Sakai Fish Farm Auction . . .

[JasPR]

I first met Narita in 1990. I was on a trip with Bernard Channing Of Japanese water Gardens in the UK. He accumulated most of his koi right in Chiba. For those who have not been, Chiba is a district outside of Tokyo proper and it housed many dealers and brokers in the late 1980s and 1990s. Tani farms is close by ( Narita Station platform) and Kodoma used to be not too far away. So we would make the rounds of all the local dealers and to see what they had brought back from the mountains. As part of that trip we also went to Komachi to see Narita. At the time he was building a 2 million USD facility. It was all glass and housed a tropical fish store and major koi facility including a 'baby Momotaro' grow out pond of tens of thousands of gallons. This was also the place to buy jumbo chagoi and Ochiba. He had one tank the size of an olympic size swimming pool that housed at least twenty 36- 40 inch chagoi, kigoi and ochiba in red, brown, rootbeer, mustard, green etc. Impressive!
He and his brother bred a few fish but he was primarily a broker. He also had a great book collection. At the time I was still missing the 1985 All Japan anniversary book, to complete the collection. One day we were sitting in his office having tea and as Bernard and Narita chatted about business, I looked over his book collection----- THERE IT WAS!! The rare 1985 addition of the All Japan winners. I waited my turn and then asked Bernard to ask him if he would sell it. He took it out, looked through it and said "no". Year after year we went back to Narita's. And I bought fish, Bernard bought fish, but still, the answer was "no" on the sale of that book.
In January of 1996 I went to Narita's looking for a fish to enter in the first KOI AMERICA. It was a big deal as ZNA judges, AKCA judges and Sakai Hiroshima would all be judging our fish. I wanted a decent fish. So we went to the big grow out tank in the rear of this giant glass facility. I found a nice sanke but after bowling it, Narita said it was not for sale. It was owned by a customer who was growing it out there for a regional show. Bernard asked Narita to call the customer. The conversation went well, it seemed the wife of the owner was very unhappy with another fish she didn't know about!! A price was agreed upon and the fish was mine. As we concluded business I asked again about the book. Narita asked " why do you want this book so badly?" I told him I had the entire collection except for that year. He handed me the book.
The sanke went on to win the GC at KOI America and the book is right on the shelf to the left of my key board- life is good. JR

[MikeM]

Wonderful story.

[aquitori]

Cool story JR...do you have a pic of the Sanke?

[JasPR]

yep, I have a picture of the old girl----

[aquitori]

Quote: Originally Posted by JasPR yep, I have a picture of the old girl----

I remember seeing that Sanke along time ago....very nice!!! JR, do you have a pic of that All-Japan Book that was so hard to get..

[JasPR]

I do. It is the standard silk covered photo book. But here is the reason it is rare. The All Japan show books were first done in a very large and elaborate format. So they had to make a certain number to keep the costs lower. This created an excess supply. The books were so popular that a second company came in to compete. Soon the second company put the first one out of business. But before that happened, you have true excess supply as there were two volumes of each show for several years.
When the first company went out however, the demand was still the same. Yet the second company did not make extra books in antiscipation of the real demand now that the other book publisher was gone. So for 1985 and 1986 demand far exceeded supply. And to this day these two years are hardest to find. And maybe as hard to find as books one and two? JR

[aquitori]

Quote: Originally Posted by JasPR I do. It is the standard silk covered photo book. But here is the reason it is rare. The All Japan show books were first done in a very large and elaborate format. So they had to make a certain number to keep the costs lower. This created an excess supply. The books were so popular that a second company came in to compete. Soon the second company put the first one out of business. But before that happened, you have true excess supply as there were two volumes of each show for several years. When the first company went out however, the demand was still the same. Yet the second company did not make extra books in antiscipation of the real demand now that the other book publisher was gone. So for 1985 and 1986 demand far exceeded supply. And to this day these two years are hardest to find. And maybe as hard to find as books one and two? JR

Do you have the ZNA All-Japan books? I forgot what they use to call those books, I think it was before they started adding it to the regular subscription.

