Grand Champion A + B in Vossenberg 2026

On the beautiful grounds of tree nursery De Vossenberg, Filip Poppe took over from Bokoi in the standings of The League of Rising Scales by winning both Grand Champion A and Grand Champion B with a Sanke and gold-gleaming Kinrin Chagoi, respectively. There was excitement in the air around the main barrel of the KoiCave Show.

at this level, where details make the difference between winning and losing, that extra complexity plays a big role

Not only because a top fish swam here, but mostly because the battle at the absolute top this year was particularly interesting. In the end, an impressive 84cm Sanke from Sakai Fish Farm, owned by Filip Poppe convincingly took the Grand Champion A title as a result of a successful winner combination between Odakan in Japan and Siebe van Tilburg of The Koi Page.

Within the world of Nishikigoi, it has been true for years that a truly complete Sanke is more difficult to balance perfectly than, say, a Kohaku. A Kohaku must excel in simplicity and skin quality, while a Sanke must additionally carry controlled sumi without the pattern becoming unsettled. Especially at this level, where details make the difference between winning and losing, that extra complexity plays a major role.

This fact also lives within the Shinkokai-philosophy, with which the KoiCave Show is closely associated. Within this breeders association there is traditionally much appreciation for the degree of complexity of a complete Sanke. When fish are very close to each other, one still wants to factor that complexity into the assessment. The sumi is really very strong and nicely distributed, the quality of it is also top notch and the bei patterns on both the front and back are also well cleared.

Yet, according to the judges, this time it was ultimately not decisive. For although the competition was strong, the vote proved surprisingly convincing. A phenomenal Kohaku from Nico Sellis scored high and eventually won the title Superior Champion. A fish with enormous class, excellent skin quality and an almost serene appearance that was seen by many as a serious challenger for the highest title.

In addition, an elegant Showa from Interkoi Ameide emphatically on the judges’ charts. A fish with extraordinary style, appearance and refinement in the pattern. Yet, according to several experts, this Showa lacked just that bit of “boulder shoulders” that extreme strength and imposing build in the front body that often make the difference at Grand Champion level. And once the votes were counted, it appeared that the Grand Champion A could not be overtaken in the end. According to the judges, despite all the talk along the vatside, in the end it was no longer a true close call. The Sanke had simply combined too many complete qualities into one fish.

A victory that not only highlighted the quality of Kentaro Sakai underlines, but also shows once again how high the level is now of European representation at international shows. A Sanke like enthusiasts remember them for years.

The Grand Champion B wins his second championship title of the season. Also in Belgium, the 102 cm size Chagoi was too strong for the competition to make the judges decide otherwise. I called it the club willow back then and can’t think of a better metaphor for this immense appearance of a massive giant either! Marudo, the breeder has produced a giant and it is especially remarkable also that it is a Kinrin and the quality of the kinrin is also gigantic.

A Chagoi can’t hide behind anything

Not through an explosive pattern or contrasting colors, but rather the sheer presence of the fish changed the playing field. Because where many Grand Champions impress with visual complexity, here it was all about something else: volume, appearance, skin quality and absolute tranquility. And exactly this is what makes a truly great Chagoi so incredibly difficult. A Chagoi cannot hide behind anything. Everything is about the basics. Body. Skin. Frame. Balance. Presence. Every flaw becomes visible. Every asymmetry stands out. Especially at 102 centimeters long.

The body was massive without looking bulky. The broad shoulders ran powerfully into an imposing back line that gradually tapered off toward the tail end. Some connoisseurs commented that the body would descend just a little too quickly to the tail, but when we made the comment; the fish is 102cm with such an appearance, in the long run as a connoisseur yourself you have to stop being critical; we had to laugh. It’s where the hobby does its thing though; Watching bare fish and sometimes – in his Dutch way – being critical while the Mon is open with amazement. The fins were large and stable on the body, which gave the fish an almost imperturbable appearance while swimming. In fact, you sometimes see that with a dive boat like this, that they then have these little slips left and the fish swims wobbly; that was certainly not the case here. Everything about this Koi breathed maturity and control.

In many large Ginrin-Koi, the brilliance often loses some of its sharpness as age and size increase. But here each scale still seemed to reflect light individually. The ginrin was exceptionally uniformly distributed over the body, giving the fish an almost metallic glow under the show lighting. Not a harsh reflection, but a deep, warm shimmer that perfectly matched the soft chagoi character. A 102-centimeter Koi that looks powerful, friendly and elegant at the same time. A living mass that nevertheless radiated tranquility.

There was another candidate connoisseurs found at the barrels; a Ginrin Karashigoi by Nico Sellis; which was truly phenomenal in terms of body structure, but for this title that fish simply lacked length to dare to claim Grand Champion B.

Filip Poppe simply masters that to perfection!

The Koi was bred by Hisashi and Takuto Hirasawa, father and son of the Marudo Koi Farm, a name that is becoming more and more emphatically associated worldwide with jumbo Koi with enormous body and growth potential. That potential was fully realized here. The handling of ODAKAN also once again played an important role. Large Koi of this size do not present themselves automatically. Rest, preparation and experience make the difference on show days between an impressive fish and an unforgettable appearance. Filip simply masters that to perfection!

With KoiWish BV and TheKoiPage as handling dealer, this Grand Champion B also became part of an exceptional weekend for the Dutch team, which thus managed to secure two absolute top prizes. Filip thus picked up at least 250+235 485×1.1= 533.5 points on his score card for the League of Rising Scales.