In the lead up to the All Japan Show 2025, I was nattering to Steve Rollins about his potential plans for the trip, which ultimately led to him spending some time in Japan with Rob Whittell and I. Steve is a hobbyist based in Essex and also happens to be the Chairman of the Crouch Valley Koi Section.
Via our messages, I learned he had a koi going to the AJKS - an Asagi that would be entered into the 75Bu category. For reference, Bu indicates the size category that koi are divided into when competing at shows in Japan. A common mistake is to confuse Bu with centimetres. The number in front of Bu indicates the maximum size allowed in that size category. For example, a koi classified as 75Bu is larger than 70cm and smaller than 75cm. However, this does not apply to 95Bu, which refers to any koi larger than 90cm. But I digress…
Catching up with Steve at the show, I heard more about how he came to be exhibiting the fish - it wasn’t a straightforward journey. Steve previously had some success with showing in Japan. A Sanke he owned took second and third at the International Koi Show and the All Japan Young Koi Show. It was a koi he selected on his first trip to Japan in 2017. The success with the Sanke kindled his interest in showing at the largest koi stage - The All Japan Koi Show (AJKS).
While these thoughts sat on the back burner, Steve attended the AJKS in 2019, and bumped into another UK hobbyist, Lee Manning, who had a cracking Shiro Utsuri in the show. Funnily enough, it’s the same Shiro I featured in the development article in Volume Three - a lovely koi! Steve and Lee were admiring her and flicking through pictures on Lee’s phone of how the koi looked when he purchased her. Two years of Azukari development had gone into the koi under the watchful eye of Omosako Koi Farm. Steve told me how this inspired him - he liked the idea of using his skills to select something that could develop into a koi worthy of being placed at the AJKS before being shipped home. He preferred this to selecting something that was a “ready-made” contender as he felt such a koi might be too finished to have a show life when back on home soil.
So, my next question was - why an Asagi? I mean, I have nothing against them, but it was an unusual choice. Steve explained he had previously owned an 80cm Asagi that took the Best Non Go Sanke Award at the All England Show in 2019 and 2021. It tweaked my memory as I remember shooting the award photo. Steve likes to think the koi may have done the triple had there been a show in 2020 - but we’ll never know as the pandemic robbed us of the event that year. Keep dreaming, Steve!
After the win in 2021, Steve was approached and asked to sell the koi, and (after deliberation) he decided that perhaps he’d taken her as far as he could and maybe it was time to replace her. He accepted the offer and gave her a loving new home.
In November 2022, on an Autumn Buying trip to Japan with Deron Simons (Select Nishikigoi) Steve’s main goal was to replace his Asagi. Deron had set time aside to visit every good Asagi breeder. Koi were bowled at numerous farms, and Taro Kataoka (Oya Koi Farm) even took them to a tucked away koi house with his tategoi - but nothing quite hit the mark. Steve seems a hard man to please!
Things appeared utterly hopeless until they visited Yamaju Koi Farm. Steve said as soon as he looked into the main pond, a Nisai Asagi with stunning skin quality leapt out at him. Wham! And so the games began…
The breeder was asked to net some Asagi, and he obliged, placing some lovely specimens in the bowl, but not the one Steve had his eye on. When asked, the breeder said he thought that particular Asagi was going to auction and would need to check with his son (who now ran the farm). Shortly after, the son arrived and confirmed the koi was indeed available, so it joined the others in the bowl. Then came the downside - the price. Reality smacks hard sometimes!
Steve couldn’t commit, so they reached an arrangement whereby the koi was reserved for a couple of days. As it so happens, later that day, another Asagi was found (this time a sansai). Whilst it was not the same level as the example seen at Yamaju Koi Farm, the quality was still high, with a different style, and because it was less money, it left room in the budget to make other purchases. It seemed a no-brainer, so Steve made the deal and waved goodbye to the Asagi at Yamaju and the thought of competing at the AJKS.
However, when Steve returned home and saw all the koi being entered into the AJKS in the new year, the Asagi at Yamaju started eating away at him. What if he could buy a koi good enough to develop into something worthy of the AJKS? Discussions were had about the koi’s availability and prospects, and a deal was done (to cut a long story short). The Asagi at Yamaju now belonged to Steve - although he had to set about selling some of his existing koi in the UK to pay for her - oops!
In the autumn (2023), the koi had grown significantly from 55cm to 71cm. She had kept her skin quality, and the Kado Gin (that enhanced the koi’s appeal) was still shining. However, the breeder advised that whilst he felt she was of AJKS level, he thought the blue base colour was too light to be seriously competitive. It was agreed she would not compete in January 2024, so she spent another year in the mud pond.
When harvested in autumn 2024, she had only grown 3.5cm, and although this may seem disappointing, she had continued to improve in quality terms, and the breeder said she was now good to exhibit at a koi show. The initial plan was to tackle the Niigata Nogyosai to test her qualities, but unfortunately, the entry cut-off was missed - so the team decided to bite the bullet and send her straight to the AJKS.
At the AJKS in 2025, she was the only koi entered from the farm and was placed in a vat on her own. It’s not a cheap exercise, but it meant she had plenty of water to herself! I didn’t see her arrive, but Steve was waiting by her vat and informed me she looked in good shape as she came out of the bag, and her skin and Kado Gin shone well under the hall lights. However, she had stiff competition - Steve had spotted another koi he felt would beat her.
When most of the koi had arrived, our travel party decided to wander between the vats to gauge her chances. The consensus was that Steve’s koi had the best skin, but her top competition had a fuller body and deeper colour - what was it the breeder said the previous year about her being too light? Steve was a little nervous!
Ultimately, the other Asagi took first prize, and Steve’s was Runner Up - which (whilst no mean feat) left him feeling a little disappointed. We discovered the next day the winner had been exhibited and prepared (on the owner’s behalf) by Ryuki Narita (Narita Koi Farm). There’s no denying that Ryuki’s ability to prepare koi for shows is world-class, and the Asagi was stunning.
Steve was a little more positive as we spoke during our travels around Hiroshima after the show. After all, he had at least achieved his goal. He found a younger koi with potential. It developed well over a few years and became a contender at the AJKS. We also reminded him that he’d spotted this koi with his own two eyes whilst treading the rickety boards in Japan - not bad by any standard!
So what now for the Asagi? After the show, she travelled back to the farm to recuperate, and in spring (when Deron goes out to Japan), she will be assessed and a decision made whether to ship her or leave her at the farm for another summer of Azukari. Whatever the outcome, perhaps one day she will make it to a show vat in the UK and complete the full story. Yeah, I think that would be a nice ending.
Or maybe she goes back to the AJKS first for a rematch!
This short article was taken from our March Monthly News, if you'd like to read more articles and discover what's going on in the UK Koi Trade follow the link below. https://www.worldofnishikigoi.com/march If you love koi content and you're looking for a high-quality printed koi magazine - look no further! Hit the link to purchase yours today! https://www.worldofnishikigoi.com/shop
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