Breeder info Feb 08 - Peter Waddington
(copyright Peter Waddington/Tategoi-koi Feb 2008)
Tsuyoshi Kamakami is one heck of a nice young man who was well-trained by his late father in the expertise of breeding Nishikigoi. Tsuyoshi also speaks very, very, good English.
Torazo is a difficult Koi farm to accept and understand because it is based in ‘URAGARA’ village, just outside of Yamakoshi, but the business is named as ‘URAKAWA’ – very confusing! To add further confusion, the owner of the business is named as ‘Kawakami’ – but everyone, the world over, knows Tsuyoshi as ‘TORAZO’ – this is difficult to get one’s head around all these names! (There is also another large Koi breeder close by also named ‘Kawakami’ – which is no relation to him at all!). It also states in the English language from one of his building doors as – ‘TORAZO, - SINCE 1917’ and that is a long time ago – I think it was the second only Koi farm to open in Yamakoshi to Izumiya!
Tsuyoshi, and his family were given the surname (‘Torazo’) in the late 1960’s when his Sanke were likened to tigers. (‘Torazo’, in Japanese, also translates as ‘Tiger’!).
I have spent many happy days and evenings with Tsuyoshi’s late father Hiroshi, who was such a wonderful man whom I respected deeply and also who introduced me to many other Koi breeders in Yamakoshi and the surrounding areas – notably both Izumya; and Mitsuo Hasegawa in 1982. His (Mitsuo’s) daughter Yuko Hasegawa came to the UK to stay with us some years ago – she was wonderful, and it was a real pleasure to look after her!
Tsuyoshi now breeds Sanke from Matsunosuke parents and not Torazo parents any more but he also breeds Kohaku from Dainichi and Murata lines as well as Showa from Takeda, in Hiroshima, lines.
I was very saddened when Hiroshi died some years ago in a serious car accident in Ojiya and duly conveyed my deepest regrets on my next return visit to Tsuyoshi who shook my hand and thanked me for my concern.
The Torazo Koi farm is ALWAYS worth a visit even if it is only to exchange handshakes and discuss the Koi business, he is also a VERY honest man – please DO remember this.
Torazo is a very famous and very traditional Koi farm with regular customers from most parts of Japan and many overseas countries. On my first visit to Japan in 1971 I bought by very first Niigata Koi from Torazo.
It is said that Chuzo Kawakami started the business in 1910; Torakichi Kawakami started Sanke production in the mid 1920’s; along came Hiroshi Kawakami in the mid 1950’s and stabilised the Torazo Sanke bloodline and today it is now run by Tsuyoshi Kawakami who is injecting ‘new blood’ to the traditional Torazo lines.
His mud pond raising areas are 40,000 square metres.
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