Inside The Secret World of Koi (part 2) | Documentary

These mountains are home to a very special fish. A place full of cultural treasures to discover For many of us, a place full of mystery and darkness. One of those well-kept mysteries is the Japanese Nishikigoi. There are only limited groups of people on our planet who know about these swimming works of art. This

part

icular fish is not only an important

part

of Japanese culture, but for many it is also an adventure that begins in the mountains of the Yamakoshi area of ​​western Japan. For generations, koi breeders have worked to achieve that one moment a year, an impressive spectacle where people from all over the

world

come together to be part of this event.

This is where the standards of Japanese culture come to life. The honor and prestige associated with this fish goes beyond what most ever imagined. In the second part of this series we delve even deeper into the origin of this mysterious fish. We follow breeders and hobbyists who pursue a dream to achieve the highest goal. This is "Inside the

secret

world

of koi." It is the end of October, most Japanese koi breeders are busy with the final preparations before winter arrives in their part of Japan. They are working hard to harvest all the newest koi fish from the mud ponds. in the mountains.

During the cold winter months, all fish should be indoors. Outside, these fish have zero chance of survival. This area is known for the meters of snow it receives each winter from the extreme north. From the Arctic Ocean and passing over Russia, cold air collided with the Western Sea of ​​Japan. And strangely enough, these koi breeders depend on large amounts of snow. Snow is an essential part of growing these swimming gems. But before winter arrives, breeders prepare for a period in which many things are more than in autumn... TOSAI! Mention the name Dainichi Koi Farm and almost every fan in the world will know who we're talking about.

Dainichi Koi Farm is one of the largest breeders in Japan and needs no explanation. Breeders like Momotaro, Sakai Fish Farm and Dainichi have dominated the old Japanese koi show for the past ten years when it comes to the biggest prizes to be won during this World Championships. Their fish are bred from the best bloodlines in the world. Now it is winter. Almost all koi breeders in this part of Japan are busy selecting and selling their one-year-old fish, also known as Tosai. But in the midst of all that commotion, breeders are preparing for something much more important.

A special event in Tokyo that all the breeders in Japan have been working on all year long. This is the time for breeders to present their pride to a global audience. It is what every breeder dreams of: winning first prize at the All Japan Koi Show 2020 The Grand Champion. It's been eight years since Dainichi Koi Farm won the All Japan Koi Show. Shigeru Dainichi will make another attempt at the title in a few days. There are a few dozen employees working on this farm who are responsible for the development, growth and health of the koi day in and day out.

It is a fact that health is one of the most important factors in the life of a Koi. These fish are more than just a pet. The koi are shipped all over the world, carriers travel daily to and from Tokyo airport to ship the koi to the new destination. The fish are shipped with the greatest possible care to eliminate any stress as best as possible. Breeders prepare the koi as best as possible for transport. An adapted diet, fresh water, a sleeping pill and, sometimes, cooling elements; The lower the temperature, the less oxygen the fish uses. This means that koi also arrive in better condition when shipped during colder periods in Japan.

In just a few days the annual All Japan Koi Show 2020 event will arrive. Now that preparations are in full swing at Dainichi Koi Farm, this is the time when everything has to go right, there is simply no room for mistakes. We found Shigeru Mano busy with the selection of his annual catch. Each koi is selected for its quality from birth to the second year of life. Sometimes breeders have more than 10 of those rounds. The higher the quality, the more expensive the koi, and even at this size koi are worth a lot of money. But we'll talk more about this later.

We go back in time two months and I want to introduce you to one of the most passionate fans in the world. With an eye on champions, this respected amateur has won a considerable variety of awards inside and outside Japan. May I introduce you to mr. Kerr, a fan from the United Kingdom. That shows are important to the hobby is a well-known fact, only here a dozen judges, made up of professionals and breeders, determined which koi is the best in its class. And the best thing about the whole show is that you can call yourself Grand Champion for an entire year.

This specific show, the Nagaoka Koi Show, is one of the last shows before the grand finale in Tokyo. Despite the large difference in physical size and number of participants, some koi from this show can also be seen during the All Japan Koi Show in Tokyo. The koi show is about to begin. Breeders and guests gather to judge. It is a tradition to start judging the best koi in the show: The Grand Champion. Today choosing the grand champion will only take two rounds, during the first round the three best fish that have to change to win this title will be selected.

During a second and possibly third round, the judges choose the big winner of the show. The day begins with bad weather, despite the rain this does not prevent the judges from going out to judge the best koi. The judges provide their best preferences for a great champion, one by one. You can clearly see the excitement that can be expected in this annual competition. After extremely careful counting, the results of the first round are obtained. The three contenders are taken out of their vat and displayed again before the judges for the second round of voting. It soon becomes clear that there is an obvious winner.

