UKNishikigoi - Albums

Matsonosuke Harvest 09

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17th October

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During our Autumn buying trip we bought 10 very special Shintaro nisai Tategoi.

These Koi were bought for us and our clients to grow on in our 900 ton pond. Saito San who is one of Niigata’s most famous Go-Sanke breeders. His Koi have won shows all over the world including the UK, Holland, Belgium and America to name some. His use of the Matsunosuke bloodline really has brought him into his own for breeding high class Koi.

These 10 Koi are all circa 50cms which is a great size for Nisai. With the slight changes Saito San has made to the Matsunosuke bloodline he has introduced bigger bodies while the Koi are still in early development but has not lost the quality of the bloodline. This will give us optimum growth in the big pond and we are expecting these Koi to shine.

Im sorry that a lot of people will not straight away see the quality of these Koi. Thats we bought them. The Skin and over all quality of these Koi are the best. They are of course available for our clients to buy which some have already shown an interest but they are for us to grow on too. I will post these pics I took while in Japan this year as we bought them. Then I will take better pictures in better light when they arrive back in the UK.

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UKNishikigoi have 7 very high class Koi in Japan at the moment. They are swimming in the breeders very best mud ponds.
We have 2 amazing Koi at Matsunosuke and 5 Koi with Shintaro Koi Farm in Mushigame.
They range from 2 years to 4 year old Koi.
Keeping Koi in Japan can be a very good thing. Growth rates in the mud ponds are far better than what we can achieve back here in a normal pond.
Also the body shape and pattern will improve a lot better in the mud pond environment.

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In October these koi will be harvested and we will be there waiting to see them break the surface of the mud pond. It’s a nervous moment. Having Koi of this value out there and wanting them to improve and grow can be nerve racking.
So we cross our fingers and hope for the best. This standard of Koi is hopefully pretty risk free. I know they are all female Koi and I know they are the very top quality fish that were available.
The Showa and Sanke from Matsunosuke were his very best 2 year old Koi. Shintaro’s 3 year old Koi were also his best. The odds should be stacked in our favour.
These Koi are not sold yet. They are our own stocks and will be kept in Japan until we and the breeder think they are ready to come home.

Follow us in October when these fish come out of the mud ponds.
Also follow our clients who have left Koi growing in Japan. Exciting times!

All the breeders Koi are in the mudponds now. They usually spend 4 months out in the mudponds ready to be harvested in October when the big rush will be on again. We have quite a few fish in some of the mudponds including Shintaro’s #1 pond and also Matsunosuke’s #1 pond. Cannot wait to see how they turn out. Fingers crossed it will be for the better and we see some good growth. Mudponds do not work miracles on Koi, but they are great for growing smaller Koi to their potential. A 2 year old Koi can easily grow 20cms in a season, sometimes more.

The breeders will be feeding the ponds all the time, some who are lucky enough to have electric where their mudponds are situated can use auto feeders. Breeders who have ponds situated all in one place most have this facilty.

I think many people think more about the Koi in the mudponds rather than the most important thing which is happening around Niigata. The breeding has finished for most farms in Niigata and now they are onto the ‘easy’ job of culling!

We cant go through all the varieties but take Kohaku and Sanke. From when they hatch they are left 40 days in the mudpond. After the 40 days they are culled. 90% will not make the first cull. The remaining 10% are left in the mudponds for a further 40 days and the same thing happens, 90% wont make it.Its pretty brutal.

Out of around 3Million fry which hatch in June, the following April only 3000 will be left which are deemed as saleable. Its not as easy for the breeders as many believe.

A lot of people would probably love to go out there and be doing what the breeders are doing about now but its extremely hard work! Big thanks to the Yagenji brothers for the pictures.

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