KOI SHOWS maria hayward
Award ceremony Best Tagegoi
Whilst the judging took place I took the opportunity to wander around the vats with Darren. We were both looking for good examples of various varieties, so that Darren could publish pictures on his website. I was also looking for footage to include on a DVD about the show. Unfortunately we were later to find out that most of the koi we selected for this purpose ended up as major awards and therefore would have been included in the video footage anyway.
Whilst wandering the showground it was disappointing to note that we were the only three visitors to have made the trip from the UK, although there were several European visitors and a few from the USA. Numbers were definitely down on previous years.
let the fun begin! On the Saturday there was a two-hour
Most unique koi
banquet which was great fun and offered everyone the chance to socialise. Unlike the All Japan Show the awards are not announced at this event and it is far less formal with a lot of entertainment being provided in the form of various dance acts. This year one particular act involved a
Variety categories
Kohaku Sanke Showa
…it was a great opportunity to strengthen
relationships with such important breeders
56 KOI CARP
Utsurimono Hikari Muji Hikarimoyo Asagi Shusui Goshiki Kawarigoi
A Ginrin (Go Sanke) B Ginrin (Non Go Sanke) Bekko
Hikari Utsuri Tancho Koromo Doitsugoi Kujaku
Kumonryu Size categories
12bu (up to 12cm) 15bu (12cm to 15cm) 18bu (15cm to 18cm) 23bu (18cm to 23cm) 28bu (23cm to 28cm) 33bu (28cm to 33cm) 38bu (33cm to 38cm) 43bu (38cm to 43cm) 48bu (43cm to 48cm) 53bu (48cm to 53cm) 58bu (53cm to 58cm) 63bu (58cm to 63cm)
number of people wearing face masks. A small group of these seemed to be causing a lot of interest as they danced amongst the guests. It all became clear once they returned to the stage and removed their masks, revealing themselves as Hirasawa san (Marudo), Nogami san, and Mano san (Dainichi) who had joined the dance for a bit of fun.
With festivities coming to an end, Mike, Darren and I were invited to continue partying in the nearby town of Kurume with several of the breeders including Omosako, Matsue and Nogoshi. We jumped at the chance, knowing it was a great opportunity to strengthen relationships with such important breeders. Despite the partying I returned to the showground around 8am on Sunday morning, having checked out of the hotel ready for my return to Niigata later in the day. The location of the show is always windy in the afternoons and therefore Sunday morning is the only realistic time to get reasonable photos and video of the winning koi.
The awards ceremony took place at 11.00am and as soon as it was over I had to rush back to Niigata where a group of customers were joining me the following morning. With a journey that would cover 1000 miles, I have to say I am somewhat pleased that next year the show returns to Ojiya. Hopefully this location will also encourage a few more foreign visitors to the show.
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