! It took me over 120 visits to Yamakoshi starting in the days when foreigners hardly trod those mountain tracks. Some trips were for four weeks and others up to six months. It was a closed shop only accessible to those agents from the big cities and a few who controlled them from the inside - I needed agents to turn the keys and several of these agents knew less of the geography than I did.

I needed to ask questions but needed to ask them to the right people and I made many mistakes in my choices which cost more money. Throughout these visits I studied millions of Koi in all ages and slowly got to know some breeders and their villages. As with anything in this world, there is a mixture of good and bad, after many visits I became aware of the breeders to make purchases from and those to avoid.

The breeders were also well aware that they were being controlled but had not the faintest idea as to just how many outsiders wished to visit them to see and buy their Koi. In 1993 I decided to go it alone for the first time after finally deciding that the ones who controlled it all were no longer getting any more substantial amounts of my money in return for nothing. It was far from easier both geographically and financially, some experiments were made - some failed but a few were successful. In 1995 'Koi Kichi' showed a very amateur map of Yamakoshi for the first time and highlighted some of the Koi superstars in there - but it was a starting point at least. It also brought in many overseas visitors to the area who wished to see and buy Koi although they were still guarded closely by their very careful agents who professed they could take them to all the secret breeders in the area. By 1996, I had no restrictions at all, I could go where I wished, I could purchase from whoever I wished and I could send Koi to all parts of the world directly from Yamakoshi unaided. Today this is accepted as the norm but in truth it took me 19 years of my life to get there.

From 1998 to 2001 my autumn visits included world class Koi collectors who found stuff that they had only dreamed of before and they bought them directly from the breeders of Yamakoshi. Today it is open to many more of these collectors but, in truth, it was all made possible to the outside world by one man only. There were a few others at the time but they wished to keep it closely guarded to themselves in a final attempt to hang on whilst the inevitable finally closed them down as the insurmountable barriers were lifted and all the 'impossibilities' were made possible for the very first time.

It is now accepted by many as the norm! In autumn 2003, it was suggested by several leading Yamakoshi breeders that 'Mr. Peter' be given a reception at the Yamakoshi Village office in Takezawa in spring 2004. It was to be a presentation by the Lord Mayor of Ojiya for recognition of 'services to the area'. Alas, in spring 2004 'Mr. Peter' was not mentally able to even think about making the journey, at that time he was writing his swansong 'Koi2Kichi' complete with the first ever detailed map of his beloved Yamakoshi and ALL his teachers, namely the breeders within the surrounding area he had learned about the magic of Koi from over many years - and there still is that magic and now it's free to anyone! It is 2009 now and 'Mr.

Peter' will soon return to the part of the world that is with him every single day of his life when the time and the economy is right. There's not many in this world who can say to themselves when awakening every morning, for the last 30 years or so, - 'Great, I'm going to work!'

- but I can and I've loved every minute of it. Yes, those truly wonderful and heady days have gone forever but at least I was there to experience it all first hand, and, much more to the point I did it My Way! 'A Koi man's lfe is a smoky bar and the fevered chase of a tiny star, it's a hotel room and a lonely wife, that's all I've seen of a Koi man's life, nobody told me about this part.

They told me all about the pretty Koi and the WINE and the money and the good times, There was no mention of - all the wear and tear on an old honky-tonker's heart, Well, I might have known it, but nobody told me about this part'. :obsessed::ernaehrung004: Cindy - I've eaten more 'Crow' than you'll ever know! Come to think of it - I'm still eating it.:yes: Waddy. Am in Montpellier at the moment trying to install a filter unit.

Air temperature 35C and so the kind lady who has the filter unit drove me to the beach to get a taste of the sea breeze that wasn't there - it just got hotter.:there: Anyway it made me realise just how deprived the area is - the South of France is not what I thought it was. The poor ladies here can only afford to purchase one half of the swimwear!!!:yes::yes::yes: I know few in the USA will believe this:no: so I took a few shots as proof of this sad state of affairs. (Didn't check the settings and it took 47 shots per second!):confused: I am trying to resolve this matter as a personal crusade so if anyone reading this has any bras not being used please send to me here. Someone has to do it.

I will personally distribute them to these ladies after first checking that the fit is perfect on each.:yes::yes::yes::yes::yes: The things Koi Dealers have to do!:D: The sooner we get a stocking to cover the entire body - the better this world will be!:cool3: If you need help I will gladly volunteer!!! Great Stuff:yahoo: Keep them coming:yes: I admit it's not much but it's a start. In the neighbourhood where I'm trying to install this filter there are several nice houses and the lady who is having the filter knows the people who are living there.

Anyways we called around there and managed to get a couple of dozen used tops which were excess to requirements in an assortment of sizes/styles and colours. Must admit the black lacy ones looked very nice - there was one with pink flowers on it - must have been expensive. Drove down post-haste to the beach and made announcements over the bullhorn we have loaned and these poor ladies appeared from everywhere when they had heard the news. Obviously I had to assess sizes initially purely by my trained eye (I think my experience in Koi sizing has much to do with this) but found out soon that I would have to make a few attempts on each in order to get the perfect fit necessary - someone had warned me that a badly-fitted one could be disastrous so I had to be very careful. I think I managed to get the hang of it all and can now complete each fitting in 15 minutes although some do take a little more care and attention. Obviously your donations will not arrive for a few days and so I plan to go to the town centre tomorrow and ask the many ladies there for assistance.

Thankfully I speak fluent French - 'Voulez-vous assistez-moi dans le quest pour votre brassiere Madame?' I know that for every bra I get I will also get 30 times slapped and spat upon as some just do not understand the urgency of it all but, like I said, someone has to do it and I'm the guy who will give up his time in order to get results!

I do know this is not Koi related but I just cannot stand by and watch all this needless poverty in the world! Well, now that Waddy has been out in the sun DOING GOOD over there in France:To funny:, let's go to another form of doing good:yes..Waddy on Kato san.. The World’s Ambassador for Nishikigoi Apart from my many teachers, namely the breeders who produce the finest Koi in the world, I have also been very fortunate in meeting many of the famous early authors and leading Japanese enthusiasts who keep Nishikigoi, and promote the Koi keeping hobby to the rest of the world. In 1982, the late Sadaichiro Miya, founder of the Miyakoya outlet, presented me with a copy of his truly lavish and gigantic book ‘The 100 Best Koi’ he published in 1965.

In 1985, on a regular visit to Mitsuo Hasegawa, I met the famous collector Mr. Anabuki who had purchased a specimen Kohaku from him. In 1987, whilst escorting a BKKS party around Japan, I met the late Ryo Kamiya, another famous collector at the No-gyo-sai show. Takeo Kuroki published his ‘Manual to Nishikigoi’ in 1979, followed by his ‘Modern Nishikigoi’ in 1981 and, although I had read every page of these and also sold hundreds to others, I did not actually meet him until 1996 where I was introduced to him, via an interpreter, at the All-Japan show in Tokyo. (He presented me his card and then asked me to send him a copy of ‘Koi Kichi’ as he’d heard much about it, on my return I sent the book to him at his home in Kyushu.) Of course, there have been many others who have been, in one way or another, responsible for the promotion of Nishikigoi I have come across in my travels. However, if I were asked to highlight the most important one single person, it would have to be the living legend, Masao Kato.

His recent achievement at the 2010 All-Japan Koi show held in Niigata City prompted me to document my experiences of the man, and so I’ll try to keep them in some kind of date order. I think I had seen Mr. Kato on several earlier visits to Yamakoshi, but he first approached me in 1984 when I was taking part in the judging at the All-Japan show in Tokyo. It was Megumi Yoshida who took me over to meet him on the Saturday, and Kato san seemed impressed and pleased to see an overseas Koi dealer in attendance.

He had a beaming smile on his face that day; in later years I discovered that he always had a beaming smile on his face! The next meeting was in Yamakoshi in autumn 1984 at Izumiya, when he was looking for more Koi to purchase after the harvests. He mentioned, via the young Seniichi Mano, that there were many Koi for sale up to 100,000yen (then £166.00 – now £740.00!), but very few special Koi that he wished to buy and seemed to be very disappointed, but still had the smile! It was then I first noticed he had two companions with him, I assumed they were fellow collectors, but some years later discovered that they were his agents who accompanied him on every prospective buying trip. The two men come from south Japan, and are his joint negotiators with the breeders and lend their opinions and expertise to Kato san, whenever a new potential addition is being considered. In 1990, I visited his home to see hundreds of Koi in many ponds, plus trophies from major Koi shows in a special room, he also has a passion for bonsai, judging by the enormous numbers of trees he owns. Kato san has played a leading role in the largest amateur official body of Koi keepers, namely Zen Nippon Airinkai (ZNA) for many years, and has travelled all around the world to visit overseas chapters of his society to judge at various events, and further promote the spirit of the hobby.

