— It sounds tough. I wonder if their nature resists each other. Do the shining types start shining when they are fry?

Hirasawa: It still shines a bit. The lines along the edge of the skull, from above the eyes to the mouth, shine a bit. Also, the tips of the fins and the back sometimes shine. I may not see it in the first selection, but by the third selection or so, I’ll know by the time I put them into a greenhouse.

In the past, we used to call the shine on the back “Ginbo” If I wanted a koi having Ginbo to be a parent, the success rate tended to be low.

— In terms of ease of breeding, is the black type preferable?

Hirasawa: I could certainly produce a large number of them. However, it’s not just about that. There is also a demand for varieties like those with a shining body or a net pattern on a blue body.

— The Sakura Award 40bu (15) at the 51st All Japan Combined Nishikigoi Show has a bluish net pattern. However, generally, you don’t precisely aim for certain types when combining parents, do you?

Hirasawa: That’s right. It can change depending on the water and the growth process. There was completely black one year and it might turn completely white the following year, so you never know.

— Do you create various types even with the same Goshiki?

Hirasawa:  Customers have varied preferences, so I created them to meet them.

— Kazuhiro, do you prefer the shiny type or the black type Goshiki?

Hirasawa: As long as the red colour shines, I don’t mind either type of body. However, achieving a beni that looks red and has a gloss is not easy. Whether it’s Sanke or Kohaku, having that shine, that sheen, is crucial for winning in the Koi Show.

— The overall winner is the black Goshiki type, isn’t it?

Hirasawa: The Koi was completely white in my place. It was like a Kohaku. Sakura Nishikigoi in Mishima, Shizuoka, bought and raised it because it had a solid beni, then became completely black. I could not believe it. I wonder if I’m breeding Goshiki in a place where the water doesn’t suit them. Koi often improves by going to Narita, Sakura Nishikigoi, or Masami (Masami Kinjo, Kintaro Nishikigoi).

— I suppose the buyers are aware of that happening.

Hirasawa: That’s right. They don’t tend to turn completely black in my place, So I only see beni.

— Then, you don’t mind if the body is whitish?

Hirasawa: Not at all. It doesn’t bother me.

(To be continued in the part 2.)