My Koi Kichi

The word “Tategoi” can loosely refer to any Nishikigoi with good potential in the future and very often the word means hefty price tag as well. It goes without saying the same word has been misused by many in the business to sell expensive “promises” which often remain unfulfilled. So it’s easy to sell promises if one do not have to provide any guarantee, but this is about to take a turn for good with Marujin Koi Farm.

Introducing Marujin Koi Farm

Hiroshi Toyama from INPC  conducted an interview with Mr. Shigesada Sato who owns the Marujin Koi Farm. To put it right, Marujin isn’t really a koi farm because they don’t spawn and breed koi. But Mr Sato has been long enough in the koi export business and working with breeders to spot Tategoi in any pond.

In July 2010, he started a new business model of providing Tategoi with money-back guarantee. The following is the run-down of the interview.

The Interview

Hiroshi Toyama (HT): You are saying that if the koi that you sold didn’t become  beautiful as customers expected, you refund the purchase price. Is it possible to run such a business in reality?

Mr. Shigesada Sato (SS): I believe so. Nishikigoi is regarded as an art by its beauty; however, there is a difference between general art forms and Nishikigoi in one point, which koi are living organisms. For instance, Gogh, the famous painter, his paintings have been keeping in a condition and attract many people over the centuries. On the contrary, Nishikigoi will change its appearance during its growth and is followed by death. Nishikigoi is not something last for long, which is, however, part of the beauty and attraction of owning Nisihkigoi.

HT: I think this is a wonderful idea for buyers, but as you said, there is no security in choosing Nishikigoi. It seems difficult to run the business without confidence. Are you confident doing it? And, how do you start the full money back guarantee service?

SS: In short, I’m going to sell Nishikigoi that can grow bigger and keep a good condition for a long time. It’s generally said “tategoi sales”, but it’s with the full refund. Thus, customers buy Nishikigoi abd have them raised in mud ponds till ikeage in autumn. After the ikeage, if the customers aren’t satisfied with the Nishikigoi’s quality, they can get money back.

HT: Even if the Nishikigoi is in a good condition, your customers said they weren’t satisfied with the result. Are you going to refund the money?

SS: Yes. Of course, when the ikeage comes, I offer my thoughts on the result as a Nishikigoi professional, however if a customer can’t take the result, I won’t try to persuade them to buy the Nishikigoi. More importantly, I respect what the customers want so that no matter what reason it may be, I will refund the money paid. Furthermore, if customers requested that they want to keep their Nishikigoi in mud ponds for one more year, I will listen to the customer’s opinion and advise them with the best possible way that I can come up with my knowledge and experience depending on the Nishikigoi’s characteristics. Occasionally, it needs to keep them in concrete ponds. Also, if I find out the Nishikigoi will not develop any better, I will tell my customers the truth.

HT: So, you will highlight the good and bad of results for your customers. It sounds good for customers to have opportunities to listen to the professional’s opinion, but is it hard for them to come to their own decision without enough Nishikigoi knowledge?

SS: Not at all. I’ve said “full money back guarantee”, but it doesn’t mean I have 100% confidence predicting every Nishikigoi’s potential. As a Nishikigoi expert, I tell my opinion to my customers, and it is better that my customers speak out their opinion as well. Customers might come to a right decision by themselves in some cases.

This business is a kind of my challenge that tests my skills of finding distinguished characteristic, capability, and potential in Nishikigoi. I also focus on raising Nishikigoi that can be appreciated for a long time. I think it would be great that I can recognize my skills through customer’s evaluations on Marujin. And, I’ll be glad that the customers are interested in and agree with what I’m doing.

HT: If one of the customers give up on purchasing koi, are you going to sell the koi with full money back guarantee again?

SS: Yes. I don’t select any Nishikigoi that I will dispose. I disclose every koi I selected and their growing process from the beginning to the end on my website, regardless of how good or bad the result is. Not to mention, I cannot be 100% right all the time, so if I’m wrong, I truly express my apology for picking out a wrong koi.

Meanwhile, I will sell non-guaranteed tategoi at Marujin as well, but the way of approaching customers is the same, which I offer my opinion and listen to the customer with respect. Speaking of tategoi, most of the time, they are not beautiful when they are young. Therefore, I will understand if customers are hesitating to buy koi despite the guaranteed sale. I aim to pick out and find a koi which matches their taste so I hope people come and visit Marujin to look for koi for once.

HT: I see. It is common to introduce the history of famous and beautiful Nishikigoi, tracing back the good result while your website is reversed. It seems new idea that you constantly update the fresh information of the Nishikigoi’s conditions on online. Speaking of which, what kind of variety do you mainly cover at Marujin?