He was chairman of the ZNA until his retirement in 2008. Kato san’s Koi collections come from breeders all over Japan, and some are sourced by his agents from farms in the south of Japan, however it is Niigata where most of his Koi are purchased. Although he has owned scores of world famous specimen Nishikigoi over the years, this is probably the most famous, and has been used for calendars, Koi food packaging and re-printed in just about all of the worlds Koi publications. Some have termed it as ‘The Inazuma Showa’, which was produced by the late Minoru Mano, owner of the Dainichi Koi farm in Minaminigoro. In late 1995 I saw him coming out of the Shintaro indoor house with his agents, I presented him with a copy of ‘Koi Kichi’, and showed him the page where he shared a photograph (above left) with Ryo Kamiya taken at an earlier No-gyo-sai show. I must confess he seemed very pleased about it.

Once again, the famous Kato smile, as he observes his Koi being harvested. (above right) For as long as I can recall he has not only promoted the Yamakoshi breeders in the very best way possible – namely by purchasing many of the very best Koi they have produced – he has also taken overseas ZNA members to visit them on annual visits after the harvests. Furthermore his best Koi are kept for summer periods in field ponds he rents from breeders such as Nogami, Marusada and Dainichi, although some of his Koi are kept with the breeders who produced them. Since the mid 1990’s I have attended the spectacle of witnessing Kato san’s Niigata pond harvests that are delayed until mid November, just before the ZNA All-Japan show is held.

Towards the end of the 1990’s he had his own indoor facility, built and managed by Hisayaku Nogami on the outskirts of Ojiya City. This is a shot of Kato san’s Ojiya facility (above), ready for delivery of his stocks from the field pond harvests.

All the Koi are returned here and measured, then recorded to compare growth rates from the previous year. All the major breeders in the area take part in these events, the ones here are waiting for the trucks to arrive.

(On the far right is Tsuyoshi Kawakami from Torazo speaking with one of Kato san’s agents and his other agent is in the brown jacket. Seiji Hiroi is in the green jacket, Toshikatsu Ikarashi from Marusada holds his hands in the air, whilst Takeo Hoshino from the Hoshiyone Koi farm in Takezawa is in the blue jacket.) Kato san’s harvests can take over four days to complete but, at the end of it all, there are Kato san’s famous parties to attend (both in the afternoon and at night), where just about every breeder and every overseas visitor has an open invite to attend for wonderful food and endless supplies of liquid refreshment!

This shows one such evening party scene with Kato san and Hiroshi Mano. I do recall one of Kato san’s late harvests that did not go exactly to plan, as the night prior to the harvest produced a very heavy snowfall in Yamakoshi which had not been forecasted. The pond due to be harvested was owned by Marusada, and was high in the mountains past Tanesuhara.

We assembled in the morning at Marusada to find 30cms of fresh snow to be advised that the snow higher in the mountains was over 45cms. I can still recall events of that day when special vehicles and tyre chains had to be used; I also remember several vehicles that had to be abandoned along the way. When we finally reached the pond after trekking across fields of thick snow, the pond was coated with ice that made harvesting impossible. A small area was made free, and siphon tubes had to be inserted to slightly lower the water level by discharging them lower down into other ponds, in the hope the ice would crack and some pieces could be removed to give access for nets. After several hours we had to abandon the attempt, and returned the next day in order to complete the harvest, but there were many concerns that the Koi would have suffered even in that short time period of exceptionally cold water. Kato san assured everyone that things would turn out fine. When the Koi were finally returned to his indoor facility, there were signs of skin ‘reddening’ on several, but after a couple of days with, an increase in water temperature, all the Koi appeared to be in perfect condition.

Although I am not sure, Kato san must have bought more Nishikigoi than any other private collector in the world, and as to the total price paid – I could not possibly hazard even a guess! He may well have retired from his ZNA official duties but I’m sure he’s there in the background, still to call upon for advice. He most certainly has not retired from entering the most prestigious Koi show in the world, and coming away with Supreme Champion award once again! Today some Koi buying.Waddy on 'how to be an expert Koi shopper.' And the 'Jungle Telegraph':scratch: Part 1 of 3 So you wish to find and buy a special Koi? In terms of land mass, ‘Ye Olde Worlde Yamakoshimura’ (now, sadly no more in name) and its immediate surrounds is not large by any means, and one can easily drive around the entire perimeter of the area in less than 75 minutes.

Yamakoshi is in Niigata Prefecture some 200km north west of Tokyo as shown in the large scale map, and is situated centrally to the north of Nagaoka and Ojiya Cities. The much earlier name of ‘Nijimura’ referred to twenty small villages that were contained within the boundaries, and the majority of these villages are still there today. The geography of the area varies between the flatter aspects of Uragara and Iwamagi right through to the lovely hill villages of Shiyodani, Koguriyama, Takezawa, Mushigame and Yomogihira. However, this region does contain the densest population of quality Nishikigoi breeders anywhere in the world today. If all these breeders were condensed into a single entity (such as a modern-day retail complex), then it is easily also the largest ‘Nishikigoi Outlet’ in the world.

In view of this, it is the only real part of the world where serious Nishikigoi enthusiasts can visit, at the appropriate times of the year, and view the widest range of Koi quantities, varieties and qualities available anywhere on this planet. As an added attraction it is also one of the most beautiful areas in the world, that the locals continue to try and keep it as it has been for Centuries, despite many man-made innovations and attempts at ‘modernisation’. This illustration gives an idea of your immediate surroundings and how to access Yamakoshi, whether you decide to make your base in either Nagaoka or Ojiya cities.

These photographs show the views from Yamakoshi down towards Ojiya on the left and Nagaoka to the right, and have been taken from a road closed in winter months that leads to Mushigame village from Koguriyama village. For overseas visitors to the area, the associated travel, accommodation and reasonable daily living expenses have to be seriously considered beforehand, whether one is looking for one or two special additions to one’s existing collection, or for an overseas Nishikigoi dealer to source a wide range of sizes, quantities and varieties for re-sale back home. Whatever the actual purchase budgets may be, the total ‘base’ expense can vary today from £1,600.00 to £2,800.00 (depending on current exchange rate) for the usual seven to ten day trip. Obviously, if one is merely wishing to purchase inexpensive Nishikigoi, then it is significantly far cheaper to source them in one’s own country after all costs for a visit and shipping/importation risks and costs back home have been considered and are, naturally, reflected in the overall retail price when offered for re-sale back home.

As to the times of any given year to make a visit, one must first bear in mind that Nishikigoi production is ‘farming’ in its truest sense. Seeds (fry) are planted (produced) in spring and grown throughout the summer months in outdoor field ponds before they are harvested in autumn. This period, in respect of Nishikigoi farming, is from May/June up to October/November after which the stocks are housed in indoor, heated, concrete, re-circulating filter systems for their vital protection against harsh, outdoor ambient temperatures, which are prevalent there from late November to late April. In view of this, it should be obvious that, immediately after the autumn harvests have been made, this is the very best time of the year to visit the area and find a wide range of all sizes and ages of Nishikigoi on offer. This is with the exception of those born only a few months earlier, and are not yet really strong enough, or large enough, to make the long export journey overseas. This picture shows the field ponds partially drained after the autumn harvests have been completed. These stocks, (tosai or Koi born in June of the same year) will be kept in indoor, heated systems and fed daily until the following spring when the last selection of many prior selections will be made, to finally determine the breeder’s ‘tategoi’ (Koi that the breeder considers to have some potential to improve in both size and value by another season of growing in the field ponds) versus the ‘tateshita’ (those not considered worthy of further valuable growing space).

Therefore if it is this size/age of Koi one is looking for, then April to early May is the best month possible to make a visit. For all other times of the year, with the exception of these two slots, it is futile to plan a trip to the area in order to purchase stocks. Even now, some enthusiasts believe that one only has to fly to Narita airport near Tokyo, exit the airport environs and gaze at pond after pond of wonderful Koi for sale at any time of the year, alas this is definitely not so. In truth there are many Japanese people today who have never even heard of Nishikigoi. Late November to January produces a much narrower choice, after most of the best stocks of the last harvests have been sold, and also weather conditions can be truly miserable and sometimes impassable. This shows the field ponds in winter, empty of Koi stocks from early October until early June.