[dinh]

Wonderful story. Thx for sharing...
So master JR. Is Narita now a well known breeder, well known broker, or well know koi book collection ;-))

--Dinh

Quote: Originally Posted by JasPR I first met Narita in 1990. I was on a trip with Bernard Channing Of Japanese water Gardens in the UK. He accumulated most of his koi right in Chiba. For those who have not been, Chiba is a district outside of Tokyo proper and it housed many dealers and brokers in the late 1980s and 1990s. Tani farms is close by ( Narita Station platform) and Kodoma used to be not too far away. So we would make the rounds of all the local dealers and to see what they had brought back from the mountains. As part of that trip we also went to Komachi to see Narita. At the time he was building a 2 million USD facility. It was all glass and housed a tropical fish store and major koi facility including a 'baby Momotaro' grow out pond of tens of thousands of gallons. This was also the place to buy jumbo chagoi and Ochiba. He had one tank the size of an olympic size swimming pool that housed at least twenty 36- 40 inch chagoi, kigoi and ochiba in red, brown, rootbeer, mustard, green etc. Impressive! He and his brother bred a few fish but he was primarily a broker. He also had a great book collection. At the time I was still missing the 1985 All Japan anniversary book, to complete the collection. One day we were sitting in his office having tea and as Bernard and Narita chatted about business, I looked over his book collection----- THERE IT WAS!! The rare 1985 addition of the All Japan winners. I waited my turn and then asked Bernard to ask him if he would sell it. He took it out, looked through it and said "no". Year after year we went back to Narita's. And I bought fish, Bernard bought fish, but still, the answer was "no" on the sale of that book. In January of 1996 I went to Narita's looking for a fish to enter in the first KOI AMERICA. It was a big deal as ZNA judges, AKCA judges and Sakai Hiroshima would all be judging our fish. I wanted a decent fish. So we went to the big grow out tank in the rear of this giant glass facility. I found a nice sanke but after bowling it, Narita said it was not for sale. It was owned by a customer who was growing it out there for a regional show. Bernard asked Narita to call the customer. The conversation went well, it seemed the wife of the owner was very unhappy with another fish she didn't know about!! A price was agreed upon and the fish was mine. As we concluded business I asked again about the book. Narita asked " why do you want this book so badly?" I told him I had the entire collection except for that year. He handed me the book. The sanke went on to win the GC at KOI America and the book is right on the shelf to the left of my key board- life is good. JR

[JasPR]

Dinh, as you may know, the term 'breeder' is used differently in Japan that what we know it to be here in the west. We think of a breeder as someone who owns a male and female koi, puts them together, raises the fry and sells them. In Japan, the term breeder is a general term. Anyone who raises koi is a breeder. They can be involved in that western description or they can buy fry and raise them up to age two or three or they can even buy fish at auction and add size and then sell them.
Many 'breeders' that are worshipped here in the west are actually growers of koi. Some are a kind of traveling salesman and advisor to wealth collectors. And others gather up fish and sell them in the west a few times a year.
And some dealers were once unsuccessful breeders. And some dealers and even koi guides are now breeders after dabbling in growing out fry!!
They are all called 'breeders' over there but mistaken for breeders over here.

I have the early Book of Great Nishikigoi from ZNA ( phone book sized coffee table book). But I don't have the individual show books. I don't think there were any other than the SHORI editions that were eventually published in Nichirin. Is that what you're referring to? SHORI? JR

[aquitori]

Quote: Originally Posted by JasPR I have the early Book of Great Nishikigoi from ZNA ( phone book sized coffee table book). But I don't have the individual show books. I don't think there were any other than the SHORI editions that were eventually published in Nichirin. Is that what you're referring to? SHORI? JR

That's the name of the show books "Shori", I wonder if ZNA Office still has them or do I have to go hunting for them too...Just curious to see what this phone book size book looks like..