Every now and then you see others crawling into the pen and describing Koi and his story in such a way that you can’t do it better yourself. You should not try to surpass that, but in all respect and gratitude request to be allowed to translate and publish it. This includes a great piece written by JR Alves, an avid enthusiast from the Philippines who writes about his personal relationship with the 2015 Philippine National Koi Show Grand Champion. According to him, everyone in the Philippines knows KoiQuestion and he was honored that we wanted to translate and publish his piece:
She was purchased on November 1, 2013 when she was 41 months old. This Isa Showa had a lot more in store because when celebrating her victory as Grand Champion she measures 73-75 centimeters and is 56 months old. That’s gosai.
Our friend, however, was not so happy about it at all
On the day we went to the Isa koi farm together with a friend and her current owner, we aimed to buy good nisai with sufficient potential. After a few hours of selecting and discussing, our friend decided to buy a good Kindai Showa. Mitsunori Isa, agreed to let the Koi continue to grow on his farm for another year.
Our friend, however, was not at all happy about it. He has a lot of knowledge about Koi and recognizes the potential of the fish, but also wanted to take them with him immediately to enjoy in his own pond. After making a round on the farm he told my partner Russel Tantuco and me that he wanted to buy another one so that he could take a koi home immediately. He also knew clearly what kind of Koi he wanted to seek; an old-school Showa with lots of red and black. We even joked about whether he shouldn’t buy a Hi-Utsuri.
We advised him not to buy this koi
After a few minutes of further study on Isa-san’s older and larger fish, he asked to bowl some old-fashioned Sansai Showa. Here it was; It was the second koi that was bowled for him if I’m not mistaken. He was immediately very keen on acquiring this koi for his own pond stock. The only obstacles he encountered were Russel and I actually. We advised him not to buy this koi because he had already bought several Koi from Dainichi, Yagenji, Hasegawa and of course the Isa tategoi. He surrendered and kept a low profile…
After settling our own purchases with Isa, our friend had gathered his courage and asked us to negotiate the Showa.We tried to dissuade him again, but now he began to state more and more in an almost annoying tone, as a ‘spoiled child’ would do: “If I were to go back to the Philippines and think of this Koi, I will always regret it. I’ll have sleepless nights because of it.” Well, what can you bring in then…
After a few minutes of negotiations, the Sansai was purchased on the understanding that it could be taken directly to the private pond. She arrived at the end of November, beginning of December 2013 and I didn’t see her again until February 2014 when she competed in the Philippine National Koi Show, the (PNKS). She was one of the three nominees for Grand Champion but lost that battle and returned home empty-handed. Not a single prize; Despite its beauty, the not bulky body turned out to be a huge handicap at the time.
When the owner was rebuilt at a different site in the Philippine capital Maila, Russel suggested that he take care of his fish while his own pond was not ready. Among them is the Isa Showa. When I saw her again in November, words fell short. All the positive adjectives could not describe what I saw then.
I already mentioned then that she would definitely win Grand Champion when she would participate again and so it happened. She received unanimously all the votes of the judges at the PNKS 2015! Kudos go out to the grower, the dealer Russel Tantuco and of course the stubborn owner and good friend Mr. Kaboom!
picture courtesy: JR Aves