Whilst from late May to late September the vast majority of stocks are housed in the field ponds (doro-ike). Once these two time periods have been noted, then all one needs is money to purchase the Koi, a safe method of transportation back home and then the most vital factor of ‘knowing exactly what one is looking at’!

Whilst the money and transportation aspects will be readily available for many, the latter can only be gained by significant experience of actually purchasing many Nishikigoi on countless previous visits. I assure you, this is not a rapid ‘learning curve’ by any means. For those visitors simply wishing to find one or two special Koi from the thousands available, this is not so difficult as the oft-quoted cop-out of ‘Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder’ always comes to the rescue here, as does ‘If YOU like it – then buy it’ phrase.

However, to those who know the truth of these statements, it is not the best form of simplistic advice to take in when actually spending one’s own money. In truth, for any Koi enthusiast/dealer to even be able to get anywhere near this stage, one can actually live in this hallowed area for years, and visit the farms on a daily basis to inspect the stocks for days or even years on end. However, and this is the ‘crunch’, unless many hundreds of Koi have actually been, on previous occasions, individually and seriously selected, paid for, shipped and offered for re-sale (which is then the only time when one’s own ability is really put to the final test), then the ‘just looking experience’ is just that and nothing more whereby good pictures would provide a far less-expensive compromise, but a compromise nonetheless. The actual proof of success or failure can only really be determined if these Koi prove to produce a worthy sales profit.

This can also come to fruition in later months when the ‘worth of the eye of the buyer’ can be proven and recorded, by some Koi going on to take worthy awards at worthy Koi shows. In a nutshell, it is the thousands of previous bad or ‘less-good’ judgements made from actually buying and paying for Nishikigoi with one’s own hard-earned money that eventually produces this rare ability, which can never possibly be ‘taught’ except by hard experience. ‘Love and enthusiasm’ alone is not nearly enough to achieve this proven and rare ability, although it is another vital part of the whole. Again, whilst ones ‘eye’ may improve significantly by gazing at actual stocks over many daily/annual visits, the actual proof of the ‘value of the eye’ can only be realised in actual purchase by way of these Koi going on to take show awards, or realising a final and vital profit on re-sale. (Obviously these texts do not apply to the growing numbers of the ‘I-just-buy-what-I-like’ Koi keepers coming into the hobby today, whereby local garden centres, ‘e-bay’, and Koi produced in other countries of the world, can very easily and very cheaply supply all their requirements without having to even step foot in Yamakoshi.

Instead this refers to those wishing to collect some reasonable specimens produced by the breeders whose forefathers ‘invented’ them in the first place. Despite some attempts from other countries of the world to emulate the successes of the Japanese producers (with one or two isolated exceptions, sorry Maurice, but this means you) – most are doomed to expensive failure. The statement I coined many years ago is even more important today in that ‘There are good Koi and there are cheap Koi – but there are no ‘good, cheap Koi’!

– no matter how hard one tries to escape this painfully-obvious fact and total impossibility in the quest for The Holy Grail. Another point to bear in mind here is very important, if one is visiting Yamakoshi today, even at the best possible time of the year namely October to November, a mere ten to fourteen days of intense searching, to find and buy special Nishikigoi, either to collect as additions for your pond or for re-sale at dealer premises, is nowhere near long enough. In order to be able to scour the villages and the breeder’s outlets and make all the countless, yet vital, return visits to find special Koi – one must really be prepared to stay there for the entire two months. If only four weeks are available, then I would suggest the arrival should be commenced around the 18th. As to spring visits for tosai, the whole of April is the most productive, yet far more difficult and often exasperating to find suitable stocks than it is in autumn. I would suggest a start date for a two week visit should be around the 14th April, in order to escape the dreaded ‘Golden Week’, when Japan seems to grind to a complete halt.

Remember also that there are many breeders in the area, ranging from very small producers right through to the famous names, and at all stages in-between. In my experiences it is foolish to leave out any of these outlets when searching for stocks. I cannot begin to recall the number of superb, ‘never-to-be-repeated one-off Koi’ I have found and bought by pure chance at many tiny and visually unlikely outlets – admittedly most can be a waste of time and money, but the rare successes I have experienced over the years have more than compensated my efforts and expense. There is also a very efficient ‘jungle telegraph’ that travels around the mountainsides at an alarming speed. I forget the number of times I have visited a tiny out-of-the-way breeder to be told ‘Oh, Mr. Peter, I heard you have bought a wonderful and very expensive Sanke from ********* yesterday, I hope it brings you luck’. It’s quite amazing how the information is passed around.

Good friend and a superb ‘eye’, Dennis Wordsworth, always on the lookout for something special. Picture taken at the Oya outlet in Yamanaka village in 2004. Before I get down to actual buying details to highlight basic requirements, and the vast differences between spring and autumn visits, it is better if I attempt to point out some pricing details of Nishikigoi, which have often produced many questions from many enthusiasts. The Japanese breeders do not have trade prices, wholesale prices or broker prices for their stocks, they simply have one price for one Koi and this price does not only vary on a daily basis (which it often does and on many occasions), it can also vary quite significantly in respect of the actual person who is asking for the price. In simplistic terms, the breeder attempts to get the best price possible for his production, but he would be foolish not to consider reductions by way of quantity purchases or a proven, previous track record or reputation of the buyer in question who is actually making the price enquiry. This can be extremely annoying for the newer visitors, who somehow believe that getting on a plane and making the pilgrimage to the area, gives them some ‘right’ of passage to step right in and get the very best possible prices. Sadly this is so far from the truth because, as in many similar situations in life, one has first to ‘pay one’s dues’ – in the case of Nishikigoi this involves many years of return visits and purchases at the significant travel and living costs involved.

For myself, there were a few situations that helped me tremendously in the early days to learn just some of the ropes involved in buying stocks. Especially in the complete understanding of all Japanese ‘Koi monetary terms’ by ear, and the need to be able to evaluate the potential value of many Koi in a matter of only few seconds.

This came by way of having to attend both large and small Koi auctions, held at sites in all parts of Japan, in order to purchase Koi at times when most stocks were growing in the field ponds – exactly the same period commonly referred to in the UK as ‘the Koi season’ and when demand was very high. In those days they were regularly held in Niigata; Saitama; Shizuoka, Isawa; Nagoya; Hiroshima; Himeji and several other areas, where it was necessary for me to spend time from early April to early December, in order to combine these with my spring and autumn visits. Sadly, since the onset of viral diseases first publicly experienced in Japan around 2002, these events are almost a thing of the past. The few remaining sites still holding rare auctions today pass the ‘lots’ through the sales area in individually-inflated vinyl bags, to ensure that there is no common water shared by any of the other entries.

As a result, the experience has been so diluted it is almost worthless. It was the common consensus of opinions, voiced by many of those (who have had no practical experiences of these events at all), in that they were only held ‘for the disposal of junk and low-grade Koi’. These hopelessly incorrect opinions need to be exposed, as there were several auctions held with a starting point of 1,000,000yen for a single Koi (today’s value around £7,000.00).

There were also countless other auctions with minimum starting bids of £1,000.00, and many that attended and purchased Koi were some of the most prominent Nishikigoi breeders in Japan. At these events I was painfully aware that I was in the company of the best ‘eyes’ in the world.

Also, the vast majority of the Koi sold through these high-class auctions several years ago, could easily take major awards in modern-day UK Koi shows, especially as far fewer high-quality stocks are now imported for re-sale. Once again, I was lucky in being there at the time to learn to have to view Koi and be able to make a snap decision as ‘to bid or not to bid’. This was because most of the auctions could have over 500 lots going through, and it was rare that one lot ever took longer than 15 to 20 seconds from first glimpse to final sale. Needless to say, I made countless mistakes in some purchases but, thankfully, I also learned from them - albeit after the event. These ‘clangers’ of mine ranged from a superb ‘One-Eyed Goshiki’, a truly superb Shiro Utsuri, with a beautiful maruten beni pattern - cleverly concealed below the jaw; a wonderful Kumonryu that would not stay still in the basket purely to disguise a slight but obvious kink in the body, plus many other fin and mouth irregularities far too many to mention. All in all and on reflection, I made countless more successful and profitable purchases than the multiple bad judgements, and also learned and understood the dialects of each and every auctioneer, which was extremely important, and these varied from area to area. It was often a sobering thought for me in realising, that all of these purchases were made with only two significant and constant reminders, that it was my own eyes only that used to make these snap evaluations and then my own money with which to pay for them!

