187 replies to this topic

[Ray Jordan]

Someone asked me if I could post a list and Pics of AJS Grand Champions. I'll post a new photo each day or so with a few details and a question or two. It is amazing to see the imporovement in quality and size as the years progress. I hope others will chime in with additional facts or questions during the day. I do not guarantee my information to be compeletly accuarate so also hope for corrections where needed. Let's start at the begining. I hope you enjoy.

1st ZNA All Japan Show Grand Champion was a 57 cm (22.5 in.) male Showa called the Kuroki Showa. Owned by Takeo Kuroiki and bred by Tomiji Kobayashi. This was the beginning of ZNA and the early ZNA shows were judged by professional koi dealers.

Questions: What was the age of the GC, exact date, location and the number of koi entered in the 1st ZNA All Japan Show?
Bonus Question: name the dealer judges?

Off with the grandkids to the park to vist the zoo and the new dinosaur exhibit at the museum. I'll check in to see where we are later this afternoon.

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•  AJSZNAGC_1966.jpg (88.45K)
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Edited by Ray Jordan, 29 May 2007 - 07:23 AM.

[dcny]

Cool!!! You've made my day. I've been hoping for one of these threads for a while now.

I don't know the age of the koi but I have the other info from Rinko...

• Date: March 5-6, 1966
  
• Location: Rakutenchi in Beppu city
  
• Number of koi: 579
  
• Judges: Toshio Hirasawa and Kyushiro Sakamoro

[PapaBear]

I don't know diddly squat about the answers to your questions , but I sure have been looking forward to this
Glad all your research has paid off.

Edited by PapaBear, 29 May 2007 - 11:01 AM.

[koiboi31]

Ray,

No idea to the answers to your questions but this looks like a really interesting thread please keep the daily winners coming.

I look forward to it.

Edited by koiboi31, 29 May 2007 - 01:31 PM.

[Ray Jordan]

Hi Dan,
Thanks for adding to the thread and your information jives with mine as well. Based on what I have read, Dr. Kuroke was contacted by Tomiji Kobayashi in fall 1966 to come and see two amazing "new type" showas that he had produced using two mixed breed koi parents contining a mixture of kohaku, orginal showa, and shiro utsuri. THese two "new type" showas were unlike anything breed before. But, Kobayashi and his new style showas are another story completely.

Dr. Kuroke selected the showa with heavier sumi pictured earlier than won the 1st ZNA AJS. The other won the Niigata Nogyosai show and was sent to Hawaii and will return later to compete sucessfully in the 1st SHinkokai AJS in 1968. So depending on how you interpret the information written about Kobayashi's showa breeding trials the Kuroki showa was either 3 or 4 summers old in 1966 when it won the 1st ZNA show.

I hope anyone that has more information about the Kuroki showa will post as this thread continues.

[Ray Jordan]

IN 1967, the 2nd ZNA ALL Japan Show awarded Grand Champion to a 58 cm (22.9 in.) Inazuma Kohaku owned by Katsuichi Osaki. I don't know much more about this koi so I hope you can add some more details. Also this thread is not just for koi history geeks. If you have a comment or question as we jog along please jump in.

Questions of the day"

Anyone know the name of the breeder of this koi?
Age when awarded G.C.?

Bonus question:
There was another very famous Inazuma kohaku about this same time that still appears today on Hikari koi food packages. Can you provide info about this other famous inazuma kohaku. Owner, Breeder, why it never won a major prize, etc.

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•  AJSZNAGC_1967.jpg (6.78K)
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Edited by Ray Jordan, 30 May 2007 - 07:42 AM.

[Ray Jordan]

The Grand Champion of the 3rd All Japan ZNA show in 1968 was a 58 cm (22.9 in.) kohaku owned by Juko Koike. I do not know anything else about this koi. Does anyone know name of breeder or age of this koi?

