Mamoru Kodama's Kokugyo Vol 2

[kiky]

Recently I bought a koi book entitled 'Kokugyo Vol 2' by Mr Momaru Kodama. It shows koi developement from young until finished - how body conformation, pattern, hi, sumi and so on change as the koi grow.

Does anyone has read this book? How authoritative is the author in the koi world? Any comment is welcomed!

[luke frisbee]

the Author is worth reading and his understanding of koi appreciation is mainstream.
I have not read vol. 2. i did enjoy volume 1 and traded it for some nice little fish after i read it. The CD was interesting. However when I pointed out to the Author that his comparison of the same koi in two differnt photos was the exact same negative just with a different exposure times his reply was that he was sorry that my attention was wasted on that particular aspect of the book. ( I didn't think I was fixating. he asked you to compare the two photos. I did and saw they were the EXACT same negative. I thought that should be a big deal considering the book was all about developing a better more discerning eye. Evidently the author did a good job. After reading the book once I was abple to stop a gross error on his part that he didn't see. He is a fantastic teacher, yes?
I would be happy to read the second volume. I'm surprised he didn't contact me and ask me to proofread it......

[Andrew]

Quote: Originally Posted by kiky How authoritative is the author in the koi world?

Kiky, short answer is VERY! He is current President of Miyoshiike (sp) having handed the reigns over, so to speak, to his son.
No doubt at all that they are both very, very experienced in the art of this hobby of ours, for sure 'authoritive' enough to pay serious heed to.

By coincidence I just exchanged e-mails with the Rinko offices about purchasing this book, the conclusion being that I'll buy it at the All Japan Show next February. I look forward to reading it.

[Bancherd]

I have read it, MUCH better than the first book.


(It might need someone to point out some serious flaws though).

[MikeM]

Vol 2 is excellent. It suffers in my mind, however, from the Japanese cultural subtlety. The author leaves it to the reader to draw many conclusions on their own. I would have preferred some more direct spoon-feeding of his knowledge and views. That said, it is the sort of book that I believe can be read again a year later and the reader will glean a deeper understanding.

[erwinsan]

I have both editions, I enjoyed reading both. However, wouldn't it be great if he included the breeders and bloodlines of the koi examples he used in Kokugyo II so we could have better understanding of the different developments of each breeder's koi??

[dick benbow]

Interesting comments on this thread! In my opinion, the guy is very talented

in his koi discernment and very ambitious to tackle such a topic as few else could.

[luke frisbee]

now guys,
Did any of you see that the pics were the same just one more exposed? I thought if he knew he would put a slip of paper in the current volumes stating they were the same and fix it in the next edition.
either way I expected a polite, "Thank you we knew that already but it was good of you to be able to catch it as well, and we appreciate you taking the time and effort to email us."
Instead the letter sound more like," Why are you pointing that out, Don't you have better things to do." As if they were embarassed or upset and didn't want to acknowledge it.
I liked the book.
And from opinions expressed here I will have to get vol.2.

[markgardner]

Luke

Perhaps if you'd sent an e-mail in perfect Japanese you'd have got a better response in Japanese that you could have translated!

If you read any of the translated Japanese publications or spend any time in communication with the Japanese then you will find that their 'expressions' can sometimes be 'amusing'.

'he was sorry that my attention was wasted on that particular aspect of the book' - sounds fair enough, the guy's apologising for wasting your time with an incorrect picture!

Mark

[kiky]

Wow I didnot expect so many of you have read the book. Frankly I have not read it thoroughly. I just have a quick glance through the pages. Seems very interesting though. Like Mike said, this is the kind of book that you can refer again and again in the future.

And from the many comments, I think it is good for collection too, especially for someone with minimum koi experience like me. Printing quality is excellent. Paper quality is good. Binder is extremely good. It sure 'looks' expensive and worth putting in your bookshelf!