In short, I was thrown in at the deep end without a paddle. I openly admit that these events were extremely valuable for me, and stood me in good stead when viewing and purchasing Koi from the breeders themselves on many other visits. Waddy To be continued.More tomorrow.:yes. Once again, I was lucky in being there at the time to learn to have to view Koi and be able to make a snap decision as ‘to bid or not to bid’. This was because most of the auctions could have over 500 lots going through, and it was rare that one lot ever took longer than 15 to 20 seconds from first glimpse to final sale. Needless to say, I made countless mistakes in some purchases but, thankfully, I also learned from them - albeit after the event.

These ‘clangers’ of mine ranged from a superb ‘One-Eyed Goshiki’, a truly superb Shiro Utsuri, with a beautiful maruten beni pattern - cleverly concealed below the jaw; a wonderful Kumonryu that would not stay still in the basket purely to disguise a slight but obvious kink in the body, plus many other fin and mouth irregularities far too many to mention. All in all and on reflection, I made countless more successful and profitable purchases than the multiple bad judgements, Just wanted to say, 'Thanks' for taking the time and posting on Serious Critique Forum your knowledge is much appreciated, it will help us learn. And to Beware of the One Eyed Goshiki:D: Made me smile. Hmmmmm, seems all this 'French', and perhaps a touch of too much sun, has put quite a strain on BOTH Waddy and Cindy..liked the T-shirt design over on the other thread by the way, especially the one you had in mind for Waddy:rofl2::rofl2.

Oh, and the Jungle Telegraph is reporting unusual happenings in the vicinity of Montpellier, it involves a friend of Waddy, a piano, singing lessons, yet another dynamic duo:yo::yo:, overhanging rocks, pouring concrete as firm support (the mind boggles.:praying:), by the end of this week, France will be a Changed country, Wellington was a minor fly in the ointment compared to the mayhem a certain inferior spade is wrecking as we speak, but the less said the better.:harhar::harhar::harhar: http://www.koivista.com/pics2010/flemming93773_Valhalla_Berserker_Spades.jpg. Pleeeeeease put it on YouTube and post the link..:To funny::To funny::To funny::To funny: Do I detect further mockery of me on your part my little Danish Pastry? My legendary dulcet tones are already on You Tube - quite deservedly of course. In fact, when I grow up I plan to be a Superstar then I will have no need to speak to the likes of you. A reminder Danish, this forum is about coloured fishes, if at all possible you should take note. Cindy, I do not think this Dane has the necessary license to write in the hallowed English language of ours - Isn't this a perfect reason for a total ban? Well, now that we all know about the mayhem in the airport.let's return to Waddy on 'how to be an expert Koi shopper.'

, Ladies and GENTLEMEN, please take note. Part 2 of 3 Buying tosai in spring. As mentioned earlier, these have been housed in heated, indoor ponds since late September and fed daily up to four times. They are now significantly stronger and larger and are in perfect condition for export shipping to other countries. The facilities each breeder has for his tosai vary; the smaller breeders may only have one pond to accommodate all their stocks whilst others may have more than six larger ponds available. I will give a real-life example here of a four pond set-up for tosai kept indoors with each pond holding roughly the same volume of water as well as sharing a common filtration system.

The Koi are introduced into these ponds in late September after they were harvested and after several ‘selections’ have been made since hatching in June. Further selections take place during the ‘golden 90 days’ spent in the summer field ponds. If some 1,500,000 fry were produced from the various spawnings of the parent stocks then approximately 4,000 12cms to 20cms tosai will be harvested in autumn which results in around one Koi kept for every 375 destroyed in the culls. As a result, even the worst Koi remaining in the 4,000 harvested has been selected as the breeder’s ‘tategoi’ for some five previous selections. In truth, all the tosai placed into the indoor systems are tategoi before that next selection is made.

(Obviously these figures and stated prices are subject to annual variations in production, but they are here to give some reasonable estimation.) Prior to these being released into the four indoor ponds, a further, rough selection is made where the ‘best’ are placed in one pond, the next best in the second pond and so on until all four ponds contain the total harvested. In the next few days they must adjust to a brand-new filter which also must begin to start working properly to produce the necessary ammonia and thus precious bacteria and this is when new mains water must be added to assist the process. The pond and filter drains are religiously flushed to waste daily and the Koi are given food once conditions start to stabilise.

After 10 days or so when the Koi have adjusted to indoor conditions, these tosai are fed up to four times a day during the period that the breeder is harvesting larger Koi. After a few weeks of daily observation whilst feeding and discharging all drains to waste, the breeder gets to know his stocks well. Regular selections are made between early December through to late April when some of the previous Koi in the ‘best’ pond are relegated into other ponds and others from the ‘lesser’ ponds are promoted into the ‘best pond’.

Throughout this period many others are destroyed after being discarded as of no value. By the time the final selection has been made in late April, the ‘best’ pond will contain some 400 tategoi and the other three ponds will hold around 2,300 tateshita. This is the best time for prospective buyers to visit the farms. As to the breeder’s tategoi on view, there is a myth abounding that these are not for sale. To clarify this nonsense – ALL Koi are ‘for sale’ and always have been in my experiences. Whilst they may not be actually openly ‘offered’ for sale is always true because the breeder is far more concerned with disposing of his tateshita instead. To the buyer interested in purchasing any of these tategoi and asking for prices, the reply will almost certainly come back as ‘These are my tategoi’ and this is intended as a warning only which relates to his considered value of each individual one in that pond.

Persistency is required here if one wishes to go further by asking to inspect a few selected by one’s eye and having them caught and placed into a bowl. This is only very rarely refused and more often than not the Koi can be studied close up as requested. If a price or prices is/are asked by pointing to the one/s in question, it is then when the breeder will study the Koi and think for a while. If the Koi is 30cms and considered by him to be female, the breeder will estimate his value of it when it has spent a further four seasons with him and has reached 77cms or so, at his risk and after his costs involved have been considered in growing. If, as an example, he considers that this could be then worth 1,500,000yen (£10,500.00) then he will subtract the risks and expenses he would have had to bear and then come up with a price of 750,000yen to sell the Koi there and then.

(It’s all rather simple, in the same way a wine producer estimates the real worth of his wine on any given day, truly convinced that this will mature to become a really important and collectable wine in years to come. If this is the case, the quoted price on the day would take into account his estimated value in four years or so.) Coming back to tategoi, if more than one are selected then the breeder would take this into account when quoting his prices. If twenty or so are selected then the total price would be further reduced accordingly and substantially. In earlier times, the breeders worked on the assumption that every egg that hatched after the combined spawnings actually cost them one yen in overheads for the 12 months following the spawnings. Their quoted prices one year later was also quite simple to understand, if a Koi was judged by the breeder to be the best from 1,000,000 fry then it would be offered at 1,000,000yen; if another was the best in 100,000 fry then it would be offered at 100,000yen.

On the other hand if a Koi was only the best produced from 200 fry then it would be priced at 200yen. As to the 2,300 tateshita available for sale, the breeder also has a final price in his mind that he needs to realise in order to make a working profit for his year’s labours in production of these tosai. In this example, the breeder needs to sell them all for 500yen each which produces a total of 1,150,000yen. The breeder is happy with this amount – providing ALL are purchased in ONE sale as this is the least labour-intensive way of disposal. In all my years of purchasing this class of Koi, I have never once even considered this avenue which is simply a route to disaster unless I have a couple of thousand eager customers who truly believe that ‘a Koi is a Koi is a Koi’ etc. In any pond of Koi, there is a best and there is a worst – all the others take their respective places in-between these two.

Even to a trained and experienced eye, there is hardly any difference visually (either to the buyer or the breeder) between the bottom 50 of the tategoi and the top 50 of the tateshita. On many occasions the breeder has advised me that, if more field pond space had been available to him, then he would have selected more from the top selection of his tateshita.

As to the top tateshita that do resemble the same quality of the tategoi in many respects this is not so with the bottom 30% of the stocks on offer that are not even worth the airfreight costs involved in transportation, even if they were bought in the ‘job lot’ it would be almost impossible to even give them away. For the few buyers who actually purchase ALL, they must have a significant number of customers who have no idea as to what they are looking at as mentioned above, or this is much more probably the hard fact that the buyer has not the faintest idea as to what he/she is looking at – this is a very dangerous situation to be in! Once again, these Koi are NOT 500yen each, they are only that price if ALL are taken in one purchase.

