Photos courtesy of Nancy Moore & Pan Intercorp
“Grow-A-Showa – The tale of an Omosako Grow Out Competition for Northwest Koi Club Hobbyists Who Want To Get Their Feet Wet With Quality Nishikigoi Supplied By Pan Intercorp And Simultaneously Learn About Tategoi Development Over The Next Year.”
On a warm May afternoon at Pan Intercorp, members of the Washington Koi & Watergarden Society and other northwest koi clubs gathered around 35 bags, each containing a yearling koi and possibly the dream of becoming a champion. This was the kickoff of what will become a yearly Nishikigoi grow out competition, during which members of northwest koi clubs will have the opportunity to take home a Tategoi, a koi that hasn’t yet reached it’s full potential. The next year will be spent growing and watching development of the koi, after which they will be brought back for the 2014 Nozomi Young Koi Show to compete for awards like “Best Growth”, “Biggest Change” and “Best Overall”.
For the first year of this grow out, participants drew numbers out of a hat to select their very own Omosako Showa Sanshoku. Pan Intercorp chose to import a select number of yearling Omosako Showa for the grow out because of the great potential seen during this winter’s buying trip to Japan.