The recent 2016 Philippine National Koi Show (PNKS) held at Tiendesitas in Pasig City is the biggest so far in four years. It showcased over 600 entries from hobbyists all over the country, and these were housed in 80 vats.
A tosai grow-out side competition was introduced this year with the participation of different dealers.
A total of 75 winners were chosen by a team of seven judges, six of whom are considered masters of koi from Japan: Toshio Sakai (Matsunosuke Isawa Nishikigoi Center), Hisato Nogami (Nogami Koi Farm), Futoshi Mano (Dainichi Koi Farm), Mitsunori Isa (Isa Koi Farm), Masahito Kataoka (Oya Koi Farm), and Takehiro Furuya.
The Grand Champion of the show was an 81-centimeter (cm) Marudo-bred Sanke while Grand Champion B was handed to a monstrous 102-cm Chagoi, the biggest koi ever recorded in the country by far.
“The quality of koi in the PNKS keeps getting better each year. It is becoming more and more difficult to judge. We are already looking forward to next year,” declared judge Futoshi Mano.
This story appeared in Animal Scene’s May 2016 issue.