The winner of the show is Donald, an amateur from the United Kingdom who wins the Grand Champion award of this show with his Nogami Kohaku. An impressive fish where the judge considered this fish to be the best in body skin quality and size to win. "I am very happy" It is winter and we traditionally begin the trip with a visit to the Yagenji Koi Farm. Daisuke and Toshinori are busy selling their koi. What makes it different from autumn is that the ponds are filled with one-year-old fish, also called Tosai. During this period, breeders mainly sell their smaller fish to traders around the world.

It is always a pleasure to walk around Yagenji Koi Farm. Everything is very well organized, clean and the brothers are very friendly in showing you around their farm every time you visit them. After one last visit to the new Koi House it is time to continue our trip. I'm on my way to the next appointment. A brief stop at my favorite Sushi Restaurant provides me with the energy and satisfaction needed for the next appointment and the rest of the day. In our series we mainly visit breeders in a known and unknown area of ​​Niigata. New to our series is ISA Koi Farm.

This huge multi-apartment complex is located at the foot of the Yamakoshi Mountains in Ojiya. ISA Koi Farm is run by Mitsunori Isa and is one of the best breeders in Japan. The koi farm began selling koi in 1970. Mainly Kohaku, but a variety was soon added. After winning the best size award with one of their showa, the farm became very popular. Today, Mitsunori San mainly grows about 70% Showa and the rest Sanke and Kohaku. Looking around here is great. It is a pleasure to see the quality. Mitsunori San's hospitality is amazing. I'm free to take a closer look and talk more about some of his thoughts on this in the video below.

I enjoy the fact that I can watch this fish. The quality of the leather is absolutely amazing. But all about this in the next video. For now Donald comes to see one of his Koi. After a year of absence, he can finally see the development that the fish has had. No stranger to this series: Donald! We meet him again at Isa Koi Farm busy talking to Mitsunori Isa. For now Donald comes to see one of his Koi purchases, after a year of absence he can finally see the development that the fish has had. Nice! Size now Mr.

Mitsunori? 67 cm Did the Sumi (black) start to rise? Do you think the Sumi thought will be exaggerated? Go over the Koi's back? Very pleased. The volume is much better, much better! What size do you think it will be? + 8cm? 67 now and 75 in October? About 75... You can do it, you can do it! Yes, I saw it in October and I liked it! But I was a little worried because the body shape was a little thin, but you can see that Mitsunori has continued to feed and has a lot more volume. I think the body shape has improved a lot in three months.

So I'm very happy that Donald is a satisfied and happy man with the development of his Showa. Before I go to my next appointment, I get the chance to see some fantastic fish up close. This Maruten Showa is at the top of my list. What a great fish! Also during this trip I have some time left to observe some of my own koi. I drive to the YamaMatsu Koi farm to see my Matsunosuke Sanke. I am very happy to see the good condition it is still in even during the winter period. About a year ago I decided to buy this koi when I was two years old.

He is currently three years old and will continue to grow in Japan in the coming years. The breeder will take care of my fish for a fixed amount. I am very curious to know how the next period will develop. I have been waiting for this visit since October to the Torazo family. I am very happy to have this friendship with one of the best breeders in Japan. Tsuyoshi Kawakami and his family are part of the history of Nishikigoi, his farm has been located for more than 100 years here in Ojiya. Tsuyoshi San has set aside time for me to talk about his farm.

He is happy to see how the hobby has developed these days: koi farming needs space. Not only the smallest fish need space, but also the largest koi, up to one meter tall, grow outside during the summer periods. These ponds are called mud ponds and are the best growing environment in one of the quietest places in Japan. Tsuyoshi treats me to his best Tosai this year. With his little master class he proudly presented these incredible Koi. During this time of year, traders from all over the world come to buy year-old koi. After the interview we met with a US trader who is selecting new stock for him.

These are the times when I feel blessed to be in Japan and enjoy all aspects of Japanese culture, including Japanese cuisine. As always I want to thank the Torazo family for their hospitality. Climate changes are clearly visible here at this time of year. This area typically receives three to four meters of snow during a single winter. But this year everything is different, luckily the weather has finally changed. Snow! We return just like last October to the Shintaro Koi Farm. Masaru Saito is waiting for us to show us his best one-year-old koi. Shintaro Koi Farm is mainly popular because of Matsunosuke Sanke.

This lineage is so famous that many fans dream of getting one of these incredible Koi. Breeders in Japan have only limited space to grow Koi. So it's no surprise that many of these koi are very expensive. The intense care begins when the Koi is born. These Tategoi are absolutely incredible and have a great future ahead of them. At the moment they are about eight months old and will develop more in the coming months and also during this summer period in the mud ponds of the mountains. It's time to say goodbye to the Shintaro family. I want to thank you for the hospitality and kindness and for me it is also time to leave Niigata.

