An Ikeage of a mudpond in Japan
Today another dream will come true, ikeage in JAPAN! Having already experienced this once in Poland, I will now enter the mud puddle in Japan! I am awake before the alarm clock rings. I’m looking forward to it! As we drive into the mountains, we see that the weather is weaker, it is drizzling but for me that should not spoil the fun.
When we arrive at Yagenji, our Dutch colleagues from Frieslandkoi and Groningenkoi have also just arrived. Together we will harvest a 140 Shiro Utsuri! After picking out a wading suit, we get into the car and follow Daisuke towards the mudpond.
Arriving at the mudpond, we enjoy the view, park the car safely by the road and walk down another stretch. Once there, the trawl is already unpacked and pulled through the mudpond with extreme precision. The net should not be pulled too hard through the water, as the lead line will come off the ground and the fish may escape.
How cool is this, when you get down on your knees into the mud and pull up the fish, what a toppers there are! The feeling is indescribable and I am also really enjoying this tremendously. Pictures say more than words and fortunately, they made some nice videos from Frieslandkoi! Because that was very much not on my mind. All I saw, thought and did was KOI!
After the Ikeage, we return to the farm and wait for the grower’s own selection. Neither of them look very happy, the harvest seems disappointing and the top ones are soon taken out and stamped: ‘tategoi‘, in other words not for sale.
Video from FrieslandKoi, with whom we spent the day, among others
Shit, this does swim among very good ones that meet my needs. Bummer, now just waiting for the fish to enter the sale tanks. In the meantime, we waited comfortably with a famous Yagenji Starbucks coffee until they finished the selection.
When the brothers are done we go fish bowling, fortunately good arrangements have been made so we don’t get into a disagreement but instead work together with the other travelling party. I select a fish and it can quietly stay with them in the bowl for a while after which I help catch another fish for them. Lovely when it can be done like this, thanks guys!
Arie is deliberately waiting a while before coming to a deal, he is contacting some customers. Some have set their alarm clock especially for it and are awake around four o’clock Dutch time, what toughies! At the end of the morning, we made a phenomenal selection, if I do say so myself! The brothers’ father also comes to watch and immediately grabs his camera, this tells us enough and confirms the good feeling we have!
By the time we finish, it will be noon. We decide to ease back down the mountain for lunch. It will be a curry. But before we get there, we hit the anchors at Torazo.
In fact, I see that there has been an ikeage and that is always nice to see. And enjoyment it certainly was! It turns out to be a mudpond rented by an Asian client from which nisai are now coming out. Nisai that are all at least 55 centimetres tall with skin to dream of! We decide to have a brief look, after which we leave the customer and the grower alone.
After lunch, we decide to visit nearby Miya and Miyatora, among others. Not much swims here and no one is there either, unfortunate but unfortunate. In this way, we do a lot more breeders and end up at the Hirasawa family. First Dad, then Yosiyuki. There, they also just came and brought some small fish.
The funny thing is that the tank they put these fish in was full of Chagoi and Karashi just two days ago. These were moved to a smaller container, after which it was filled with just under two hundred sixty-somethings! All fish arrived in the past few days, that’s how bizarrely big Hirasawa Marusei is. Here we select another box of Gosanke, in consultation with an Asian dealer. Stefan behaves like a true gentleman and so holds the umbrella for her, nice work dude! Hahahaha 😉
It’s already dark when we finish, so we relax for a while at the hotel, after which we have sushi for dinner. We ended up at the 100-Yen sushi tent, where things are a little different. You sign in to the robot (see video) and sit in the designated spot. On the screen, you tap what you want and it arrives on the belt at breakneck speed and stops in place. Funny to experience once, but the quality is many times less than we have been on before. Tired but satisfied and with a full stomach, we headed back to the hotel. There we speak to Jeroen, who is going to make an appointment at Murata for Friday morning, so I might find a Kohaku there. On to Thursday!
