Page 21 - Koi Net - On-Line Koi Magazine - Issue 11

MUD AND BLOOD across Japan. Over the years they have by selected
Deron Simons of Select Nishikigoi explains
this important link in the production of high
quality Nishikigoi.
It may sound like a strange title but it is quite amazing
how the mud from which the pond is made and the
bloodline from which the Koi came from, can have such
a remarkable effect on how the Koi develops. The
connection and similarities that both the mud and the
blood have are inextricably linked; we may never have
had one without the other.
I think it is about time I explain myself, much is written
WHAT IS about breeders of Koi and breeder’s names and who is
breeding the best Koi, etc, etc, but is a breeder’s name
THE LINK really relevant on its own? For example, if you were to
BETWEEN purchase a Kohaku from Sakuma Koi Farm in Isawa
you would be buying a fish that comes from a bloodline
THE MUD with origins in Niigata and a Koi that had spent its
summers growing in the mud ponds of that very region.
AND BLOOD? Yet the Koi would be advertised as a Koi from Sakuma
Koi Farm based in the Yamanashi prefecture in central
Japan. So, what is the link between the mud and
blood? Well the answer is simple, Sakuma Koi Farm
breeds Kohaku every year at his farm in Isawa, yet
years of experience have taught the Sakuma family to
get the very best from their tiny Kohaku fry, they need
to ship every one of them to a rented mud pond in the
mountains of Niigata each summer.
The reason for this is very straight forward, the
bloodline from which their Kohakus originate struggles
to grow and develop good skin and colour in the clay
ponds of Isawa. Basically, if they grow their Kohaku fry
in their own ponds they might as well not bother, as the
resulting Koi would not have fulfilled or developed any
of the potential that is locked in the bloodline without
the presence of the Niigata mud.
On the flip side, Sakuma Showa for which the farm is
most famous, thrive in the mud ponds of Isawa and
fulfil their potential without the need to be transported
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breeding created their own ‘Sakuma bloodline’ so that
their Koi are perfect for the Isawa water and mud.
Movement of Koi around Japan in order for them to
fulfil their potential is not a new phenomenon; many
breeders from the South send their Koi to rented ponds
in the North on a regular basis. The Niigata mud is so
prolific in minerals and dissolved compounds and that
has been one of the major reasons for the success of
the Koi industry in this region. The combination of the
soil and water creates the perfect Koi growing mud
pond and interestingly also creates the best conditions
for the growing of rice, as Niigata rice is regarded as the
very best in all Japan!
THE NIIGATA
So how does this affect someone keeping Koi in the
MUD IS SO
PROLIFIC IN UK, well it really gives hobbyists two options, one of
which is simple and the most logical. Before the
purchase of a Koi to grow in your own pond it would be
MINERALS AND
prudent to discover if any other Koi from that farm are
kept locally and how they have developed over time.
DISSOLVED The second option which has been tried by many who
COMPOUNDS are new to the hobby is to recreate Japanese water in
their back garden. Many have gone to great lengths
with various different devices and systems to try to alter
their water to enable their Koi to grow and develop as
they would in Japan. This option is a real non-starter.
After all, no experienced breeder in Japan tries to do
this, many years ago I asked Yukichi Ogawa of Ogawa
Koi Farm in Southern Japan why don’t they try to
recreate the Niigata water in the South, the reply I
received was, “it’s too difficult and a waste of time, with
Koi you have to work with what you’ve got.” I then
queried him on what he feels the hobbyist should do in
England with regards to growing certain Koi in certain
types of water. His answer was simple, “buy the Koi
that will grow and develop in the type of water you
have”, and after a short pause he added “and I hope
these will ALL be Ogawa Koi!”
The reasons for this difference in development from one
region to another should really make all of us think
about the Koi we purchase and obviously ask as many
question about the Koi we intend to buy. Put simply,
some Koi will do better in some ponds than in others.
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