2006 All Japan Show winner article.

[dizzyfish]

I'm just wondering how many of you read the David Standen article in Koi USA July/August 2006 issue, about Super Mask owned by Martin and Mark and bred by Sakai. This article sort of makes it sound like everyone already knew who the winner was going to be before the 2006 All Japan Show. The article also claims that Martin and Mark had the best fish in the 2005 show but sort of got cheated. According to the article their Maruten Kohaku bred by Sakai was overwhelmingly considered to be the best fish in the show, but lost to the winning Showa because the Showa had better standing and history.
He further makes it sound like a Westerner may finially have won because the Japanese koi industry needed a foreign winner, in part to help overcome the difficulties of the Niigata earthquake, KHV scares, and a faltering Japanese economy. He also suggests the upcoming Japanese generation does not pursue koi with the same passion as the previous generation.

So does this David Standen truly have insider knowledge of how "politics" influence the outcome of Japanese shows, or is he just trying to generate publicity for his documentary? Any opinions?
Mitch

[Bern]

There were similar comments made over here by a few people but only verbally. But to be honest I can't remember an AJNPA show or a Nogyosai that wasn't the basis of conspiracy theory.

I suppose "The best fish won and the judges did a good job" doesn't grab the headlines.

rgds
Bern

[RayJordan]

The Shinkoikai All Japan Shows are dealer/breeder shows. All the judges are dealers/breeders. There are about 75 judges that get a equal vote for top awards like Grand Champion. Winner must have more than 50% of the votes. There is a very fierce competition between the breeders/dealers of the north and those of the south. It is beyond my comprehension that 70+ judges from all over Japan including 6-8 foreign dealers could/would get together and decide to subvert their decision for the reason implied.

Keep in mind that these koi are huge and badly stressed by being transported and shown at these sizes. They are judged on Friday and can look even more stressed by time the public views them on Saturday/Sunday.

I was at the 2006 AJS and saw the top koi. At this level the competition is not about the most photogenic koi. It is about the one that projects the best Body, Presence, & Power. The Reserve Champion was more elegant and beautiful with a better pattern and better shiro but lost to sheer size, body shape and incredable dense thick hi.

[dizzyfish]

Ray just to be clear the article suggested the controversy was over the 2005 winner. Standen was whinning that his documentary was about to be killed since Martin and Mark were notifed that the Maruten that was runner up in 2005 was not going to win in 2006 either.(Well before the show) They were supposedly disheartened but Sakai convinced them to enter Super Mask instead.

I realize the competiton must certainly be fierce, but the result of having a Westerner win could help escalate the value of the top fish for all of the breeders, at a time when interest in the koi hobby was declining in Japan. At least that was what I got out of the article. Did you have the chance to read the article?
Mitch

PS
I just skimmed over the article again. I don't believe Standen is suggesting that the 2006 show was fixed. Only that the Japanese were now willing to sell the top fish to deserving Westerners for the first time. He does however make it sound like much of the drama of who was likely to win was over before the show began.

[RayJordan]

Now I understand what you are saying. Article encourages some dramatic license I believe.

I went back and looked at the judges votes. In 2006 there were 93 judges and the GC was decided on the 2nd vote with a total of 51 votes. That means that 42 votes went to other koi. There is almost always contraversy at koi shows of one form or another. Doesn't mean the judges got together to fix the results. Just that judges have different opinions of ranking koi.

The 2005 winner was a famous Maruyama Showa. It had won it's way up the ladder at regional shows and also had been shown in the All Japan show a few years earlier. It doesn't hurt to be well known in the koi show world. I think this is also a point made in the article and one reason the other kohaku they owned (mauratan) they wanted it to be the one the showed as it had won Reserve Champion in 2005 and would be known by many of the judges. However, unknowns can also win the day as demonstrated by 2006 winner that was not well known and had not been shown before.

[MikeM]

Don't you think the real story is about Sakai knowing what he is seeing? ....not as interesting, perhaps, as the conspiracy theme.

[RayJordan]

Hi Mike,
Exactly, plus the owners had already spent major sums of money with SFF to earn the right to pay $150,000 to buy the koi that won the 2006 AJS.

[aquitori]

I think all should watch "How the East was won"...This DVD tells the story from the hobbyist point of view.

[dizzyfish]

I think Ray just told us how the East was won.

[aquitori]

Alot of politics come into play too...