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•  AJSZNAGC_1968.jpg (8.38K)
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[JR]

Good questions! This was the Okayama and Shimane chapters that hosted and put this on ( March of 67) and the owner of the GC was Osaki Katsuichi. Not sure if he was also the breeder? I say this because the judges were professional breeders and the rules in ZNA had not been passed yet to limit such activity. And many of the professionals coming up were still amateurs so it was a very different time. The beginning of a National association and the beginning of a professional side by side industry. Not unlike America in say the the 1970s? I competed again Ray Able, for instance, in an early Potomac ZNA show. He later became a professional and I reamined a hapless amateur!
Ray J. is correct in that the 1966 show was the first show and beginning of ZNA as a national organization. But to make things clearer and as accurate as possible, this national association become ZNA officially in 1968. In 1966 it was called Western Nippon Airinkai, so 1966 and 1967 were the 1st and 2nd shows of WNA. Since it was only a name change in 1968 to reflect that the western association was actually now a national Association, the two WNA shows were simply considered the first and second shows of ZNA.
But the western nishi-nippon Airinkai also has a region history dating back several more years and this why some very old ZNA chapters have shows , that based on the annual anniversiary numbers, pre-date the formation of both WNA and ZNA. JR

[dcny]

Great stuff guys.

JR, thanks for filling in that part of the history. Rinko just said the name changed but there was no explaination given as to why it was changed.

Also in Rinko, the 3rd show also named Nishi (Western) Nippon Airinkai. Perhaps it was because the show was held in March and the name change became official later in the year?

[koiboi31]

Ray,

Thanks for the post again great stuff. One question the Kohaku posted as the 2nd winner in post 6 is that right it doesn't look it to me.

Did you flip the picture as the pictures i've seen the inazuma pattern goes the other way.

Ref:- Takeo Kuroki "Manual to Nishikigoi"

[Ray Jordan]

Hi Greg,

The photo of the GC koi from the 2nd ZNA AJS in 1967 in post # 2 is correct and not flipped to my knowledge. It is close but it was not the famous inazuma kohaku that was owned by Dr. Kuroki. I was confused by this similarity myself for some time. A photo of the Inazuma kohaku that Dr. Kuroki owned is printed on the Hikari Koi food bags for many many years and it clearly was a different koi. Dr. Kuroki stated in a interview that his Inazuma kohaku lost it's hiban before winning any major prize. (note the bonus question in post #6)

[Ray Jordan]

Hi JR,
Glad to see you chime in as I know you have lots more indepth data about these shows than myself. When I 1st started looking at pulling this information together I found many riddles. Such as how could the 1st ZNA show be in 1966 when ZNA was not formed until 1968? You have explaned this very well in post # 7. I also found it confusing that there were two ZNA AJS in 1975. Lots of interesting details for koi history geeks. I am tyring to put all the information together like a giant puzzle. It is quite a rush to find a article in a old rinko or nicherin with a breeder or dealer or prominant japanese hobbyist that fills in a missing piece or two. Sometimes it will conflict with something I already thought I knew so have to continue looking for something to prove which is correct.

[Ray Jordan]

I am off to the Dallas Show early tomorrow so may not be back on line until Monday.

Here is the photo of the 4th ZNA AJS Grand Champion sanke. 1st Sanke to Win GC was 58 cm (22.9 in.) bred by Koda Fish Farm and owned by Takiichiro Hatsumura.

Questions of the Day:
Where was this show held in 1969?
How many koi were shown?
How old was this Sanke when it won?

Bonus question:
What are some significant differences you see looking at these early Champions from 40 years ago vs the recent Champions of Today?

Attached File(s)

•  AJSZNAGC_1969.jpg (9.31K)
  Number of downloads: 3

[stickdog]

Sorta off topic, I heard that the owner of Asahi koi in gardena Ca won a grand champ at the AJS in the early 70's and was disqualified do to not being a japaneese native/resident?. any one have info on this or a pic. of the koi? Asahi koi is a couple miles from my house and my dad used to take me there when i was small to look at the koi, little did i know 30 years later i'd be going back on a regular basis.


