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Posted by JR
on 5/3/2009, 2:21 pm
64.12.117.19
May 2009 series - Why only in Japan
We have spent a lot of time here on NI exploring subjects like;
The natural history of wild carp to Nishikigoi.
The appearance of nature’s mutations to crosses of colors to, eventually, established varieties.
The key dates and people responsible for establishing the known varieties.
The history of koi in Japan over the last 150 years.
I’d like to now talk about the uniqueness of Japan as a place- the only place- that the evolution and refinement of common carp into uniquely colored carp could have occurred.
I think it is safe to say that there is no one date where koi ‘began’ in Japan. And further, that there were progress points and cultural areas of support that may not be immediately credited or even identified with modern Nishikigoi. But nevertheless, these backdrops and events were essential if the few spotted brocaded carp brought to the Taisho exhibition in 1914 were ever to flourish across the entire country of Japan. This exhibition was not in blue tubs, by the way. It was held at the already existing– Shinobazu pond ( a hint to the already omni-present culture surrounding the newly introduced carp).
For the metaphysical types who read NI and for the Buddhists in the crowd, it’s probably not too much of a stretch to suggest that while Japan was borrowing all sorts of things via trade with the early Chinese and Korean nations, they were also importing thoughts and ideas. Included in these were the Chinese fables regarding carp in the form of myths and religious symbols. These stories were included in one of the very first written Japanese books called Kojiki produced in 620 AD. The fact that they were written in Chinese characters and in Chinese style is all we really need to know regarding the mixing of the mainland mythology into the Japanese culture.
And these newly imported thoughts and views melted well with local nature based religions since all seemed to have an underlying spiritual and artistic appreciation for the natural beauty of mountains, streams, water, trees and living creatures .This is perhaps one of the reasons that only in Japan could the koi have been created as something more than a pet. Indeed those who today feel it was just a matter of ‘being in the right place at the right time’, don’t appreciate the series of unique human circumstances needed to create a complex of breeds which carrying a series of isolated and then selected mutations within individual bodies.
So lets begin at the ‘beginning’ and explore the culture needed to bring about koi–
( continued in part II)
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