A Tateshita koi with jumbo potential – dream or reality?

Firstly, please accept my apology for “missing in action” last week. I was traveling with my family and I had very little Internet access. As much as I can, I will try to write at least once a week.

So what is a Tateshita? It is a koi that doesn’t quite make it to the ultimate grade often referred to as the Tategoi by the breeders. Tategoi are koi deemed with a lot of potentials and are usually kept by breeders for another season to grow in the mud pond and sell as nisai the next year.  Tategoi can be obtained at tosai aged but one must prepare to pay a premium price such as those in koi auctions.

So does that make koi with no potential as the Tateshita? Yes and no. These koi are generally exported in bulk to various dealers in many countries. Most of them are referred as the general grade koi even though some dealers will subject them to further grading at their facilities in order to fetch better price for the more decent ones. Breeders do not have a lot of spaces to grow tosai, therefore “a few” good ones may slip into the Tateshita group especially when the dealer bought the whole pond.

I bowled my collection last month for measurement as I like to keep track of the growth of my koi. I’d like to share the following general grade Showa from Sakai farm which I picked up from a local dealer back in 2008.

Bought at 20cm, May 2008

50cm @ Jan 2009 (typo mistake in photo)

59cm @ Aug 2009

66cm @ Apr 2010

70cm @ Aug 2010

Will this Showa reach the jumbo status (>80cm) in the future? I am not sure but I am hopeful. I do not know the real age of this Showa (as it doesn’t come with a cert nor any information) but if it was a tosai in May 2008 then it is entering its fourth year (Ake Yonsai) now and it is still growing albeit more slowly at this age. Though it is one of the shy eater in my pond, it is one of the bigger ones.

I haven’t been long enough in the hobby to be able to raise a jumbo from Tateshita tosai, but I have have some friends who have achieved it. So can we grow jumbos from Tateshita or the lower grade koi? I believe the answer is YES, it is certainly possible but it depends on many factors (which I will leave for future discussion) and a bit of luck of course.

Do tell me your story and experience in raising jumbos from tosai.