The book and the team behind it
Perhaps, it is not surprising to expect plenty of Japanese Nishikigoi books in Japan but not many have been translated and be made available in markets outside of Japan. One rare exception is the Nishikigoi Mondo, it was published in 2008 for the Japanese market and was translated into English for export in 2009. If such rarity doesn’t get your attention, the co-author named Shuji Fujita (Editor in chief of “Rinko” magazine) should do the trick. If that is still not enough, it boosts a 18-man team of editorial supervisors from across the koi industry in Japan and this includes big names like Senichi Mano (Izumiya Farm), Yoshimichi Sakai (Sakai Fish Farm), Hajime Isa (Isa Koi Farm) and many more.
The content
The book is written in Questions and Answers format making it easier to read for those who are not into reading so much. It has 12 chapters covering topics of just about everything you need to know about Nishikigoi. Each chapter is edited by one or two authoritative experts in the topic being discussed. Plenty of nice pictures and photos of koi in the pages, as usual. Take a look at the table of contents below.
(My apology for the poor quality of photos taken)
Comparing it to others
I have a decent collection of koi books in my personal library. I have the well-known Kokugyo I and II by Kodama-san and the highly recommended Koi Kichi 2 by Peter Waddington. Plus a few other less famous ones from the book stores. While they are all very good, Nishigikoi Mondo is uniquely good. I find that its coverage really comprehensive and its “straight-to-the-point” Q&A format makes it really easy to read. For those who are interested in the history, there are topics that discuss that and the gene tree of various varieties. There are also topics which are very relevant to today’s koi keeping practices such as koi breeding, water management, koi medication, etc. If you are curious about how koi are bred, there are discussions about that too.
My verdict
Nishikigoi Mondo is an excellent book to own even if you already have many other books. The contents came from people who are “in it” in Japan everyday and what’s better than learning from the people who live and breath koi for generations in Japan?
Where to buy it?
Visit INPC website for information or if you are in Malaysia, you can get them from major koi dealers in Kuala Lumpur.
Some great factors in that article. Encouraging to see info in fact deserving of browsing. Hold up the endeavours