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Isa Koi Farm- Isa Showa:The Secret to Their Popularity
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| Mr. Hajime Isa |
Many breeders produce Showa Sanshoku in Niigata.
These include Dainichi Showa, Sekiguchi Showa,
Seijyuro Showa, and Isa Showa. They are representative
of the Showa Sanshoku and the most popular
brands among koi hobbyists. Today, I would
like to introduce Mr.Isa and his koi that
are famous for winning the top "Kokugyo"
award at the All Japan Nishikigoi Show.
Kodama: Mr.Isa has been breeding koi for
30 years. What do you think koi are?
Isa: I think, "Koi are the products
of soil." For example, wine is made
all over the world and there are a number
of brands, but all the brands are not necessarily
good. Only a specific area can make truly
delicious wine. Koi are the same. Koi can
be bred anywhere in the world, but truly
beautiful and quality koi cannot. I think
only a selected area can breed quality Nishikigoi.
I do not know much about wine, but in koi
breeding, "soil" is the key.
Kodama: Our staple food is rice. The most
delicious brand is "Koshihikari"
in Niigata.
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| Standing in front of Isa Koi Farm. |
Isa: Yes. The type of rice "Koshihikari"
can be produced anywhere in Japan, but the
"Koshihikari" produced in the Uonuma
area of Niigata is the best. I think it is
the soil of the Uonuma area that pulls out
the taste of the rice. Like this, it is soil
quality that pulls out the quality of koi.
Isa: Koi have an innate talent passed from
their parents. It is nothing but soil that
will bring out the talent. Of course, various
skills of breeders are important, but soil
has a larger influence than that. For example,
even if we breed with thoroughbred parents,
if the soil quality is not good, we cannot
breed high quality koi like the parents.
Kodama: You actually experienced it, didn't
you?
Isa: Yes. For example, we breed Showa, Kohaku,
and Taisho Sanke. Each variety needs different
types of ponds (soil). If I put Showa in
a pond suitable for Kohaku, they will not
turn out to be good Showa. Showa need to
go to a pond that is suitable for raising
Showa.
Kodama: Do you mean that there is suitable
soil for Showa?
Isa: Yes. I have mud ponds at two places
called Muikaichi and Yoshigaya. When I release
Showa fry from the same parents into the
ponds, the result comes out so different.
Suppose the pond in Muikaichi makes all the
fry (100%) good, the po nd in Yoshigaya makes
less than 30% of them good.
Kodama: Fry from the same parents come out
so different, don't they?
Isa: Pond (soil quality) makes the difference.
So taking hatching and culling skills for
granted, breed- ers must study what variety
will be suitable for their ponds first. You
can never breed good quality koi if you simply
mate two koi.
Kodama: No matter how hard you work,
if you
breed a variety that does not suit
your pond,
it is a waste of labor and time.
Isa: Exactly. In my case, I found out that
the soil quality of my pond in Muikaichi
is suitable for Showa breeding. In turn,
I successfully breed Isa Showa.
Kodama: Please explain more about Isa Showa.
Isa: The koi in picture (1) is the origin
of Isa Showa. In 1981, the late Minoru Mano
at Dainichi Koi Farm bred this koi. I purchased
it from him when it was six years old and
started breeding Showa in 1986. That was
15 years ago.
Kodama: How about the male parent? Which
bloodline did you use?
Isa: Based on my many years of experience,
I was very sure that the female Dainichi
Showa could breed good quality Showa. With
this in mind, I had to look for a good male
to go with her. I looked at many different
bloodlines. I have used male parents from
famous breeders such as Suda, Takeda, Koise,
Hosokai, and so forth. As a result, I found
out that the male from Hosokai went with
her the best.
Kodama: The pair bred the Showa in picture
(2), didn't they?
Isa: Yes. The pair has bred very good quality
koi, but their sisters and brothers could
not win at koi shows. At koi shows, good
pattern as well as good quality is important.
Kodama: At koi shows, good quality is not
enough to win. You need good pattern.
Isa: This is why I crossed this koi
with
a good patterned Showa from Suda (Picture
A). From this pair, I could breed beautiful
Showa such as (B), (C), and (D).
Kodama: The three Showa all won the Kokugyo
prize at All Japan Combined Nishikigoi Show.
Isa: In 1997, Koi (D) won the first Kokugyo
prize. It was 16 years since I got the Dainichi
Showa to breed Showa.
Kodama: In the koi world, you must win the
"Kokugyo (Best in Size)" prize
or Best in Variety at the All Japan Nishikigoi
Show to be recognized as a top brand. It
is tough, isn't it?
Isa: To be a recognized brand, we must win
at least the "Kokugyo" prize. To
win the prize,
1. We must find a good female parent.
2. We must find a good male parent.
3. We must find the suitable soil (pond)
for the parents (bloodline).
4. It requires more than 15 years.
Any of the above are indispensable conditions.
Kodama: It took long periods of time along
with trial and error to complete Isa Showa.
Kodama: Please let us know if there is anything
hobbyists should be careful with when they
buy
Isa Showa.
Isa: There is nothing to be careful with.
My koi have a rather good advantage. That
is to say that the pattern does not change
much from their childhood until their adulthood.
Kodama: Showa usually change their pattern
mainly because of sumi. They usually have
a different look when they grow.
Isa: That is usual. Sumi gradually appears
as Showa grows. It is common that Showa change
pattern drastically. However, my koi, though
I would not say every koi, will stay with
the sumi it had when it was a baby.
Kodama: That means we just need to select
koi with a good balance of hi and sumi when
we buy your tosai (baby koi).
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| Son of Mr.Isa - Mitsunori |
Isa: Yes. In other bloodlines, we do
not
know where and how sumi will appear.
But
my koi are not like that. Sumi and
hi pattern
are almost clear when it is a tosai.
Kodama: Because Showa have sumi, as a dealer,
Showa is one of the most difficult varieties
to buy. It is great that the pattern does
not change that much.
Isa: I think that is why my Showa are popular.
There is little change and low risk.
Kodama: At koi shows, hi quality is important.
How about Isa Showa?
Isa: We do not feed colorenhancing food in
our ponds. So when hobbyists buy them, red
may be weak. But it will be red for sure.
So please do not worry about it.
Kodama: What about the pattern? Do we have
to be careful with something?
Isa: No, my Showa already have sumi visible
under the white ground. All it needs is to
come out and get finished. So please look
if the two colors (red and white) to form
excellent patterns.
Kodama: Other bloodline Showa shows no clue
where sumi comes out while Isa Showa does.
So we only have to look at the pattern of
red and black.
Isa: I would not say every Isa Showa is like
that, but considering that Showa are a variety
with a lot of change, I can say so.
Kodama: Thank you very much for your time
today.
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