SS: I only sell Nishikigoi that I understood its characteristic well, so I keep them at least a year. Most of koi are Gosanke and there are some other kinds I stock in my pond. I offer my customers the koi that is easy to predict the future of the Nishikigoi. You might see what I like through my choices. I don’t select funky koi that only experts would be interested in, but I personally enjoy unique koi.

HT: When I was invited Nishikigoi event in the U.S., A koi hobbyist told me that breeders don’t sell tategoi because tategoi would fetch a higher price later, so it is impossible to find real tategoi in a market. I feel that the general meaning of tategoi become fuzzy nowadays. What is your definition of tategoi?

SS: In general, the meaning of “tategoi” has been changed over time. It’s regarded as Nishikigoi that would fetch a higher price in next year. For instance, breeders retain expected 2-year-old tategoi and wait for them to develop their capabilities till at the age of 3 or 4. It is true that breeder call the developing Nishikigoi tategoi. In the case, it is natural for koi hobbyists to think tategoi cannot be found in a market. However, in human nature, breeders can sometimes meet some customers who breeders are willing to sell their good tategoi. Thus, I doubt there is no tategoi in a market.

Well, my definition of tategoi is a koi changing its size and appearance during growth and reaching its peak over the age of 8. Later the peak comes better the koi will be.

HT: There are many Nishikigoi breeders in Niigata. Except oyagoi, why can’t we find 8-year-old Nishikigoi?

SS: It is difficult to find over 8-year-old Nishikigoi anyway in Japan. I suppose that breeders nationally start breeding jumbo Nishikigoi.

HT: Why is jumbo koi breeding relevant to the previous question?

SS: Jumbo koi mature early so hobbyist cannot enjoy jumbo koi for a long time. Jumbo koi have been bred for more than 10 years in Nishikigoi industry but at the beginning of the jumbo koi trend, there are koi older than 8 years. It’s even said 15 years ago that a Nishikigoi shows its potential at the age of4. At that time, Nishikigoi sized about 60cm long when they were 4 years old.

HT: So, were 4- year-old koi that reached its peak regarded as wase (koi matured early)?

SS: Yes. 4^th year of koi was a turning point in terms of the body structure. If the koi cannot develop its potential during 4 years old, the koi considered as wase.

HT: It’s really different from now. There are even tosai that hit its peak…

SS: Well, there were also tosai that reached its peak at that time. However, the small but beautiful koi were sold for the hobbyists who didn’t have enough space to keep big koi. They are still marketable today.

HT: Are you against breeding jumbo koi?

SS: No, not at all. There are positive points on jumbo koi. Jumbo koi is easy to distinguish the gender and the bigger and younger koi have more chance to win at koi shows. However, since jumbo koi mature early, I worry that the owner cannot appreciate the koi for a long time. I don’t want my customers to feel losing money for what they got. It is not good for Nishikigoi industry as well. The hobbyists today, they don’t buy large koi, and young koi are expensive. I think hobbyists know large koi won’t be improved anymore. For instance, purchasing 4 koi that bred by a famous breeder at a price of \5,000,000 for each seems more efficient than purchasing old koi at a price of \20,000,000. But then, I wonder why jumbo koi haven’t won a grand champion yet for 10 years.

HT: So, you are not going to breed jumbo koi at Marujin?

SS: To be honest, I have jumbo koi. If they are still young, they can get back to be normal by applying the ordinal feeding procedure. But when I do it, I’m not nice to the koi!

HT: Why have you decided not to disclose breeders’ name and Nishikigoi’s age?

SS: It is because I want my customers to look at koi itself without prejudice. I’m not interested in the idea of Nishikigoi’s size relevant to its age. Foregoers in Nishikigoi   industry including my mentor said koi never stop growing its size unless they die. More importantly, be patient and wait for the koi to grow bigger and bigger. In spite of high-class tategoi, they have different growing rate depending on the year.

HT: It seems that you neglect the current trend.

SS: Ultimately, you may think that way, but for me I’m just doing my mentor and the foregoers taught me. Now, I mainly export Nishikigoi but I’m starting the business, “Tategoi no Marujin”. I have been trained my Nishikigoi skill because I was happy to be told, “give me your koi” by breeders.

HT: Thank you very much for your time. We are looking forward to seeing hour koi soon.

SS: Thank you.

More Information

For more information on Marujin’s Full Money-Back Guarantee Tategoi programme, please visit their website at http://www.marujinkoifarm.com/