The wiser buyer, providing he knows what he is looking at, may ask for a price for say 500 when he will usually be met with a prompt question from the breeder to ask ‘Do you wish for ‘net scoop rate’ at 1,000yen each or do you wish to select each one at 4,000yen each?’. The only answer here is to ‘select’ as taking the net scoop rate is as big a risk/gamble and as stupid as buying ALL the 2,300 Koi. If the 500 Koi are selected at 4,000yen each, this would mean the sale would be 2,000,000yen - much more than the breeder required and he would still have another 1,800 assorted grades of tosai for sale. In this example the breeder is not concerned with the ‘eye’ or expertise of the buyer who is selecting the 500 Koi as he knows he is safely ‘in profit’. However, this point does come to the fore when a prospective buyer spends some thirty minutes or more, closely inspecting all the tateshita swimming in the ponds below him before asking ‘the best price to select 50 Koi from the entire 2,300 tosai’. (An experienced buyer will have already assessed the exact 50 Koi he wishes to purchase – in truth he feels he can buy 75 or so that meet his needs.) In this example the breeder knows full-well that the buyer is ‘cute’ and most prospective buyers worth their salt will know full-well that the breeder is just as ‘cute’ or even more so.

It is around this point when a tea break is suggested or even a ‘Please come back tomorrow after I have calculated my price’. Whatever the actual time delay involved, the breeder will assume that the buyer ‘knows his onions’ and will be resigned to the fact that his best 50 tateshita will be most likely be selected in a process that may well take six hours or so to arrive at the final 50. In similar situations I have often protested to the breeder that I am only just another ‘rookie gaijin’ buyer with no ‘eye’ at all for Koi but it has always fallen on deaf ears when I am given a final price eventually. I have long-since given up making these feeble protestations because I have been ‘found out’ many years ago by true experts!

The breeder also knows that, once these 50 tosai have been removed from view, there will be a serious drop in ‘the overall attraction’ of the remaining 2,250 tosai still for sale. Eventually a price may be given of between 20,000yen to 30,000yen each, depending on actual selection by the buyer. At the worst, the breeder will get 1,000,000 and at best 1,500,000 and still have the worst 2,250 tosai for sale which he could easily dispose of tomorrow at 200yen each which produces a further 450,000yen of income and a total extra profit of between 300,000yen to 800,000yen over his previous expected total of 1,150,000yen. If the buyer of these 50 selected Koi is wise – a vital necessity here, he will also realise, full well, that these Koi have not cost him 20,000yen or 30,000yen EACH, they have actually cost him a total of either 1,000,000yen or 1,500,000yen FOR FIFTY KOI.

As mentioned earlier, in any pond of Koi, there is a best and a worst and the rest fall somewhere in-between. If anyone experienced in parting with their own hard-earned cash for these Koi then they would be extremely foolish to offer them for resale back home at a standard price for all 50 Koi when the first 20% would ‘fly out’ and the remainder would sit there until severe price reductions were made.

Instead if all these are to be sold then the ‘best’ would be priced far higher than the ‘worst’ in order to make them cost-attractive to customers. Please also bear in mind that the breeder did not sell these Koi for 20,000yen or 30,000yen each as stated. Most likely, and in reality, the best one was sold at 200,000yen and the worst one was sold at 3,000yen and all the others priced somewhere in-between to arrive at the final price of 1,000,000yen or 1,500,000yen. Waddy More tomorrow.:yes.

Are there too many breeders in Japan competing for that yen? Is the quality still being achieved, or Is it reserved to those breeders who are well funded? Good reference reading on the business of breeding and selling Koi.

As I see things Jorge, it may well be the reverse to what you are implying. I look upon the situation and always the exchange rate is the first to rear its head, frankly our UK money is just about worthless against the Yen today. Any sensible UK dealer who has Japanese-bred Koi for sale must be aware that, since late 2004 to early 2005, his real costs to purchase Koi from Japan in 2010 have increased by 2.2 times if you take the increases in UK utility/fuel/business rates etc. Charges into account also.

In real terms, a Koi that retailed for £295.00 in late 2004 must now retail for £649.00 and still the UK dealer makes no more percentage profit margin and nor for that matter does the Japanese breeder! Alternatively still retail the same size of Koi for £295.00 because that's what the buyer expects to pay - but it does not take a mental giant to realise that the Koi will be reduced in quality by 2.2 times! Then out come the cries that 'quality is not as good as it used to be' - you bet your life it's not!

My visits started in '77 when Japan was a nation of producers - I got 1000yen to £1.00. Around '85 they began to be a nation of consumers - by then I was getting 630yen to £1.00. The guys controlling the finances of the big companies back then knew the Yen would get extremely strong on the world markets and so we then saw a huge migration to other parts of the world.

Sony; Mitsubishi; Toyota; Nissan; Matsushita; Panasonic; Nikon; Canon etc. Rapidly moved their production to other countries. (If Toyota were still manufacturing in Japan, the Toyota Yaris that retails in the UK for around £9,000.00 now would be more like £40,000.00!) However, some industries could not move - the production of Nishikigoi was one such industry and now we get 135yen for £1.00!!!!!!!!! I do know the breeders are feeling the pinch but, thankfully for them, the South East Asian/Chinese markets are buoyant enough right now. Most of the Yamakoshi breeders still trade from homes that have been paid for in full some years ago. The cost of living in the mountains is very low - especially if you are using Yen for your income and your purchases. Yes, they still have to pay for water, electricity and heating oil but these are manageable.

Few of these breeders pay for outside labour because the family are usually the ones to assist. It is the larger outlets such as Dainichi plus SFF; INC; Narita KF and a few others where overheads can be really significant. If anyone is feeling the pinch it is these breeders and not the smaller family businesses.

These outlets need to sell volume Koi on a daily basis just to stand still, whilst actual profit comes from their tategoi. As to the 'quality' aspect - that is unaffected as the breeders NEED to produce better stocks every year. Do I detect further mockery of me on your part my little Danish Pastry? My legendary dulcet tones are already on You Tube - quite deservedly of course. In fact, when I grow up I plan to be a Superstar then I will have no need to speak to the likes of you. A reminder Danish, this forum is about coloured fishes, if at all possible you should take note.

Cindy, I do not think this Dane has the necessary license to write in the hallowed English language of ours - Isn't this a perfect reason for a total ban? They Are Indeed Peter Sweetie:D::yes. They Are Indeed Peter Sweetie:D::yes: I really should add to this a little background - it also really happened. We recorded this track at De Lane Lea studios in Holborn, London 1969. I think I was two years old?:rolleyes: In those days we were not just a rock band:no: - we were Flower Children!:cool3::cool3::cool3: Anyways we were taking the gear down the stairs to our trucks and loading it into the two vans to drive back home to Leeds some 200 miles north.

Some guys walked up the stairs past us and one of them was Hendrix. I shot back to the control room and asked the engineer if we could hang around - he said it was OK. We watched through the one way mirror into the studio as the roadies set up drums and two amps. The drummer, bass player and Hendrix started to do sound checks for a few minutes. After an OK from the engineer they played one track in one take and within minutes everyone had left. They didn't seem interested in listening to the replay so we listened for a second time. It was beautiful and I kept humming the song all the way back to Leeds.:yes: It was released some weeks later exactly as recorded in that single take.

'The wind cries Mary' It was an honour, believe me!:yes::yes::yes: Waddy. Waddy, A breeder question for you. Was wondering if Sakai of Hiroshima SFF got his parent stock from Toshio Sakai of Isawa or his brother way back when he first started? His rose kohaku bloodline is stunning along with the pricetag of his tosai.

So cool you met and listen to Hendrix music. My favorite, along the watchtower! Hi Sundan, I first came across Hiroji at many outlets in Yamakoshi between 1979 to '82. I thought he was a very serious enthusiast - he was always buying Koi. They say that he was Yamamatsu's biggest customer (Toshiyuki). We'd bump into each other many times and eventually say 'Hi'.

He came to me one day and gave me his card, my agent said that he wished me to visit his farm in Hiroshima as he had more Koi for sale than any other outlet in Japan. I went there in October '82 - the first gaigin ever to have seen the place and the Koi. At that time he had ALL the original bloodlines as parents for his kohaku/sanke production and had purchased them mainly from all the famous Niigata breeders.

He came over to judge for me at the first UK dealer's show in '85. Toshio at the time had yet to produce his magoi lines but Hiroji purchased them in the very late 80's.

