Nishikigoi Promotion Association Joins Event in Brazil
to Open Up the Market and Resume Exports

On Saturday, August 22, and Sunday, August 23, the All Japan Nishikigoi Promotion Association, using the national government’s Subsidy for Strengthening the Export Capacity of Product Organizations, took part in an export promotion event hosted by Niigata Prefecture in São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city.
The event showcased the prefecture’s specialty products, such as sake, rice, and metalwork, and Nishikigoi were exhibited as part of it. Because imports of Nishikigoi are restricted, koi bred in Brazil were displayed.
The main purposes of this visit to Brazil were not only to promote Nishikigoi, but also to survey the Brazilian Nishikigoi market and to pave the way for resuming Nishikigoi exports from Japan to Brazil, which are currently suspended.
From Niigata Prefecture, more than 30 people took part, including Governor Hideyo Hanazumi, who also serves as chairman of the Nishikigoi Promotion Association, as well as prefectural assembly members, prefectural officials, and representatives of various industries.
From the Nishikigoi Promotion Association, Mr. Manabu Ogata (Ogata Koi Farm, Fukuoka), a former director of the Association who has worked for many years as a pioneer of Nishikigoi exports to open up overseas markets, took part as a special envoy for overseas strategy. Mr. Taro Kodama (Kodama Koi Farm), who sells Nishikigoi in Hawaii, also joined.
Local guidance and interpreting were provided by Mr. Ronnie Onishi, a second-generation Japanese Brazilian who once studied Nishikigoi at Dainichi Koi Farm in Niigata Prefecture and is now president of the Brazilian Nishikigoi Association.
On Friday the 21st, the day before the event, the group arrived in Brazil and, guided by Mr. Onishi, immediately visited Mr. Tanabe of Tanabe Koi Farm, which breeds Nishikigoi on the outskirts of São Paulo. Mr. Tanabe, also a second-generation Japanese Brazilian, owns extensive facilities and a sales outlet. He said he breeds his own koi using Showa and Kohaku parent koi from Dainichi Koi Farm supplied by Mr. Onishi, and sells mainly Tosai and two-year-olds.
“Seeing firsthand how Nishikigoi are bred and sold in Brazil, so far from Japan, was a valuable opportunity to understand the local market,” said Mr. Ogata.

On Saturday the 22nd, the export promotion event was held at the Nikkey Palace Hotel in central São Paulo, where pools were set up for large koi aged two to four—including Kohaku, Tancho, and Yamabuki Ogon—and for Tosai. All the koi on display were bred in Brazil, but some showed body-shape characteristics thought to be the result of inbreeding. Local breeders also hope to bring in parent koi from Japan, so an early resumption of imports is eagerly awaited.
At the event, each exhibitor promoted its own products. When Mr. Ogata introduced Nishikigoi, saying, “Nishikigoi, which originated in a small mountain village in Niigata, are now exported to more than 50 countries and regions around the world. Please take this opportunity to enjoy watching them swim so gracefully,” a large crowd gathered around the koi pools. It was the busiest booth at the venue and the most popular of all.
On the 23rd, at a different venue, the group attended a ceremony and reception celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Niigata Kenjinkai of Brazil (the association of people from Niigata Prefecture living in Brazil). Many guests gathered, including Ambassador Yasushi Noguchi of the Embassy of Japan in Brazil and local members of the association, making it a good opportunity for the delegation from Niigata Prefecture to deepen ties with local people.
On the 24th, to survey the Brazilian Nishikigoi market, the group visited the country house of Mr. Marcos Gelsi of Mundo Koi, who has built a fish farm and a Japanese garden on his vast estate. Mr. Gelsi, a lawyer, enjoys Nishikigoi as a hobby while also breeding them with a view to profit. “It was clear that there are many people in Brazil who breed and love Nishikigoi like this, and that a Nishikigoi culture rooted in the country is taking shape,” said Mr. Ogata.
The purposes of this visit to Brazil were to promote Nishikigoi, survey the market, and pave the way for resuming Nishikigoi exports to Brazil. As for efforts toward resuming exports, Governor Hanazumi spoke directly to Ambassador Noguchi on the industry’s behalf and was able to request the cooperation of the Embassy of Japan in Brazil in future efforts.
The South American market has until now been virtually untapped territory for the Nishikigoi industry. Taking a first step toward opening it up may well have been the greatest achievement of this visit to Brazil.
(Materials provided by Niigata Prefecture, the All Japan Nishikigoi Promotion Association, and Ogata Koi Farm)