What had been forecast to be a wet rainy day proved completely the opposite. At 8.30 the sun was shining and not a cloud in the sky as I joined Yagenji for the harvest of this pond of sansai and yonsai Koi, situated just off of the road from Mushigame to the top of Kanagura Yama.
Most pictures below are self explanatory.
Yagenji mud pond Kanagura Yama
Daisuke and Noriko Ishihara start to net the pond
Toshinori Ishihara fills the childs paddling pool with ‘clean’ water
The net closes in
Daisuke and Toshinori carefully pull in the net
Toshinori fully focused
A Koi breaks the surface in front of Daisuke and Toshinori
With the net secured Daisuke and his wife, Noriko, set about lifting them one by one into the pool.
Noriko Ishihara lifts a Koi into the paddling pool
I really love this Showa being picked up by Noriko Ishihara, more on that later…
Noriko Ishihara lifts a Koi into the paddling pool
Daisuke Ishihara lifting Koi
Daisuke Ishihara lifting Koi
Daisuke Ishihara lifting Koi
Daisuke Ishihara lifting Koi
Daisuke Ishihara lifts 2 Koi in a bag
That really is a very steep bank to be carrying Koi up like that, and to make it look so easy.
Noriko Ishihara carrying 2 Koi up the bank in plastic bag
On the back of the truck Toshinori lifts each Koi from a measuring tub to the transportation tank.
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Toshinori Ishihara lifting Koi on the back of the truck
Toshinori Ishihara lifting Koi on the back of the truck
Toshinori Ishihara lifting Koi on the back of the truck
Toshinori Ishihara lifting Koi on the back of the truck
As always Yaichi Ishihara, the boys father and founder of the farm, is there to see his sons harvest is.
Yaichi Ishihara watching over Toshinori’s shoulder
Toshinori and his father, Yaichi, discussing the harvested Koi
Daisuke and Toshinori are always very accommodating in allowing me take photos of their Koi, they know it gives them great exposure. This year their Koi are proving a lot less co-operative to photograph. The last thing I need is one of these Koi getting damaged whilst I try and get a perfect shot, when an average shot proves perfectly acceptable in truth.
This Kindai Showa is incredibly appealing.
Yagenji Kindai Showa
This Koi has an incredibly powerful body and tremendous skin quality. I can’t help but think this Koi has tremendous qualities to be a parent fish, the body, the skin, lovely beni quality, nice strong sumi, neat motoguro, no secondary hi or he on the belly. Just beautiful and my dream goes on…..
Yagenji Showa
I posted some Doitsu Sanke the other day at Yagenji – http://nishikigoi.life/2015/10/08/yagenji-koi-farm-sansai-harvest/ – and this harvested included another. We tried really hard to get a good pic but this is about as good as it gets I’m afraid. For some reason Doitsu Karashigoi now seem to be accepted for the ‘Doitsugoi’ class at the All Japan Show, rather than them being in Kawarigoi. Sadly that means that great examples of Doitsu Gosanke don’t stand a chance against a 1m+ Doitsu Karashigoi. I hope that changes sometime soon because I think this Koi would challenge for best Doitsugoi at the All Japan Show.
Yagenji yonsai Doitsu Sanke
Yagenji Showa
Whilst we were photographing the Koi Kim Kloet of Kim’s Koi in Belgium arrived to see the newly harvested stocks. Like many dealers, Kim will visit Yagenji regularly over the course of a trip to see the newly harvested stocks as soon as possible.
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Kim Cloet points out a Koi to Daisuke
Kim bowled several newly harvested Koi, and a couple of Koi we’ve featured previously here, namely the 2 Ginrin Showa. An impressive bowl of Koi by any farms standards. Yagenji are right up there!
5 high quality Yagenji Koi
Yagenji Tancho
Kim also bowled this Ginrin Kohaku, a Koi I’d been meaning to photograph for a few days. What I hadn’t realised was that it is a male Koi, there isn’t much of a clue! The ginrin quality is simply superb. Kim passed on the Koi, later I received a message from Ryuki Narita saying that he had actually purchased the Koi in the afternoon. So, if you are interested in the Koi, contact the Narita Koi Farm agent in your country.
Sansai Ginrin Kohaku, male
Masahito Kataoka, younger brother of Taro Kataoka of Oya Koi Farm, is Kim’s agent in Japan, and indeed coincidentally agent to 2 of our other advertisers, Koi Hob and Couleurs de Niigata.
Masahito Kataoka negotiates with Daisuke
Masahito Kataoka
Kim ended up purchasing 3 Yagenji Koi, including this Ginrin Showa which I featured the other day.
Yagenji Ginrin Showa
Some truly great Koi at Yagenji Koi Farm this year!
