SAKAI AND MOMOTARO 2012 AUTUMN AUCTIONS

DAY 1.

Sally and I arrived in Fukuoka on Tuesday the 2nd of October. After a smooth shinkanzen trip to Hiroshima, we had some supper and caught the bus to the Airport Hotel.
The next morning we boarded the bus to Sakai's Autumn Open Sales. This year is my 8th Sakai Autumn Auction and there were more dealers attending the Sales than I have seen in previous years.

At the Open Sales the koi are graded into seperate vats/ponds with a price per koi attached to the pond. Before the Open Sales begin the dealers all draw a group number out of a hat.The dealers in group 1 are allowed to go first and select a koi of their choice. Once they are done group 2 goes in, then group 3 etc. To help manage the groups this year, each group member got issued a matching coloured cap with the group number on it.

After each group has selected a couple of times, Kentaro announces a "free for all". All chosen koi are photographed and put into individual dealer's ponds.

When selection quietens down Kentaro drops the prices a couple of times until everyone stops choosing.


DAY 2

After the traditional banquet there were a few tired eyes at the Auction.

The Auction is fairly straight forward with the koi being wheeled up through the rows of dealers and Kentaro calling out the bids with the numbers coming up on a screen to help us non-Japanese.

Each dealer is issued a wooden rice spoon to bid with - each year you get issed the same number.

 

Should you be fortunate to win the bid on a koi then your koi is photographed with the koi's certificate and your bidding number.

The last koi to be auctioned is the most valuble and there is always a lot of anticipation as to the price it will go for.

 

 

Straight after the Auction we were met by Daisuke and taken up to Okayama to attend the Momotaro Auction the next day.

DAY 3 :MOMOTARO AUCTION

After hearing so much about Momotaro over the years, I was very interested to see his farm and of course, the koi - especially his Mako Showas.

I found the farm a little different in terms of their techniques in raising koi and their approach to dealers/customers. They are more reliant on the use of big concrete ponds for raising. Of course their bakki showers are everywhere and they turn the water over in the ponds very quickly - I will go more into this during my November "diaries".

The Auction had less dealers than Sakai, but all the big dealers were present + a few extra Chinese dealers (they are the new "spenders"). The proceedures were much the same as Sakai.

Daisuke doing the bidding.

Stunning sansai Mako Showas.

Some "heavy hitters" bidding - Ryuki from Narita Koi Farm and Kiki from Samurai Koi (Indonesia).

A couple of Showas coming back to South Africa.

 

Can't wait to go back in November:-