I do know that by the mid 90's Toshio was buying a few very special Kohaku from him. Hiroji was a live wire - probably the biggest Koi enthusiast I have ever met. He spoke of heating the entire farm, switching to liquid oxygen to be able to stock and grow more Koi in each pond and then his plans for new parent Koi. By '88 he was paying fortunes to collectors for some of their champions. By the early 90's Micheo Maeda was Hiroji's number one customer. I have never been totally convinced regarding 'Beauty Rose' and other other names given more recently though? Doubtless, along with Minoru and Toshio - they changed the face of normal Nishikigoi production as far as quality was concerned.

So, here is the last installment of Waddy's triology on how to be an expert Koi shopper, now all we need is Waddy's oracle advise on how to deal with the dreaded KS (Koi Stopper) or KSS (Koi Stopper Syndrome). KS or KSS usually, but not exclusively, comes in a female form or shape:ghost: and typical signs are questions and/or statements like, 'THOSE red and white very large fish was never here before.'

(sure, Sweetie, it's the ones from last year and they have been growing like crazy lately.you look absolutely fantastic today, and that new perfume.), 'THIS airpump looks brand new.' (no, no, it's the old one, I just dusted it off a few minutes ago.say Honey, why don't we go out for dinner tonight so you don't have to spend hours in the kitchen ), 'THESE 7 large bags of fish food with Japanese writing on them was not here yesterday.' (darling, don't you remember, it was the ones that we bought last year, and we kept in the garage over the winter, and. Wow, baby, that new dress looks very nice on you:cheer:), 'THE 650 $ in cash you had in your trousers, WHERE have they gone, and why is there 3 cardboard boxes over there by the shed next to the pond (did I have 650 $ in cash, I don't recall, surely you are mistaken.:shrug::shrug:) 'THAT ugly box over there, it say's Eric on it, where did it come from, it was not there last week, and HOW much did it cost.'

(but, sweetheart, I just dragged it out of the shed, where., say, have you seen your petunia patch over there, it looks like it could use a little water, let me help.:violin:).at this point the urge to fetch the bottle of clorophorm from the shed and treat the KSS with a liberal dose usually reaches an alarming level.:laser::laser::laser::laser.and many, many similar irrelevant, nonsensical and unimportant utterings:scratch: Waddy, and Perhaps Dr. Conrad, anyone, please provide expert advise on prevention, the right medication (cheap, please.), dosage and any repeat treatment intervals.:yes:,against the dreaded KS/KSS.:scratch::scratch::scratch::scratch::scr atch::scratch::scratch: ************************************************** * Part 3 of 3 Buying Koi in Autumn. This period, as mentioned earlier, is THE time for serious Koi buyers or collectors. The sleepy villages burst into activity after all indoor systems have been filled and running operation has been witnessed. Harvest nets are brought from storage and checked; larger trucks are prepared with oxygenated containers secured on their long, flat beds; new oxygen cylinders are loaded and secured and chest waders and other items are all in preparations for the thousands of harvests that will soon take place. There is an air of excitement and apprehension that can be felt by the visitors, right up to the moment a ‘non-audible signal’ is sounded when the trucks mysteriously start rolling away to their respective destinations.

It is also the most beautiful time of the year to visit Yamakoshi, especially as the mountainsides begin to change colour when the leaves on the trees turn from green to yellow, and then to every shade of red imaginable. I cannot exactly recall when I first innocently asked some breeders if I could travel with them to witness and photograph an actual harvest taking place although it was around the early 1980’s. The initial reply was ‘Oh it is very muddy and wet, please stay at my house with our Japanese customers and take refreshments, then we will collect the Koi and return them for you to see properly in the concrete ponds’! Some found it amusing that I wanted to spend a few hours watching and recording them carry out their work for the first time but they had no idea as to just how badly I wished to witness these events for the very first time. It may have been a couple of years after when one breeder suggested that, if I wished, I could actually help lift the Koi from the mud with my own hands. For me, at the time, it was one of my wildest dreams to be able to do just that and I will never forget that very first harvest I actually took part in. (Just for the record, it was in a small mud pond near Ojiya owned by the late Kozaburo Miya in 1983 – he was brother to the Miyaishi outlet in Uragara village and could ‘smell' a quality Koi blindfolded!) In later years the breeders realised just how much their foreign visitors loved to take part in these events and, by the mid 1990’s this all became ‘de rigueur’.

Today, most breeders encourage overseas visitors to attend and take part in their harvests, they also lay on drinks and snacks for them whilst they are observing the events. As far as I am aware I was the first foreign visitor to actually experience this physically by getting wet and muddy and reveling in it all.

Some breeders commence harvesting around the 8th. October but this can be postponed if the weather is exceptionally mild and further growing can be achieved. The larger breeders start around the 18th. October, fully aware of the No-gyo-sai (Agricultural Society) breeders show staged at the last weekend of the month where many breeders proudly display the best fruits of their harvests in serious competition with each other. It is an important showcase for enthusiasts and breeders from other parts of Japan and all local hotels are difficult to reserve at this time. As to the selection of Koi on offer in the breeder’s indoor facilities, these can vary greatly even on a daily basis as more harvests are returned. It is rare indeed that advance expectations from visitors can not be realised, in truth the choice is truly amazing in respect of quantity, size, variety and quality of the Koi harvested.

In the majority of cases it is not ‘which one’ that one wishes to buy that presents a problem, it is rather ‘which twenty’ or more that becomes the real problem. Then, at the back of the mind always comes the question – ‘What will be harvested tomorrow or the day after or the day after that – should I wait?

- will there be even better Koi available then’? To give some kind of idea of the density of Koi breeders available to see in autumn, this is a map of Mushigame village where all the breeders shown can be accessed on foot.Since around 1984 I have always stayed for the full two month period in order to find my stocks but from around 1995 more and more guests joined our party each year.

By 2000 we had to hire three people carriers and staff to escort collectors from many parts of the world in order to find their special Koi. These parties were made up of seven to ten day visits and when some left for home, others came to take their places.

However, there were always a few ‘rest days’ where we (Dennis and myself) had time to get to the smaller breeders in Tanesuhara, Tochio, Koide and Wakatochi to try and find more stocks for re-sale or for other enthusiasts who could not make the visit themselves. Needless to say, the evening paperwork involved after a busy day in the mountainsides could take up to five hours to complete properly. I also used this eight week period to build up a shopping list of notable and expensive specimens seen at many of the breeders during countless return visits and would spend some serious time just viewing them from all angles in the ponds.

In some instances a Koi would be netted for inspection and measured before being released when I would make a note of the size as I saw it measured by the breeder. As the visit came towards its end I would then return to view again with a possibility of purchase. True, there were odd occasions when a Koi I wished to buy had already been sold but that is a chance one has to take. All of this takes time and concentration in studying the Koi on many visits and, if one was required by a collector for show purposes, I also had to have a good idea as to the competition element in Koi from other collectors that could be entered in direct competition, within the same size group and classification, at the same show. All of this had to be stored in my head from memory when attempting to make comparisons between Koi that may just have well been a million miles from each other.

It is always a matter of looking and studying with self-imposed patience for hours on end over many return visits to find just that ‘one special Koi’. More on this later. Stop looking, never stop remembering and never stop learning. Looking for these beauties is always with one’s own eyes in order to evaluate them properly and that is the only ‘tool’ I have ever used.

Whatever you do in your endeavours, do not listen to the ‘silly terms’ and ‘vital requirements’ often quoted at meetings by so-called ‘Koi Judges’ of the day. Nonsense such as ‘pattern is not important’ and ‘Sanke must not have sumi on the head or face’ are ‘tripe’ that is spouted by many to impress their opened-mouthed and eager listeners over a few beers. Providing skin, frame and volume of several Koi swimming together in a show pond is just about equal then the pattern aspect is of paramount importance and is the single item that makes a Koi truly unique. I have recently asked myself how I view a pond of Koi for sale with the possibility of making a purchase and, without exception, my eyes look for pattern first and foremost, then follows the quality of pigmentation, the skin shine and finally to frame and body shape which obviously varies greatly with age as it does with humans.

In short, if the pattern is not there to start with, I look no further. The Japanese breeders converse with these ‘expert and important’ judges as politely as possible, always nodding their heads in agreement and smiling at the appropriate times. But just watch one of these breeders selecting his tategoi and, whilst skin and pigmentation are seriously considered, the top ones selected ALWAYS have truly wonderful patterns as well in ANY size.

