New Varieties Born in the Process of Lineage Diversification

Moving Toward Efficient Multi-Variety Production in the Future

― Besides Doitsu Goshiki, as a derivative of Goshiki, there is the Metallic Ginrin Goshiki (Photo ⑧) that won a variety prize at the 2023 Junior Koi Show. What kind of combination did that come from?
Aoki: That was produced from a Sakura Ogon-type Kujaku and a Ginrin Goshiki. Since I also make Ginrin Beni Ginga (Photo ⑨), if I produce two types that look similar, they will overlap, so every year I choose which one to breed.
― Why do you breed varieties that look similar?
Aoki: This one (Photo ⑧) was something that happened by chance five or six years ago; it wasn’t something I bred for intentionally.

― Was there another goal for the combination of Kujaku and Ginrin Goshiki?
Aoki: It was mainly about diversifying the bloodlines, and also, by creating new ginrin, we could use that ginrin in various other varieties. It emerged from the process of separating bloodlines. This koi is an ideal form, based on Kujaku but carrying the ginrin from the ginrin Goshiki, nicely inheriting characteristics from both parents. I wish I could make many like this, but it’s not something that can be mass-produced yet.
― Is the next step ginrin?
Aoki: Yes, that’s right. As we produce ginrin lines, I think processes for creating other different things will emerge from them, so I’m hoping that we might also get ones that can be used as brood stock.
We have three types in the Goshiki system: Goshiki, ginrin Goshiki, and Doitsu Goshiki. So we try to produce only two types in the same year. It’s not just about what I want to spawn; considering sales, I need to produce them in a balanced way.
― There is a koi swimming in the pond that caught my eye. Is this (Photo ⑩) an Aka Matsuba?
Aoki: That’s a koi called “Kurokado Goshiki.” These kinds of koi emerge from Goshiki. If we kept those with reversed scales from the tosai stage, Mr. Jeroen, the owner of Ornamental Fish, said this was rare, and it started from him trying to raise them. By the way, the name Kurokado Goshiki was also given by Mr. Jeroen.

― So such koi can appear from Goshiki.
Aoki: During selection, we get akamuji koi. We keep those with a completely red base, and from among them, we keep those that show gyaku-me like Kurokado. We don’t breed using this one as a parent specifically; they appear from the Goshiki to a certain extent every year.
― Is it prone to developing gyakume rather than normal scale alignment?
Aoki: That’s right. Whether that is because of our specific combination or something that generally appears from Goshiki combinations, I honestly don’t know.
― Did you start producing them recently?
Aoki: The first one we exhibited at the Niigata Auction in autumn 2023 was a 3-year-old, the original, so it was around 2018, I think. Since then, we’ve made a point of keeping them. However, these koi tend to get black bruises easily just from a slight bump, so we have to be careful.
― Aokiya delights us with various Kawarigoi, but what is your next challenge?
Aoki: Recently, I’ve been spawning along stable lines, and the ponds get filled up with the main varieties that I have to produce.
I also want to take on challenges with various other varieties, but the number of fry ponds and the available manpower are limited, so I often end up not being able to go that far. I’m thinking about devising spawning methods so I can take on challenges.
― We certainly have high expectations for the next move from the “Magician of Kawarigoi” who fascinates Kawarigoi fans.