Day 9

Dainichi and ZNA Koi Show

It was to be a busy morning before I took the Shinkansen back to Narita. After checking out of the Ojiya Park Hotel I went to visit Dainichi Koi Farm.After buying some very high quality female showas from Dainichi earlier this year I was keen to buy some Kohaku.Amoungst the Kohaku were a few high quality Shiro Utsuri that had to be purchased.



Great quality kohaku and Shiro Utsuri, excellent beni and Marazome Kiwa.



Superb white skin and sumi.

A couple of other farms were visited before going to the ZNA Koi Show in
Ojiya.

















The ZNA Grand Champion.

After the show it was back to Nogaoka Station and my journey home.

This trip was not going to be about buying many koi,but selecting koi of quality that will improve and develope.Many of the koi purchased all have great qualities both in their body shape and skin.The koi I had left in Japan were mainly Tosai and Nisai. With one exception (day 1) , I have been very pleased with the growth and qualities these koi are showing.I have already secured some great tosai to buy next year and leave in Japan,the cost of buying Tosai is not that expensive considering the size they will be at harvest time,look for quality of the skin and body then pattern last. Also take advice from the breeder he will always know his best future koi.

The koi will be arriving over the next two weeks, details will be send to all subscribers first then posted on the web site.I hope to see you soon.


Drew
Koi Waterlife

Day 8

There is no rush in Niigata,with the Hotel only a few minutes drive to the mountainous area of Yamakoshi , you can take your time to visit many farms.The morning was spent visiting, Torazo, Sakasume, Igareshi and Isa. I will be going to Isa's nisai house after lunch as some superb koi had just become available.




A high quality selection from Sakasume.


I arriveed at Isa's at about 2pm and spent the next hour just looking at the many different grades of Nisai available.Isa's water is crystal clear so bowling koi was not necessary until you had decided on what to buy.







These two Females Showa's were bowled, both having good body line and skin quality.Isa's parents are huge this is one of his oyagoi from my visit to him in May



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A few more farms visited in the afternoon,then a visit to the smelliest koi farm in Niigata,Tazawa, this man is one of the nicest Koi breeders you will meet he breeds some of the best Harawake's, Kumonryu, Shusui,Kujaku you will find.When walking into his fish house it smells like a pig farm, he makes he own food with many special ingredients but mainly eggs! and with the weather warm that day I had to open some of the windows to get some fresh air while looking at the koi.But as soon as I turned to another tank the windows were immediately closed, Im sure he has no sence of smell.



A good selection of female Harawake's. Due to the soft water at his farm, the yellow on these koi will become very bright after a few months in England. Tomorrow is my last day and I will be going back to a different fish house of Dainichi Koi farm and also spending a couple of hours at the ZNA koi show held in Ojiya.

Day 7

Arriving in Niigata

Arrived at 7.30pm checked into the Nagaoka Grand Hotel eager to update the blog, only to find that the only room available does not have internet access.I will have to wait until I get to Ojiya.I left the hotel early the following morning for the first of my three days in Niigata,first stop was Dainichi always a great place to start, two hours went very quickly, when there are so many quality go-sanke available to see.



These three Showa have all different qualities to them, one has excellent body shape, another great skin and the third a good pattern.When selecting koi this is the best way to buy Koi, body ,skin then pattern, to get all three is not easy and when you do find it you know the price is going to be high.It is always good to make a compromise and that is down to the individual.video quality not good.




This koi has excellent shape for a two year old,wide behind the gills but not too wide for the tail to pinch in, the weight is evenly distributed throught the body.



This koi has great skin quality, soft beni and good deep sumi,the skin has a very soft appearance which will thicken and improve with age.



This koi has a good pattern beni and sumi.



Pattern still developing but fantastic sumi and white skin. I would not be buying koi from Dainichi today that would come later in the week.

Other farms were visited included Marudoh where two Tategoi Yamabuki were bowled for a customer. His new fish house was superb,mainly stocking Sansai and Yonsai,including Kigoi,Kurasagoi, Kohaku, Showa, Shiro utsuri,Kajaku and Hi Utsuri.





Stunning Yamabuki, both female Nisai and 52cm excellent body shape these koi will grow very big.Parents nearly 90cm.



Superb Fukurin and skin quality.These two koi were priced at £1500 each,there were many available and I will definately be back in February to buy some.

A quick stop for lunch then to a few more farms, A visit to Yagenji and five female Yamabuki were purchased.Great body shape and skin and very good value.





Also bowled was a very nice Shiro Utsuri 45cm Female Nisai.Excellent white skin and body shape. The light was fading now so it was a short drive back to my hotel in Ojiya,arriving back at about 5.30pm there was a couple of hours before dinner to update the blog and reply to e-mails.

Day 6

Isawa Nishikigoi Centre


It was a beautiful morning in Isawa unlike last years visit to Matsunosuke when it rained for the whole day and prevented us from seeing everything on offer, Most of Toshio Sakai's ponds are outside so today was going to be a great opportunity to see more koi than last year.I aws taken to a fish house about 10 mins drive from his main facility,this is where he kept many of his customers koi. I was keen to see how the two Kohaku I purchased last year had developed.

