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Hoshikin Koi Farm- Hoshikin Kohaku
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 Most Koi hobbyists know that "Dainichi"
Kohaku from Niigata are a famous and recognized
type of Koi. While not as well known the
Hoshikin Kohaku is considered by many to
be on a par. .
 2 years ago, at the 31st All Japan Combined
Nishikigoi Show, Dr. Gene Ewy (certified
AKCA and ZNA judge) won the honorable Kokugyo
(Best in Size) prize with a four-step Kohaku.
. That Kohaku was a Hoshikin Kohaku.
It looks easy to breed Koi. Simply getting
and mating a pair from Niigata will produce
Koi. It may be true. But it is not actually
that simple to breed beautiful Nishikigoi.
You may be able to breed beautiful Koi at
that moment by using beautiful parents. But
it does not mean that they can still be beautiful
in future. It is very critical for breeders
to have a clear vision of how they want their
Koi to look like in 5 years and 10 years.
Hoshikin Kohaku won 6 grand champions at
Koi shows of the last fall only. These great
achievements make Japanese Koi hobbyists
recognize Hoshikin Kohaku as equal brand
to Dainichi Kohaku.
Hoshikin Kohaku today is the result of the
clear vision of Mr. Kinsaku Hoshino, the
founder. Fifty years ago, he believed that
Kohaku must have 1) true red, 2) good Hi
pattern and 3) no Shimi (small black dots).
Setting these as major goals, he obtained
2 pairs of Kohaku parents of the "Tomoin"
line and has been perfecting the line. Because
of this, he can now produce beautiful artworks
that everybody admires. Over 200 breeders
sin Niigata has their own clear idea of what
their Koi should be like in 10 years and
risk their lives to achieve these goals,
including Kinsaku Hoshino.
 Now let me explain in more details about
Hoshikin Kohaku.
Hoshikin Koi Farm used to be called Shiotani
Koi Farm because it is located in the area
called Shiotani; because his name was HOSHIno,
KINsaku, everybody called him Mr. "Hoshikin."
As a result, his Koi were called Hoshikin
Kohaku and finally became a recognized bloodline.
 About 50 years ago, there was Kohaku called
"Tomoin" in Takezawa, Niigata.
The bloodline of Tomoin dominated the market
for the time because its Hi was truly blood
red. Mr. Kiyoshi Miyazaki spent a large sum
of money to get a pair of this Tomoin Kohaku.
From his breeding, he produced two outstanding
pairs of Kohaku.
In 1967, Mr. Kinsaku Hoshino spent as large
money as the annual gross sale to get the
two pairs from Mr. Miyazaki. They were almost
70cm long (28 in") and considered very
big at that time. With the four parents,
there were four possible pairs. He decided
upon one pair out of the four. That pair
is what is called "Sanganmatsu,"
is the origin of Hoshikin Kohaku.
 Descendants of this bloodline won grand champions
two times at Nogyosai; Niigata Koi Show,
All Japan Young Nishikigoi show, and more.
Hoshikin Kohaku is now a representative bloodline
of Kohaku.
Niigata breeds excellent quality Koi because
all the 200 breeders have had clear visions
of what kind of Koi they want to breed and
improved their Koi to meet their goals just
like Mr. Hoshino has done.
The goals of Hoshikin now are to create 1)
strong Koi resistant to disease, 2) Koi that
grows large and 3) Koi that holds their beauty
at hobbyists' ponds.
 Pursuing for these goals, he breeds 3 million
fry with 10 pairs of Kohaku every year. He
releases them into 2.5 acres mud ponds and
culls them three times from July to October,
choosing 15000 fry. From these, he keeps
only 1000 Koi to raise to 2 years old and
sell the rest . In other words, only 14000
Hoshikin Kohaku are available in a year.
It is a very limited brand. Japan has many
fans of the Hoshikin Kohaku. , especially
high-end how oriented hobbyists.
Because they are very limited and popular,
you may want to reserve them up front. |
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