Dainichi - Koiphen Breeder Seminar I

[Brian Drake]

Great stuff Carl!

[Fishbreeder]

I have had a long and close relationship with the Mano family.

I met Minoru Mano (founder) in '92 when traveling through Niigata with Bob Spindola, buying my first (real) breeding stock. It was a short visit and I was also introduced to a Mr. Izumiya, presented to me as Manosan's sensei.

For the next coupla years I didn't think about Dainichi much. I bred the fish I got, worked a lot with Mr. Suda and his family in the early years. Apparently word of my project got around Japan.

Late one night my wife comes to me with the phone, telling me "its somebody from Japan." It was a high ranking ZNA koi judge's daughter calling me, serving as interpreter for her father. Her father asks (through his daughter) if it would be OK with me if a young son of the Mano's could come and live in Houston. Of course I had no objection and I was confounded as to why the call?

I called Goforth the next day and told him about the call. He was not surprised. He explained to me that no Japanese koi breeder would be so forward as to place his adult child in another's back yard without first asking permission. He went on to say that the call meant that I had earned the respect of the Japanese koi breeding community and that it was a great honor. Thus began my long term relationship with Dainichi.

Soon after Shigeru Mano came to live with the Goforths and attend U of H. During his stay I met his brothers and his mother. He now returns each spring to visit, bring me breeding stock, and bring a few of his fish for me to sell.

Shigeru is soft spoken, not as shy as he used to be, and knows more about koi than anybody I ever met (maybe outside his dad). He is a master at matching the fish to the customer, somehow figuring what it is the customer is searching for, then helping the customer make the proper acquisition. He has an excellent command of the English language and communicates well with his English speaking customers.

Shigeru will be coming to visit next month and he will be bringing me a new brood fish (kohaku) as well as a group of gin-U-wine Dainichi tosai.

With thier latest big win in Japan, thier fish have come into very high demand. The sons have proven that the fruit did not fall far from the tree.

The Dainichi facility is tested monthly for several virus' by the Japanese government and has never been infected with KHV, SVC, or any of the other deadly viral pathogens. They had good biosecurity in place prior to the problems coming to the forefront.

The Manos are true salt of the Earth people, real dirt farmers that grew into koi breeding from farming rice and fish. This is the traditional koi breeder model we all want to believe in. Very unlike the more usual model where the breeder makes a fortune at something else then becomes a "gentleman farmer" breeding koi like gentlemen farmers breed racehorses here in the US.

For those of us that have been in the hobby (or business) for many years, the name "Dainichi" evokes thoughts of quality, grace, beauty, and the pinnacle of koi breeding.

Brett

[Carl]

Does anybody know the names of each of Mano's sons and their respective responsibilites at Dainichi Koi Farms?

[Rudy]

!0/2005 @ 16"

Rudy

[Gene]

I'm glad Brett posted to this thread.

I first heard about Dainichi through the president of a koi club that is no longer active. That was in 1996. I bought my first Dainichi tosai in 1997 and still have 15 of those. Most of the others are still happily living in hobbyist ponds. A couple are using the Dainichi koi they bought from me as brood stock and report they are doing very well.

Later in '97 I bought and read "Koi Kichi" by Peter Waddington. Minoru Mano was a real inspiration to me since he did not descend from a long line of koi breeders, but started the Dainichi Koi Farm as a young man. He went on to become the top koi breeder in Japan before his untimely death in the fall of 1998.

I’ve since learned more about the Mano family from Brett and others.

[dick benbow]

Brett,
thank-you! I know your busy but also knew of everyone I know that this was a special relationship between you two......no one better to share about it!

[Bob Winkler]

Great posts!!! I love Dianichi Showa especially. This is a koi of ours I have posted b4, but Harley is one of our all time favorites..

ack.. I do not seem to have permission to post pix anymore

[Carl]

Great posts!!! I love Dianichi Showa especially. This is a koi of ours I have posted b4, but Harley is one of our all time favorites..

ack.. I do not seem to have permission to post pix anymore

I'll see what's going on. It has been an intermittent problem.

[Carl]

Bob -

I have got a message iinto Justin regarding the problem. In the meantime, feel free to tell us what you think are the distinguishing characteristics of the Dainichi showa line.

[Charles Pearson]

Brian

Didn't this facility suffer significant damage during the earthquake?

These are images I shot one a a half years ago. Notice the top step of the stairs and you can see that the house is lifting up a foot or more. Sliding down the hill.. Was told that they plan to take this historic house apart board by board and rebuild.

[Charles Pearson]

Another image.

[koiross]

hope this works.... ok I'm done still dosen't work

[Carl]

hope this works

Don't say last time! Justin is going to try to fix this glitch, hopefully after hours tonight.

[savannahrobinson]

This photo was taken in 2005. She's bigger now.
When the photo was taken, we had pulled her out of the pond just a day or two before the show - so her nose is stained with algae. After the show, while we had her in clear water in quarantine, the nose turned white again.

She isn't the best fish Dainichi has ever produced - I really think that would be THE inazuma showa - but she makes me sing.

The companion showa in this photo is "Torch" - who is a Brett Rowley breeding from Dainichi parents.

[Bob Winkler]

Purty Sav

[Dr J I Phillips]

A local dealer imported some tossai last year. At the end of May they were in QT and available for viewing. I liked this kohaku. The shape seemed good, the white was good and the red seemed strong. Being Dainichi, it was a alittle more expensive than some of the other tossai on offer. KHV tests were all negative. It had a little fin damage.
I took it home to my own QT and all went well. No parasites. After 4 weeks at permissible temperatures with a few naive Koi it was ready for the big pond.
Follow up to follow.

[Charles Pearson]

Great posts!!! I love Dianichi Showa especially. This is a koi of ours I have posted b4, but Harley is one of our all time favorites..

ack.. I do not seem to have permission to post pix anymore

Hey Bro, Keep try'in!! dying to see what you got.

(you going to the Southern Calif. ZNA this weekend?)

[Gazkoi]

Well her is my little Showa hope you like her:

[vipldy]

She is very pretty!

Marie

[Carl]

I am going to be moving this to the library soon. I will continue to add information as I acquire it, but the seminar has run its course.

I am going to try to start another one this weekend.

Thank you for your participation.