It is common knowledge that cosmetic surgery is used by many Koi breeders to enhance pattern on Koi with potential, and many menkaburi patterns on an otherwise stunning pattern can be changed with care, expertise and the correct pigment removal chemicals correctly applied. If these are not applied correctly for the required duration, then it will be detected later by the return of what is termed as 'Niban Hi' - although this is far from common, one thing is certain and that is it has been carried out on a Koi with some future value. Whilst I have observed this on many occasions, I have never seen surgery carried out on any tancho varieties, although it probably may be done by some breeders. It is generally only Go-Sanke where there is far more importance placed. It is said that, recently, the ZNA judges have been requested to make even more severe disqualifications if a Koi before them is suspected of being 'cosmetically modified'.

I assure you, if a Koi HAS been cosmetically modified by an expert breeder, it will be almost impossible for any judge to detect this several years later! Personally speaking, I am not in favour of this kind of surgery, but detecting expert surgery some years down the line is very difficult indeed. If I had ever considered listening to these words of wisdom spewed forth by these Koi experts, I would yet have never found and purchased one single Supreme Champion for the coveted BKKS National show. Thankfully, by giving these ‘gospels’ a very wide berth and trusting my own eyes instead, I have eighteen of these awards to my name, including the 2009 one at the time of writing much to the intense annoyance of some others when I remind them – and I try to do this as often as is required and at every turn of the conversation if required – they get terribly frustrated when they cannot give any intelligent replies because true, recorded facts are very hard to dispute!

However, there are true experts of Nishikigoi and these are not the ones who often quote meaningless, futile words and the associated ‘ZNA-invented terms’ to the wide-eyed whom they can easily impress. These are the guys I have looked up to, and still do, for more years than I care to recall. They put their neck on the line and back it up with hard cash, on almost a daily basis, by paying small fortunes for a single Koi which they know can be developed into something serious in years to come – they also know exactly how they will be able to do this, providing everything required is not plagued by the ever-present chance of misfortune that does abound. Not only can these guys ‘sniff’ out quality 50 metres from a pond, some of these Koi may look, on first inspection, absolutely average to others.

However, the breeder who produced it also is well-aware of its potential. Some of these idols of mine have grown up with Koi since birth, assessing the value of any Koi within a mere 10 seconds comes to them as second nature, in short, these are the true masters. In this sort of company I readily and openly realise my own, very significant limitations and shortfalls! I also know I will never reach that level. ‘Tell me please, does this fine Sanke display the true and very rare and beautiful ‘Atarashi Sumi’ that our judges actually need to be able to instantly assess and write volumes of important words about in order to teach us eager underlings?’ A. ‘What on earth are you talking about Peter San – have you been drinking so early yet again? I’m just a very humble yet world-famous Koi breeder and this is one of my better Sankes please buy it from me, I could do with some extra pocket money for my overdue golf club fees’!

I have given Koi lectures in many countries around the world over many years and I will always overhear words of absolute nonsense spouted over evening get-togethers by those who truly believe they know ‘a thing or two’ when it comes to assessing a Koi. I get embarrassed beyond belief and walk away, trying to imagine just how pompously and seriously they believe they ‘do know’ - if they were faced with the few guys on this planet that actually do! Furthermore, on this subject, there is a huge world of difference between merely talking about the virtues and de-merits of any Koi seen at shows or by photographs versus finding, viewing, inspecting, with only one’s own eyes as a tool, and then paying £30,000.00 or so of one’s own cash to the breeder before taking all the uninsured risks and expenses in getting it back to the final destination. After this one then has to face the real truth of the matter – namely selling it at a good profit and the ultimate ‘I told you so’ by watching it take the desired award at an important show. Alas, there are always instances where mistakes or bad luck comes along that have to be swallowed.

Actually buying serious Koi and paying for them with one’s own money is a job for the big boys – and not the many that merely talk about it on the sidelines and attempt to surround it all with some kind of mystique that only they have the blessed fortune to possess. I’m reasonably happy with my ‘eye’, although I admit it could be much better – it has served me well with the desired and recorded results over many years of being involved. I would dearly love to see one of the illustrious Koi judges of today standing at a pond of superb Koi with a large amount of his own money knowing he had to make a decision to find a champion with only one tool – namely his very own eyes.

I have yet to be present at any such situation in all my life and if I ever could be present to witness this, I am sure the aroma of bodily discharges would be heavily-present in the air. A word of advice here, we all need to know more about evaluating special Koi – the people to speak with here are the people who produce them or actually own them. These are the guys who ‘know’ and not those who pass comments on them to further their own self-importance. And now returning to the closing week of a usual eight week autumn visit to Yamakoshi. By then I will have a mental list of ‘special and very special Koi’ to consider at various outlets and I know that some may well have been sold whilst I have made lengthy deliberations on all the contenders. I also know I cannot possibly do this whilst guests are present as this is a lengthy process by necessity. The exact time to put my money where my mouth is has finally arrived again for yet another year and I am more than well-aware of this as we drive to the respective outlets.

These breeders have now returned to some semblance of calm after buyers have departed and the important shows are in the past. At one outlet, I am seriously interested in two Koi but there are another three that deserve close inspection. (I am recalling here an event that actually took place in 2003.) Initially I carefully point out seven Koi and these are caught carefully and placed in a large bowl before me together with a couple of airstones. Although I may have ‘watched’ all these Koi on many earlier visits and possibly even seen some at close quarters, now is the time to really evaluate them. My attention first goes to the three ‘also-rans’ to discover that each is worthy of getting a price for as is one I had never even considered before and so the one that produces no interest is placed back into the pond. I now have three Kohaku, one Showa and two Sankes before me knowing full-well that one Kohaku and one Sanke will be far more costly than the other four. However, the other four could be readily purchased if my expected buying price can be achieved because all six are excellent Koi.

Although this is rarely necessary but it is important, I check every single aspect of the Koi themselves as to body, shape, fins, mouth formation and position of the eyes. Next I look very closely at the skin shine and then move on the quality of the pigmentation – all this takes a mere minute or so. The next move is to ask the breeder to measure each Koi and I watch as closely as the breeder before writing down the respective sizes. I always ask ages of the Koi especially in recent years as some large sansai and some small yonsai can be confusing but I have long since stopped asking details of the original bloodlines which are now really unimportant other than for historical purposes. I then ask the prices of the Koi by pointing to each in the order of worst to best in my eyes and then take in the quoted prices in my head. More often than not my order of valuation is accurate although there have been many exceptions over the years.

As to my advance expected buying price, I always err on prices which are lower than those that the breeder asks. Some minutes before I have a price in mind that I would buy at and have also included in this the reasonably accurate expenses involved for my costs in making the trip and total freight/clearance costs to get the Koi back home before adding a percentage of my business overheads. At the same time I already have some idea of my price required when I sell these to other collectors in order to produce a reasonable and vital profit. Right now I am faced with the asking price from the breeder of ‘X’ for all six Koi when I wish to buy at ‘X minus 35%’ and so the dealing commences. I point to three assorted prices of Koi and ask for a total price if I buy all three, this takes a while for the answer to come from the breeder as he studies the Koi in question closely. The individually-quoted prices of the three will add to ‘Q’ but my reply comes back as ‘Q minus 20%’ - (I never ask for price reductions from most of these breeders, these reductions may be reluctantly given on one visit but will be added-on to kick you in the teeth on the next!) – and so the game continues. Eventually I get a price for five of the six Koi which, individually would total ‘R’ but now I need to get ‘R minus 25%’ for all five.

Finally as I am about to return one Koi (which I do wish to buy) back into the pond, I mention casually – ‘Oh, please give me your best price for all six Koi.’ In due course I get ‘X minus 30%’ – closer to what I am looking for in the first place but not quite. The breeder and I gaze closely at the six Koi before he stands up and places the seventh Koi previously rejected back into the bowl and says ‘Service!’ which means I get this one free if I take the ‘X minus 30%’ offer. A quick calculation takes place in my head when I realise my final price for all seven Koi is ‘X minus 32%’ – close enough for me.

I simply say ‘OK’, we shake hands and then I pay the cash. The deal is now completed and we usually retire to the house for refreshments and a break. It’s funny and I do not really know how this works, but the more I am convinced that I have ‘overpaid’ on a deal, the more profitable it turns out for me after selling the Koi involved back home!

Small outlet not exactly well-known around the world but there are usually some serious Kohaku to be found here, especially at the right time. Finally, I have been involved in this for some thirty years now and in terms of ‘total monetary value purchased’ as opposed to ‘numbers purchased’ I know of no-one else who has beaten the accumulated total I have spent on Nishikigoi to date although I stand to be corrected. I would not even begin to try and evaluate this final total – it would be positively frightening, believe me.