Customers Fish House.

The first koi bowled was the Nisai Kohaku,now measuring 65cm and with a much fuller body ,she has developed superbly,the skin quality is very good and she has beautiful soft beni.



Last years picture.55cm







Great body shape and excellent beni


Next a few other koi were bowled to be measured and photographed,





A Yamabuki, yonsai 85cm Toshio thinks this koi will make 1 meter ,it has incredible fukurin and body.



One koi I asked to see was this superb Tategoi Ai Goromo only 2 years old and 52cm, she was superb and is staying at the farm for another year I will be back to see the development.



My other koi was at the main facility and we went there next to see how she had grown, I purchased her at 64cm as Sansai and was hopiong she would be at least 70cm, I was not dissapointed, she is now 73cm and has superb skin and beni,growing this much in one year is good news for future growth.





These were the last two koi I had growing in Japan, there is always a risk involved when leaving koi, but it is also very rewarding, of the fourteen koi that had been left only one had been a dissapointment. There are many factors that determine the growth and sometimes it can be dissapointing but there is always excitement and anticipation when you finally see them.

Also purchased on the day were these female nisai Chagoi and Yamambuki, the Yamabuki are from the same parents as the one photographed above. Great quality and price and excellent koi to grow very big.







My final purchase of the day were these high grade nisai.Goshiki,Gin Rin Goshiki,Kohaku,Showa and Gin Rin Showa.






It had been a good day and at 3.30pm I started the long drive to Niigata.

Day 3, 4 and 5

Day 3

Two new farms were visit one in Okayama and one in Shikoku Island, more information about these farms will be available during the next few months.

Day 4

After leaving very early I arrived at Isawaonsen station 6.30hours later to be met by Hajime Sakuma and his brother Hitoshi,I was quickly taken to Hiroi koi farm and spent about 1 hour there looking for some Goshiki but unfortunately there wasn't anything of the quality I was looking for,so it was a quick drive to Sakuma koi farm to have a look at this years harvest as the light was starting to fade I was looking forward to seeing four koi that had been left at Sakuma Farm, two from last years harvest and two female jumbo tosai purchased in May this year.I was shown these koi but it was decided to photograph the next day.

Day 5

I left the hotel at 8.30am and went to Sakuma koi Farm,the first thing was to bowl and photograph the koi mentioned earlier.



The first to be photographed was this 3 year old Gin Rin Showa purchased last year as a two year old.Now measuring 58cm with a much improved body shape.Having only been harvested in the last week, the quality of the skin is very good and will still improve further. The second koi was this excellent yonsai Gin Rin Sanke,now measuring 67cm. The sumi is low due to its time in the mud pond but it can easily be seen under the skin.



Next to be bowled were two Female Jumbo Tosai purchased in may of this year.Measuring 40cm(see above pics)








Both koi had developed well with a much improved body shape and now measured 52cm. After all the photographs had been taken,I was shown the rest of this years harvest,there were some excellent Koi for sale from Nisai to Yonsai, but I explained to Hajime that as he has changed he brood stock and introduced new blood , I would be more interested to see the tosai next year.

So after lunch it was off to Maruyama Koi Farm.



Arrived at Maruyama and selected some excellent Nisai Kohaku and Showa.



I then went to another koi house to select more showa it was turning into a very good day!



Both these Nisai Female Showa have low sumi at the moment but having just been harvested this will improve,both very striking in appearance,with good body shape and lustre to the skin.It was a good day at Maruyama and with still more ponds to harvest i will be back again in the spring.Tomorrow I was going to see Toshio Sakai and see how two kohaku had developed during the past year.

Day 2

Oishi Day

In May this year I purchased 15 Oishi Tategoi Sanke from a pond of 100, pictures of these koi can still be seen on the website.The remaining koi were kept in one of Masakki Oishi's best and largest mud ponds and harvested a week ago.This pond contains a mix of Sanke and Kohaku,the size of these Nisai are 48cm-52cm.Some of the Sanke I didnt buy in May can be seen in this pond.Click picture to enlarge.





Now measuring on average 50cm the growth has been excellent since putting them in the mudpond as 20cm Tosai,you can see from the pictures that Oishi's main aim is to produce beautiful pattened koi with excellent colour and quality.Two Kohaku from another pond but the same parents were bowled.One is Male the other Female.The Male is 180,000 yen Female 280,000 yen.Priced in Yen due to fluctuating exchange rate.



Two Nisai Kohaku


After spending time viewing more Nisai it was decided to look at this years Tosai.It was a short walk to the Tosai house and after a couple of hours these seven Tategoi were selected.




Other very high quality Tosai were selected mainly kohaku.The rest of the afternoon was spent discussing his sansai and yonsai harvest due at the end of November and viewing more of his Tosai and Nisai.





The main koi facility at Oishi Koi Farm.