Breeder info Feb 08 - Peter Waddington
(copyright Peter Waddington/Tategoi-koi Feb 2008)
This man lives very close to Ojiya and has an elder brother who trades even closer to Ojiya. Hiroi Seiji has one of the finest eyes for Nishikigoi that I have ever seen. In short he is a true master of Nishikigoi (again, in my eyes!)
He does not breed Nishikigoi as such, but instead, buys wonderful Tategoi from other breeders in Japan and grows them into larger sizes.
When I first met him, I thought his looks would win him an actor’s role in a ‘Holywood Mafia movie’. I have been visiting him since 1982 when I took Ian Stewardson to Japan for the first time. Ian bought a Doitsu Kujaku from Hiroi Seiji – he sold it to Ian and (Hiro San) urged him to enter it intothe forthcoming ‘No-Gyo-Sai’ Koi show to be staged shortly, and he agreed to do so. THE KOI WON ‘HIKARIMOYO CLASS’ OUTRIGHT IN SIZE SIX – no problem!
Hiroi Seiji has won me more Nyo-Go-Sai Koi shows in Ojiya than you would dare to shake a stick at! He is a Tategoi expert, once again, (in my own eyes!)
He also has a photographic memory for any worthwhile tategoi which he has seen at other breeders. They seem to jog his memory when they have been harvested and returned to their concrete ponds.
He is also a very proud promoter of Niigata Koi which he states are still the very best in the world.
He buys his tategoi during October and November from breeders such as Torazo, Dainichi, Yamamatsu, Hasegawa, Marudo and others. These are usually two years old (nissai), or three years old (sansai), which he then grows in his own mud ponds to ‘jumbo’ sizes.
His stocks are mainly Go-Sanke but there can be found some rarer varieties from time to time. A few years ago I saw a 95cm Shiro Utsuri there which was bred by Omosake which was amazing.
As to his jumbo Koi, if you visit this outlet in October or November you will be amazed at the sheer numbers and sizes of these world class Nishikigoi.
I have often watched this man at work at other breeders selecting his tategoi once at Hasegawa he was squatting down on the pondside gazing into a pond containing many, many nissai. Aeration was turned up to maximum and 0.5ppm salt was added which clouded the water. He looked in the pond for no more than three minutes and then asked Hasegawa-San to pass him a net. Within three more minutes he had three nissai in a bowl and knelt down to inspect them more closely. A minute or so later one was replaced in the pond, the other two were placed into a vinyl bag and off Hiroi Seiji went to transport them home.
No wonder this outlet is named ‘KOKUGYOKAN’ which translates as ‘HOUSE OF CHAMPIONS’.
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