1983. Miyajima Koi farm – based near Uozo city in Toyama.
I have only visited this coastal outlet twice as it is a long road drive away from Nagaoka.
Toshiaki Miyajima runs this outlet single-handedly and produces Go-Sanke together with some of the very best Yamabuki Ogon I have ever seen in all of my travels.
Upon meeting him for the first time, his white, flowing beard and moustache reminds one more of a Chinese warlord rather than a Nishikigoi breeder!
He has a relatively small area of mud pond space which comprise of a series of ponds carved into the side of a small mountain totalling some 30,000 square metres. In view of available growing space he usually only has stocks up to sansai, his larger Koi are parents or very special tategoi.
It was at this farm I saw the use of controlled pure oxygen diffusion for the first time which significantly allowed greater stocking rates in a given body of water. This was later adopted by SFF in Hiroshima.
If you do require a very special sansai Yamabuki during October/November, it may be worthwhile to make the effort of paying a visit to this farm.
My first impressions were ‘isolated but dedicated’.
