Grading Tosai

[MikeM]

We often read and hear about culling fry and tosai, focusing on the knowledge needed to decide which to keep and which to toss into the field to become food for crows. But there is another aspect of culling that is a bit different ... grading tosai. It is a rare breeder who truly keeps only tategoi for growing another season in the mud. The tateshita are also part of the crop, albeit not the most profitable. The koi farmers of Japan would not survive if they looked to tateshita for their living; but, like an aboriginal hunter, no part of the kill can be ignored if there is a benefit to be gained. How to maximize the return on the tateshita is a challenge.

Imagine having a twenty thousand ogon tosai. Most will go to Wal*Marts of the world to be sold for pocket change. Some will go to pet shops whose owners compete by besting the Wal*Marts on quality, but still can only charge pocket change. Some will go to outlets "specializing" in koi (and really nice pond goldfish,too!), which need a higher quality. And others will go to professional koi dealers who need to be able to meet a spectrum of consumer demand. So, the koi farmer, to maximize his return, must grade the tateshita... Grade "A", "AA", "AAA", "AAAA", and so on.

So out of the 20,000 that look like an Ogon (at least sort of?)there may be space to keep 250 for another season, leaving 19,750 to sort into grades.

Imagine the time it takes. The bending. The cramped muscles. If each gets 5 seconds of time, it would take over 27 hours to go through them. In reality, many get only a couple of seconds of attention, but others actually need the eyes to be focused. All that glittery gold, for so many hours. The time is hopefully well-spent...hopefully there are enough that can be sold as graded koi, rather than by the bulk pound, to justify the effort.

For the common Ogon, the effort is not going to be made. There just is not enough money in it! ...Except, somewhere, there is a fellow sorting through the living gold that took so much feeding and care over so many hot, sweaty weeks, and so many cold, wet mornings... searching for that one...the one that in time may be kept a third season. Grading them because the extra return sorted ones can bring is more than nothing at all. And in the separate inspection of each is the key to finding that one...if it is there to be found.

I hope it is, and that he finds it. Maybe in four years we can enjoy seeing her. And, as we walk by a vat someplace, maybe for a moment the thought will come that she is a special one ... as we walk by.

[luke frisbee]

Ogons..Stinkin' ogons?


yellow gold, ha....

Pick out as many good ones as you can handle keeping till the next "culling" and sell off the rest.
Now Kujaku...those will make you go blind

[Kohaku]

I still can't get over how good a particular ogon cull(Kin Kabuto) looks.

[KoiCop]

good post.

Too often we think the work "starts" when we bend over the dealer's tanks -- or the show vats.

Thanks for the reminder!

[dick benbow]

enjoyed your commentary Mike....I have culled ogons for days when eyes and back seemed like they'd never make it! But your right, a 3-4 year old Yamabuki
with exceptional fukerin and proper sized pecs with outstanding hikari is a thing of great beauty.

I used to have one that I would call to hand feed worms to. I'd splash the pond water along the edge and she's zip over to get her reward. One day I was approaching the pond and spied some song sparrows getting ready to bathe.
They jumped in and started splashing and she zipped right over for her treat.
she was about 6 inches from the birds when one noticed her and squakked a warning throwing itself out of harm's way. I laughed so hard...I had to go
dig her a worm so she wouldn't be disappointed. Wasn't anything I could do for the birds....bet their little hearts raced all day!

[TylerJ]

Mike, interesting. taateshita is a cruddy koi? is that correct? thanks for the lesson

[Flounder]

Originally Posted by TylerJ

Mike, interesting. taateshita is a cruddy koi? is that correct? thanks for the lesson

tateshita are lower quality koi that are culled and not kept for future growing by the breeder

[TylerJ]

Originally Posted by Flounder

tateshita are lower quality koi that are culled and not kept for future growing by the breeder

so tateshita to Japanese is what we in the US call tosai?

[MikeM]

TylerJ: Tosai are all koi who have had their first season of growth. Some will be kept by the breeder for a second season, and some are selected for immediate sale. Those being sold as Tosai are tateshita. Elsewhere it was pointed out that on occasion a breeder may be convinced to allow one planned to kept a second year to be purchased, at a high price. Such a tosai is not tateshita, but you will never see one for sale as tosai.

[aquitori]

Originally Posted by TylerJ

Mike, interesting. taateshita is a cruddy koi? is that correct? thanks for the lesson

Tateshita is a koi that the Japanese feel they can no longer waste mud pond space. Tateshita doesn't mean it doesn't have potential, but it still has potential to do well somewhere else.

People have to realize that you cant always expect to get a great koi for pennies. As hobbyist we have to build our eye in selecting tosai. Dick throws a helpful seminar in selecting tosai in his neck of the woods and I think it would be helpful for clubs around the country to do this every season....