I will be traveling to the Old Japan Koi Show in Tokyo. We started our trip at the Dainichi Koi Farm. Shigeru Mano can proudly consider himself the great winner of this world championship. With its 93cm Kohaku, owner Mr. Pan's Dainichi Koi farm from China can take the top honor. A place among all the other big winners from previous editions. Shigeru San is proudly standing around the barrel with the winner inside. It is the 51st edition of the All Japan Koi show. Also the largest stage where the best fish in Japan compete for the big prizes. Many visitors from all over the world come to Tokyo to attend this event.

Donald has also deployed several fish this year, including a Showa from the ISA koi farm that visited him a few days ago. Donald has won a big prize with one of his fish and we have time to chat. Yes, I saw the koi at ISA koi Farm. the showa breeder in Nagaoka, I asked him to buy it and he told me that he couldn't sell it to me because he was going to the Niigata auction. So I really liked the koi and asked Ryuki Narita if he would buy it for me. In the auction. And I was lucky enough to get him and he just got better, he is now 69cm and he is three years old, so I bought him when he was 2 years old and now he is 3 years old and he has grown very well, he has body shapefeminine for a male koi but very satisfied with him.

I bought a house back in 1993 and in the garden there was a pond and about 2 years after I moved in, suddenly because this pond was covered with a big lily, and suddenly I noticed that there were three or four small fish. in this pond. And that got me started like that and I kept putting Koi in this pond, no filtration and they kept dying. So I thought I'd better find out what I was doing and that's what got me involved in koi farming. I have been coming to Japan for about 13 years. I like the Niigata area because all the breeders are concentrated in one area and although it's easy to get around, I haven't been to southern Japan too often.

But the distances are so great that you know you can only see one breeder each day, so I prefer the north. I think it's going through different phases in different countries. I think it's a pretty expensive hobby now and requires quite a bit of maintenance. People spend a lot of money on their ponds, but they seem reluctant to spend a lot of money on really good koi, which is strange... I think it's very important because it's a showcase, you see two thousand of the best koi in the world and suddenly You realize the standard you have to reach to compete, so getting a koi to come to this show is an achievement in itself, that's enough. to come to this show.

Well, I'm getting too old now, so this year I've had four firsts, two seconds and six thirds, so I think I've peaked in terms of taking Koi to old Japan. During the Nagaoka koi show last October, a Dutch hobbyist presented him with a fish, a Kohaku that won best size during that show now also winning a big prize here. I spoke with Shigeyoshi Tanaka from Marujyu Koi Farm. He is the breeder of this koi. Shigeyoshi San is no stranger, my first experience with koi in Japan was at his koi farm. In addition to his knowledge, he speaks excellent English.

This is a Kohaku Nisai (two years old), about 44 cm. Right after the harvest, the trader saw the Koi, picked it up and we made a deal. Last October he already won the award for best carving at the Nagaoka Koi Show. I put her in a conditioning pond and she has now won the Miyabi Award. It is the first time I have won the Miyabi award with a Koi. A few years ago I won the Kokugyo award and now the Miyabi award. I'm really happy! Many customers are here to congratulate us. This bloodline specialty is now three to four years old, so it will improve further.

So I'm looking forward to seeing the future of this Koi. I want to make the body line a little wider. The owner and I are talking about it now. This is still a Tategoi. Marujyu Koi Farm is located at the most beautiful viewpoint in Yamakoshi. I ask Shige how he prepares Koi before a Koi show. I have a concrete pond for Koi conditioning. I keep them in that pond. The Koi were in the concrete pond for 2 months after harvesting. After 2 months we began conditioning. After that we access the Koi to the Show. The All Japan Koi Show is the largest Koi show in the Koi world.

My goal is to get one of my fish into the Winnes front ponds. Which I am very proud of. This is one of the most important Koi Shows. Our goal in 2020 is to focus on high-quality Nishikigoi. We have a new drum filter greenhouse so I'm looking forward to seeing the results. It's the first time we've used that, so I can't wait. It's really good for Marujyu Koi Farm, it's a new tool. So yeah, I can do a lot of things now and I'm looking forward to it. Thank you so much. It's time for the ceremony. The all-Japan koi show lasts several days, of which Sunday is dominated by the awards ceremony.

Not only Shige but also Donald will have to go up on stage to collect their well-deserved awards. The awards are distributed one by one, with military precision the ceremony has something special. The conclusion of a great event but also the beginning of a new season. Finally the winner, mr. Pan and Shigeru Mano can take the stage to win the grand prize. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone on this film for your cooperation, but especially you as a loyal viewer of all my videos. I appreciate your comments, energy and passion for this hobby.

I would love it if you could share this video and leave a comment. I hope that with this

documentary

I can continue to subscribe this year there are some very special things on the agenda that you definitely won't want to miss. Thanks for watching and don't forget to like and comment and until next time.