Dialogue　Ikarashi Sports · Kota Ikarashi × Yokosuka Pond Maintenance Nishikigoi Sho · Sho Takaoka

Enjoying the changes of old-fashioned Showa
Pursuing beautiful koi with a focus on bloodline

The “Enjoying Showa Sanshoku Association” is organized by “Yokosuka Pond Maintenance Nishikigoi Sho” in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture. Representative Sho Takaoka started this association with the desire for people to “enjoy the changes that come with growth,” and this year marks its fifth gathering. Responsible for producing and managing these uniquely characterful Showa Sanshoku is Kota Ikarashi from Sakae-machi, Nagaoka City (formerly Tochio City), Niigata Prefecture. Mr. Ikarashi was captivated by the koi created by the late Minoru Mano of Dainichi Koi Farm known as a master, and underwent rigorous training under him. Currently, while running his family’s sports equipment shop, he continues to pursue the impactful koi he saw in his childhood and challenges himself to create his ideal Showa Sanshoku. We asked these two individuals to discuss their encounter, their passion for production, and the intentions behind the “Enjoying Showa Sanshoku Association.”

A vivid encounter with Nishikigoi

Using every means to recreate the koi seen that day

― I hear that Mr. Takaoka uses the Showa Sanshoku produced by Mr. Ikarashi to hold the “Enjoying Showa Sanshoku Association.” How did you two first meet?
Takaoka：Around the time I graduated from high school, I created a community on Mixi called “Swimming Gem Nishikigoi” so that people who liked nishikigoi could gather online. At that time, we got to know each other and became friends because we both liked Showa.
Ikarashi：Even though we couldn’t see each other’s faces online and didn’t really know what kind of people we were, we became friends. Then when we actually met… (laughs)
Takaoka：(Laughs) At first, we had never met, so we only exchanged messages. But when I heard that Mr. Ikarashi was coming to the All Japan show venue, I asked him, “Why did you quit Mixi?”
Ikarashi：As we exchanged messages, I started thinking he was a creepy guy, so I quit (laughs).
Takaoka：That’s how our relationship began. I worked at Mr. Narita’s (Narita Koi Farm) for less than a year. At that time, Mr. Ikarashi was managing Mr. Narita’s wild ponds, so we’ve had a long relationship.
― So Mr. Takaoka, you worked at Mr. Narita’s place. Did you enter the koi industry immediately after graduating high school?
Takaoka：For about three years after graduation, I worked part-time as a supermarket cashier.
― You loved nishikigoi enough to start a community, so why did you choose a different path?
Takaoka：Simply because I loved koi, I wanted to work in a koi-related job. However, when I told the master (Seiji Uchida) of Futazuka Nishikigoi Center (Kanagawa), who had taken care of me, that I wanted to become a koi dealer, he advised me, “It’s better not to jump into it right away.” The master himself hadn’t originally been a koi dealer, so he said that instead of going straight into the koi industry, I should first try something else, figure out if I really wanted to do it, and then go into the koi industry.
I first went to the master’s shop in the fourth grade of elementary school. Although there was a time when I lost all my koi and drifted away, I learned various things like culling in middle school. That’s when I became possessed by the charm of Showa Sanshoku, leading to where I am now.
― So you learned about the fun and depth of koi even as a child.
Takaoka：At that time, I met a journalist named Mr. Kawaoka from Nichirin magazine on Mixi. Even though I wasn’t a member of any ZNA association, I happened to be interviewed as a hobbyist. That led to the late Ryuzo Narita inviting me to work for him, where I met many customers and learned a lot.
― Mr. Ikarashi, I hear you trained at Dainichi Koi Farm. How did you get involved with koi?
Ikarashi：When I was still small, I saw the koi created by the late Minoru Mano of Dainichi and was tremendously shocked. I will never forget that emotion, and I strongly felt that I wanted to work with koi there.
I don’t remember exactly when, but I already loved koi in elementary school… I was probably brainwashed by my parents (laughs).
Takaoka：(Laughs)
― So your father really loved koi?
Ikarashi：Yes. My parents liked Nishikigoi, so there were koi at home since I was a child. Since I had no siblings, I was always with my parents. At that time in Tochio, there were many people keeping koi as a hobby and shows were being held, so as I was taken to various places, I think I gradually came to like them.