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Article
Mar/Apr 2006
Marusaka Koi Farm
by Mamoru Kodama
Niigata is a special place for koi hobbyists around the
world. Likewise, the Utogi area is a special place for koi
dealers because several excellent breeders such as Marusaka
and Hiroi reside there. This time, I visited an established
breeder, Marusaka Koi Farm, with the history of three generations.
Kodama:
Everybody knows that the Marusaka Koi Farm is an established
breeder, but how did it start?
Marusaka:
My father started it as a breeder. I helped my father since
childhood and before I noticed it I was involved in the business.
Kodama:
How long have you been working with koi?
Marusaka:
I am 54 years old this year. So I think I spent more than
40 years with koi.
Kodama:
I understand you have devoted your life to koi. Did you learn
the business all from your father?
Marusaka:
Not necessarily. As soon as I graduated from high school,
I apprenticed myself to Mr. Ichiro Mano, owner of the famous
Izumiya in Niigata and studied koi.
Kodama:
What was the difference between Mr. Mano and your father
in terms of learning.
Marusaka:
I learned how to raise koi through the daily work from my
father. And I learned a lot about how to look at potential
koi from Mr. Mano. My father was a pure breeder. He paired
koi, hatched eggs, and raised them for 2 years, 3 years,
and
4 years to sell. Mr. Mano was famous as a top eye holder
of koi at the time. He was buying tategoi, that is, future
potential koi from other breeders and raising them big to
sell. The eye for tategoi was an important skill of his.
The basic business model was different between the two.
Kodama:
I see. You learned different aspects of koi business from
two teachers. When did you become independent?
Marusaka:
When I got married on my 31st birthday. Compared to other
breeders around, I took over the operation of Marusaka Koi
Farm from my father relatively early. He left the entire
operation to me. I decided and did everything myself including
which pair to use, and which fry to raise, and sell.
Kodama:
What do you think about the fact that your father left the
responsibility to you so early?
Marusaka:
I think it was good. The earlier, the better. Of course,
it would have been less risk for the business had my father,
the experienced breeder, did this. But you learn and grow
when you make mistakes. So I think one should take over the
business as early as possible.
Kodama:
Do you have any remembrance of a big mistake?
Marusaka:
Countless. One time, I put formalin into a pond that contained
salt. I lost the stock of 10,000 tosai. It was a difficult
and tough time.
Kodama:
I think it was common sense for breeders not to use salt
and formalin together. But the accident happened because
you did not know.
Marusaka:
It was an expensive lesson. Because there is no school dealing
with koi, I had to learn koi breeding by experience, inspite
of mistakes. Of course, there are seniors, friends and a
fresh water research station in Niigata prefecture from whom
I can learn. But these friends and seniors are all in the
same business, in other words, competitors. So they do not
share much. The know-how is always secret. I have to learn
all about koi breeding by myself.
Kodama:
Interesting. I see breeders treat and help each other like
friends. But they all have secrets of the farm.
Marusaka:
There are many breeders in Niigata. But I believe there is
a big gap in their breeding skills.
Kodama:
Now please tell us about your koi. Let's begin with
your Kin Ki Utsuri because it is famous. How did you start
this
variety?
Marusaka:
It was about 1980 when I started breeding Kin Ki Utsuri.
At the time, Kin Ki Utsuri were decedents from Doitsu Kin
Showa. I used one of them as a parent, which is my first
parent of Kin Ki Utsuri. My current parent is its child.
It is now 13 years old and more than 75 cm (30in). It breeds
as many as 600,000 eggs.
Kodama:
It was more than 25 years ago, wasn't it?
Marusaka:
Yes. The history of my Kin Ki Utsuri is long.
Kodama:
What is the ratio of Kuroko?
Marusaka:
I start culling the fry at 3 days old. I usually have 40%
of Kuroko.
Kodama:
That sounds good. I know it is usually about 20 to 30%; 40%
is a great number.
Marusaka:
By autumn, I raise 8,000 to 10,000 tosai out of the 600,000
fry. I raise 1,000 to two years old and I sell and export
the rest. My Kin Ki Utsuri is known to develop the sumi well.
Moreover, there are red type and Ogon type of Kin Ki Utsuri.
Marusaka Kin Ki Utsuri is an Ogon type though I can have
both types of excellent quality.
Kodama:
So it is good to remember that Marusaka Kin Ki Utsuri develops
the sumi pattern well and it is an Ogon type of Kin Ki
Utsuri.
Marusaka:
Yes. Mine are popular because they show good sumi on their
shoulders.
Kodama:
Now tell us about your Kujyaku.
Marusaka:
I started breeding Kujyaku in 1990. There was a famous Kujyaku
breeder by the name of Mr. Obuchi in the area of Ohkuzure.
I purchased a female from him. I crossed her with a male
from the Kaneko Koi Farm in Nigorisawa. This is how my Kujyaku
started. My current parents of Kujyaku are the second generation.
Kodama:
How would you describe your Kujyaku?
Marusaka:
My Kujyaku has a good ground (skin color). Matsuba gets black
and makes the ground shine strong in silver. The pattern
is in beautiful Yamabuki color. My Kujyaku shows a very elegant
presence.
Kodama:
Your Kujyaku is popular because they have won many top awards
at koi shows. I like the beautiful silver ground of your
koi.
Marusaka:
Thank you. I think people like it because the pattern is
defined on that ground.
Kodama:
Now, please share with us a new variety of Midorigoi that
you stabilized.
Marusaka:
As you know, Midorigoi originated when Mr. Tadao Yoshioka
in Toyama crossed Shusui with a Yamabuki Ogon in 1963. Because
it has Shusui blood, Midorigoi has always been Doitsu. But
my Midorigoi is scaled.
Kodama:
Yes, there were no scaled Midorigoi. We can say you stabilized
it as a new variety.
Marusaka:
It is difficult to create a new variety. But I feel honored
that I was able to create something new that had not existed.
Koi originally came from black carp. This black body developed
to green. I think this is an amazing improvement.
Kodama:
How many do you breed?
Marusaka:
One pair breeds 100,000 to 200,000 fry. I keep 8,000 of them.
After all, we need to select them very strictly, or we cannot
get excellent ones.
Kodama:
Midorigoi has no pattern. How do you cull them?
Marusaka:
By color. The point is to choose as strong a green as possible.
Kodama:
I see. How many times do you cull them?
Marusaka:
Three times.
Kodama:
It is the same as Kohaku and Sanke culling, isn't it?
Marusaka:
Indeed. I rather think we should have more culling on those
plain koi than the patterned ones. The more you cull, the
better the result.
Kodama:
I think it is more fun to cull those patterned koi like Kohaku.
What do you think?
Marusaka:
I agree. Culling Midorigoi is not as fun as Gosanke (Kohaku,
Taisho Sanke, and Showa). But it is an indescribable pleasure
for breeders to breed something nobody has ever bred. While
I cull them, I think that somebody may start another new
variety with my scaled Midorigoi.
Kodama:
Green had been a mysterious color for koi. And it is wonderful
that you stabilized this color. I would like to show my
full respect and look forward to seeing many more beautiful
koi from your farm. Thank you for your time today.
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