|
Article
March/April 2002
Izumiya Grand Champion
by Mamoru Kodama
Japan has more than 200 koi shows from small to big every
year. Among them are three major Japanese Koi Shows: the
All Japan Nishikigoi Show by Zen Nippon Airinkai (ZNA), All
Japan Combined Nishikigoi Show by Shinkokai, and the All
Japan Nishikigoi Promotion Association (Dealers Association).
In the Niigata Nishikigoi Show, Niigata breeders can enter
their koi.
This Niigata Nishikigoi Show is a very
authoritative koi show. The Grand Champion winner of this
koi show is allowed
to attend a party sponsored by the Japanese Emperor. Because
the results of this koi show grades breeders, it is a MUST
for breeders to win good awards. At Niigata Koi Show on 28th
of October in 2001, Mr. Sen’ichi Mano of Izumiya won
the Grand Champion.
Izumiya
Izumiya is an established koi breeder;
his father started the business 70 years ago. When you
join a koi tour in Niigata,
Izumiya is always one of the stops. Jumbo Koi 32? to 34?
impress every single visitor. He breeds mainly Kohaku, Taisho
Sanke, and Ogon. Considering bloodline as important, his
pursuit is for quality jumbo koi. Winning Grand Champion
at the show this past year made him realize once again that
his koi are excellent and his koi grow jumbo. I interviewed
Mr. Mano about the Grand Champion "Izumiya Kohaku" after
the show.
Kodama:
Congratulations for the Grand Champion. I believe the beautiful
and distinguished swimming posture of the Grand Champion
impressed everyone. Please tell us about the koi in detail
today.
Mano:
To tell the truth, I entered this koi last year also. The
prior year, this Kohaku received the evaluation that it had
the thickest beni among all the entries, but it did not have
luster. This year, I raised this koi paying the most attention
not only to growing her big but also to getting her very
lustrous.
Kodama:
I agree. "Luster" is very important at koi shows.
Mano:
Yes. To win at koi shows, it must look beautiful. No matter
how good the koi is, if it does not look beautiful, it cannot
win. And it is luster that makes koi beautiful.
Kodama:
What do you do to get your koi luster?
Mano:
It still comes to food. Clay quality and water quality are
important. But I think food is the most important. I believed
that this Kohaku could definitely win Grand Champion. So
pay the closest attention to food: what and how to feed.
Kodama:
What is the good food to get luster?
Mano:
Silkworm pupae are still the best. I mix silkworm pupae with
other food. To koi hobbyists, I recommend such a koi food
that already contains silkworm pupae as "Hi Silk 21™" because
silkworm pupae are difficult to get.
Kodama:
What is the second most important thing to win Grand Champion?
Mano:
As a matter of course, koi must have the "innate ability." No
matter how hard you try to get your koi lustrous and beautiful,
if the koi does not have the ability to become lustrous by
nature, it is a waste of time.
Kodama:
Please explain good innate ability that this Grand Champion
has.
Mano:
They are "body conformation" and "the thickness
of beni." As you can see, the body conformation is ideal
for koi. In some bloodlines, koi grow more than 28? in 3
to 4 years. I think koi that grow slowly but surely every
year are better than koi that grow rapidly and all at once.
This koi is now 34? and 10 years old. It has grown steadily
every year. It will still grow. I think it will grow to 36?
in 2 years.
Kodama:
I know koi from Izumiya is famous for big growth, but 36?
is surprising.
Mano:
Koi that grow rapidly do not last. Koi that grow slowly but
steadily can grow as large as 36? and the result can have "good
body conformation" when it is grown.
Kodama:
Is "good body conformation" from bloodline?
Mano:
Yes, it is from bloodline. Even if you feed a lot of good
food to koi from the bloodline of little growth and the bloodline
of bad body conformation, it will neither grow big nor have
good body conformation.
Kodama:
Koi from Izumiya is famous for big growth and good body conformation,
isn’t it? Please explain about beni next.
Mano:
Beni quality of Izumiya is from the bloodline of "Tomoin" that
I have taken over from my father. "Tomoin" is characterized
by its thick beni quality. Tomoin bloodline was born around
1940 to 1945. My father has studied this bloodline and made
what Izumiya Kohaku is now. In Niigata, there is a word "Gotari." It
means a bully or naughty boy. When they are young, they are
not generous and excellent. But when they grow up, they are
crowned with success. It is often described that koi from
Izumiya is like "Gotari."
Kodama:
It means that koi from Izumiya will turn out to be great
koi when it grows up even if it does not look good when
it is young. Winning Grand Champion this time really proved
this, didn’t it? I believe this will make koi from
Izumiya more popular. Please breed many good quality koi
for your fans. Thank you very much for your time today.
|