Thursday
The days are beginning to count and the end is drawing near. I am slowly starting to pinch it for my Kohaku, though. We decide to drive around first and end up at Yamamatsu, the founder of the Sakai empire, among other places. The famous Matsunoske bloodline finds its origin here and I am lucky, a new crop will arrive on Friday. We hear this as we sit down to coffee. Still, we will first look around and take stock of what is already swimming. What I like is, how could it be otherwise, beyond my budget. Shit, bummer, I quickly open my online banking app and see what I was already afraid of. No anonymous donations, no suddenly won lottery and therefore no extra budget. We decide that we will check out Murata on Friday after our appointment.
We decide to drive to Sekiguchi. This is a gamble as it is a long drive and we don’t know if he is there. There are other growers nearby, such as Kobayashi however this too is in the part of Niiagata which is more mileage between farms. We take the gamble and get lucky, because he is there! Other customers are still present, so we have to wait patiently. This is no punishment as several executioners of Showa emerge, smallest I estimate at around 65 centimetres. With all the beauty, I forget to take photos, so I can’t show you these either. I’m now balking like hell while writing this, so I’ll have to go back again for the photos. Good excuse, hahaha ;).
While we wait, Sekiguchi seems to feel objectionable that we had to wait and he comes to help us. We get some explanations and decide to scoop some fish, with Sekiguchi willing to help us. He visibly has a struggle between helping us and his other customers, to which I tell him it is good to help the others.
After half an hour, say three-quarters of an hour, we are at the point of making a final choice. Sekiguchi comes to look when we ask for it and helps us very nicely. He revisits the gender and tells us his expectations. I clearly enjoy these moments and feel like a happy person. Especially with the breeders who speak reasonable English, I feel super, talking about the fish and expressing expectations is something I learn so much from. After this enervating conversation at the bowl, details are discussed such as how many Koi one box can hold.
One of the Showa I love, pattern gets heavy but the build is mouth-watering. I love this so much, but I’m still going for a Kohaku. I decide to wait, which I already seem to regret later. Stefan is smart enough to buy this fish.
I want to add a Kohaku and if I buy a Showa now, the budget for my Kohaku gets smaller again. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t begrudge Stefan this fish. I guess this is part of the rollercoaster of emotions of a Japan trip.
I do have one happiness though, I am going to see her more often! Indeed, I know that with this trip, we have built a bond that is a foundation for a good Koi friendship! Stefan, congratulations again on this Showa, a fish after my heart!
After Sekiguchi, we go by Kobayashi, a relatively young breeder with a very nice Shiro breeding. The Farm is small, consisting of less than five retail bins, but the quality is high. We stand looking at one tank, unaware that these are the tategoi. Everyone picks their favourite, then we ask Kobayashi himself what is best for him. What is funny is that he picks exactly different fish than Yagenji did. Here, on the contrary, the more shiroji the better. The sumi will come, Kobayashi tells us. In the other tanks, not much swims anymore and clearly shows traces of previous selections. The quality is still good, but does not come close to the tategoi. Of course, this is partly logical, as tategoi are the very best fish to stay. However, so much of the higher quality has already been scooped out that the gap is now very large. This is where we notice how important a good connection is with a smaller grower.
It is now past noon when we have visited all the growers around there. We are all done for the day and decide to drive back via the local roads. This way, we save the toll road money and can enjoy the surroundings. On the way, we stop at a Lawson’s, a grocery shop where you can also get fresh things for lunch. The breaded chicken is very tasty so we buy it. This has been our lunch several times, tastes good, takes little time and is also very filling. After a drive of just under an hour and a half, we arrive at the hotel. After the regular ritual, I lie in my bed at night thinking about my Kohaku. On the one hand, I feel pressure, because surely I am not going home alone with a Karashi. On the other hand, I am confident of succeeding at Murata or Yamamatsu. And if this fails, I will stalk Jeroen for an appointment at Torazo I decide me. I have one of the worst nights in Japan. I think because of nerves about my Kohaku 😉
Text: Pieter Heurter
Photos: Pieter Heurter, Arie Eikelenboom & Stefan van der Pluijm