I also never once considered this as ‘real money’ – it could have just as well paid to me in Koi vouchers’ because that is all I spent it on! Just to think, when I started out in ’72 a Koi priced at over £25.00 was positively outrageous and well beyond serious consideration! Today.The poor, poor banks and the even poorer bankers.we all feel sorry for them, right.:there: Of Architects, other very silly individuals and Filters that cannot work. There was one instance in the late 1990’s I was invited to design and install an electrically-heated filtration system to a very large Koi pond in the grounds of a large commercial bank. On my first site visit I saw the ponds, (there were three) which were professionally built from very detailed architect’s drawings. The workmanship in build and finish carried out by a famous national building contractor was admirable to say the least.

It also had ample depth to support Koi and some bottom drains to 4” diameter tube had been incorporated correctly. I roughly estimated the pond to hold some 170,000 UK gallons (770 tons). The architect employed by the bank was in control of all the work on the site and I had to give him my exact plans and costings on providing filtration for the pond. On my first meeting with him I asked for an area reasonably near to the pond where I could design preliminary plans for the system required. Large scale maps of the site were provided showing ample areas of ground that seemed to me to be perfect to me for the installation but the architect informed me that these areas of ground could not be excavated as ‘rare and priceless Roman catacombs’ that were protected by the National Trust were underneath these landscaped lawns right next to the banks of the River Dee. The architect then pointed to a large room in the basement plan of the bank that could be employed to house the filtration units completely out of sight.

He furthermore inferred that this was the only available area despite the huge grounds surrounding the buildings. I asked then as to ways of accessing the basement and the reply came back that all entries and exits were via a large open-plan office where many staff would be working in normal daily hours. I then enquired as to what exactly was above the basement and the reply came back that there were some fifteen floors all containing hundreds of bank staff. After this, the architect insisted that I was to supply him with a ‘C.O.S.H.’ sheet for every single item I planned to incorporate, and that these sheets would all have to be passed in advance of purchase by the health and safety officer at the bank. Upon hearing this news I returned to the bank and was escorted through the large, air-conditioned modern office complete with busy staff in front of dozens of computer screens and the locked entry/exit door was opened for me.

Directly before me was a flight of narrow wooden stairs leading to the basement. My uniformed escort was equipped with a torch and together we looked around the available space. I took details of dimensions and height and also noted exactly as to where the pond was in relation to the basement. There was no doubt in my mind that the basement was large enough but, throughout my drive back to my office, warning bells were ringing in my head and words I had heard many years before came to me which were: – ‘Do not think about how much money you ‘COULD MAKE’ Peter, think instead of how much money you ‘MAY LOSE’. That night I considered several banks of large, open filtration units bubbling away in the basement and then considered the millions of fly larvae forming that would find a perfect home to reproduce in their multi-millions and then escape into the offices above.

I then considered the air conditioning and other aspects and then came to my final decision before going to bed. The next morning I telephoned the architect to say that it was not possible to install correct filtration to the pond in the basement and then gave him my full reasons as to why. The curt reply came back to say – ‘If you cannot do this, I will find someone else who can!’ Within two or three weeks another UK Koi company let all of us know, in no uncertain terms, that they, themselves, had been commissioned to install a state-of-the-art filtration system to a gigantic Koi pond by a very important commercial bank. It was advertised everywhere and step-by-step photographs were to be taken as well as a full video on completion of the project.

This hype increased as the weeks went by and the new installer proceeded with his secret plans that were to astound us all in the subject of ‘state-of-the-art Koi pond filtration secrets. And then, very abruptly, no further news was forthcoming. Soon the whole matter was forgotten although I knew that the subject would return - it just HAD to! It was around 18 months later that I was contacted by the MD of the same bank to ask me if I could give a detailed, written and photographic report in respect of a Koi pond filtration system installed at the bank. Now, I could converse with this MD, he turned out to be a long-standing private customer of mine and kept his Koi at home inside a conservatory in his house. He then informed me that it was he who had instructed the architect to contact me in the first instance.

Unfortunately I only knew this person as ‘John’ – I had no idea at all that he.

Space Reservation Information IPF Japan 2014 Show Profile Title: IPF Japan 2014 (International Plastic Fair)【8th IPF since 1994】 Date: Oct. 1, 2014 5Days Show Hours: 10:00 – 17:00 [Last day: 16:00] Venue: Makuhari Messe (40min. From Tokyo Central Station) Organizer: International Plastic Fair Association Scale: Exhibitors：751, No. Of Booth：2,217 (Net: about 20,000sqm.) (IPF Japan 2011) Visitors: 43,745 (IPF Japan 2011) Entrance Fee: Free for pre-registrant through IPF website JPY￥1,000 for on-site registration (Good for 5 days) Cycle: Once every 3 years Schedule Deadline of Space Reservation April 11, 2014 Payment Deadline of Exhibit Space Fee May 30 Exhibitor’s Manual and Booth Layout (Floor Plan) will be sent to exhibitors Mid-June Power Cable & Water Pipe Construction by Organizer Oct. 23 Move-in & Booth Decoration by Exhibitors Oct.

24 – 27 Show Period Oct. 1 Move-out Nov. 2 2 Below are the views of some of the exhibitors from IPF Japan 2011. It was the first time that we had a booth at the IPF. We have participated in the past in exhibitions for other industries in Japan. What was most surprising was the fact that there were many visitors from as far away as Kyushu.

Many visitors from all over Japan visited our company’s booth. During other events, most of the visitors were from the Tokyo region and it was rare to find visitors from the Tokai or Kansai area. (Ancillary Equipment Manufacturer) Every year, we have a booth at the IPF. In the past we focused on panel exhibitions.

However, this year we ventured in performing live demonstrations to emphasize the features of our products. The number of visitors who stopped to watch and ask questions increased. We got more visitors visiting our booth this year. We had many new customers and felt that we still have new markets to explore.

(Ancillary Equipment Manufacturer) I had attended as a visitor but this was the first time for us to attend as an exhibitor at the IPF. We prepared a certain number of pamphlets based on our previous experience of past exhibitions, but all our pamphlets were gone on the first day of the fair.

IPF is much more exceptional than we had anticipated. (Mold Manufacturer) It was a little disappointment that the total number of visitors declined compared to the last show, nevertheless we had collected a record number of business cards.There were less people visiting to 'learn' and most of visitors who were looking for specific solutions or considering investing into plants and equipment, were very enthusiastic (Molding Machine Manufacturer) Overseas visitors came to this show all the way from their countries. They were looking for precision and were considering installing high-tech systems.

At the exhibitions outside Japan, there were many people who were saying, “Japanese machines are too expensive” and “So not interested”. But at IPF, visitors from abroad were all very serious.

It was worthwhile and fulfilling to interact with them. (Ancillary Equipment Manufacturer) This is the first time I experienced an exhibition that had so many visitors from abroad. I was surprised when one visitor, after seeing our technology, asked us to visit their company in Korea right away.

I felt this was very beneficial for us as we were able to not only appeal domestically but also internationally. (Mold Processing Company) A visitor from overseas, who had just dropped in at our booth, told us they would like to be our agent. We do not have many employees and although we felt we needed a reliable partner to expand sales abroad, we had no connections to do so. Unplanned meetings like these are the real benefits of exhibitions. (Mold Parts Manufacturer) 3 Number of Visitors Date Visitors IPF JAPAN is the only plastic & rubber trade show in Japan which attracts professionals from all over Japan and Asia. The actual number, no double counting.

Weather Japanese Overseas Daily Total Oct. Sunny 5,112 770 5,882 Oct. Sunny 7,331 567 7,898 Oct. Sunny 8,477 473 8,950 Oct. Sunny 11,803 239 12,042 Oct. Sunny 8,868 105 8,973 41,591 2,154 43,745 Total ※ The figures are the number of entrance permits issued at the registration. The number is the same as the no.

Of collected invitation tickets, Internet registration tickets and tickets sold on the day. If the same visitor entered on multiple days, they are counted as only one. Japanese Vistors by Region Chugoku/Shikoku 2.3% Hokuriku/Ko-Shin-Etsu 7.8% Hokkaido/Tohoku 3.0% Kyushu/Okinawa 1.0% North Kanto 10.0% Kinki 10.4% Tokai 11.9% Tokyo Kanagawa Saitama Chiba 28.5% 10.0% 8.5% 6.6% Overseas Vistors by Nation （2,154 People from 40 Countries and Regions） The show in 2011 had over 2,000 overseas visitors even though it was held only 7 months after the Great East Japan Earthquake and nuclear power plant accident.