Dog

[showmeashowa]

Bonus question:
What are some significant differences you see looking at these early Champions from 40 years ago vs the recent Champions of Today?
[/quote]

Biggest difference? SIZE and Conformation. The koi of 40 years ago would not even be brought to the show today!

[moikoi]

are the early champions mostly females too?

[JR]

Good morning Moi, In these early days, the focus was much more about varieties and pattern. The concept of quality had also emerged as fish were reviewed at these early shows and some were quite special, albeit, not exactly like the standards that had been set up. So I'd look at 1966- 1973 as the era of the standard. And during this time, the breeders and amateurs begin to notice that although the varieties and their patterns were getting excellent, the size seemed to no longer reflect the power and strength of the wild carp. And as you know, when you see a great pattern on a larger frame it is most impressive. The female, being bigger than a male and carrying greater volume was the natural heir to this trend of thinking.
But to put this into perspective, there were many different categories of exhibitors and involvements at this time. The true breeder ( already a generation or two into it), hobby breeders, middle men who just grew or sold koi, middlemen who 'moved' koi to wealthy customers, very wealthy upper class businessmen hobbyists, other general hobbyists. This mix meant you had different levels of knowledge and understanding about things like conformation.

The trend for larger koi and fuller volume koi, with great skin and pattern, created the next level of rarity. And supply and demand once again corrected abuses taking place in the selling of koi. Most hobbyists became 'aware' of the difference between an excellent patterned male and a fine figured show female. The pattern, for the first time, became part of a subjective element in Judging. And jumbo gosanke became king , or better--- Queen, as elements of 'presence' , 'elegance' and 'imposing appearance' became part of the judging criteria. - JR

[Ray Jordan]

Dog,
Interesting question about Asahi Koi Shop in Gardena CA and AJS Grand Championship. Mits Nakamura moved from Japan to Hawaii and acquired one of the two orginal Kobayashi Showas. Remember the other was GC of 1st ZNA show. Mits was invited to bring his kobayashi showa back to Japan in 1968 to compete in the 1st Shinkokai AJS. Mits Kobayashi showa was awarded Grand Champion at the show and the Grand Champion Flag is still displayed in the Asahi Koi Shop in Gardena I beleive. Anyway politics etc. came into play after the show and another koi was later recognized as GC.

There are actually three organizations/shows that have the title All Japan Show in their name. Can anyone name all three shows and the organizations that sponosor them?

Maybe we can revisit the Mits Nakamura Showa if decide we want to start a thread on the Shinkokai shows at a later time.

[Ray Jordan]

The 5th ZNA All Japan Show was held in 1970 with 1,296 koi entered. Grand Champion was a 60 cm female Sanke bred by Miyaishi Koi Farm and owned by Kiichi Iwasaki. This was the 1st time a ZNA GC koi broke through the 60cm mark.

Todays questions:
What was the name given to this sanke?
What was the age of this sanke?

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•  ZNAAJSGC_1970.jpg (174.82K)
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[dcny]

Ray Jordan, on Jun 4 2007, 07:26 AM, said:

Dog,
Interesting question about Asahi Koi Shop in Gardena CA and AJS Grand Championship. Mits Nakamura moved from Japan to Hawaii and acquired one of the two orginal Kobayashi Showas. Remember the other was GC of 1st ZNA show. Mits was invited to bring his kobayashi showa back to Japan in 1968 to compete in the 1st Shinkokai AJS. Mits Kobayashi showa was awarded Grand Champion at the show and the Grand Champion Flag is still displayed in the Asahi Koi Shop in Gardena I beleive. Anyway politics etc. came into play after the show and another koi was later recognized as GC.

There are actually three organizations/shows that have the title All Japan Show in their name. Can anyone name all three shows and the organizations that sponosor them?

Maybe we can revisit the Mits Nakamura Showa if decide we want to start a thread on the Shinkokai shows at a later time.

great stuff!!!


Regarding the 4th ZNA show from post #13, it was held at the city aquarium in Nagasaki. There were 1148 koi shown.


I don't have any information about the 5th show.