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Captivated by seeing koi in a neighborhood Japanese temple pond as a child, Guy Kmett has actively bought, bred and collected koi since 1975, when the Waipahu High School graduate could afford the hobby. Resilient koi represent
hopes for a boyBy Gary C.W. Chun
gchun@starbulletin.comAt least six of his prized koi will be on display Sunday at the Boy's Day Festival presented by the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii. The festival moves from the center in Moiliili to the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center in Waikiki, marking the second year that the Hawaii Goldfish and Carp Association (Kmett is one of 50 members) is participating in the Boy's Day event.
Local residents are familiar with colorful koi banners unfurling in the wind over Japanese family homes this time of year, each banner representing a beloved son. The koi represents hopes for boys' maturing into strong men.
"The carp is a resilient fish that symbolizes strength, courage and determination of spirit," said center president Susan Kodani. "The hardy fish fights strong currents, survives turbulent waters and even leaps up waterfalls during spawning. It mirrors the fighting spirit that Hawaii's energetic boys possess today."
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This may come as a surprise to those who view koi as a decorative, placid fish found in private home pond-scapes or at the Pagoda Hotel and Ala Moana Center."I like koi because it is a strong fish," said Kmett. "They're easier to take care of than regular tropical fish. Koi are able to just live in a river or stream. There used to be wild koi in Lake Wilson, goldish brown in color, fish that were 15 to 18 inches long that were probably released by their owners when they no longer fit in their 10-gallon aquarium tanks."
Not only can koi grow substantially, but, under the right conditions, they have a longevity greater than their keepers'. "The oldest koi I've ever seen here was 30 years old," Kmett said, "although the oldest living koi on record was in Japan in the Mino province. Hanako died in 1977 at the age of 226; the Koshihara family had it in their household since the Tokugawa period.
"You can measure the age of the fish by the successive rings on their scales, like those on trees.
"The koi there and in the U.S. (mainland) tend to live longer because during the winter they go into hibernation, which practically doubles their life span. Here in Hawaii, because it's warmer, their metabolism is always working 24-7, so they don't live as long."
But koi have always been treasured by their owners for their vibrant colors and, through breeding, may vary from the standard kohaku (red and white) pattern with which all fry, or newborn koi, start their lives.
"The Japanese standard is to keep koi red and white," Kmett said. "But there's also sanke, a three-colored koi that includes black. Koi are considered living jewels because of their color brocade; within the last 10 to 15 years, other kinds have been bred like midori, a goldish green koi and doitsu, which is the spawn of a normal koi with a German one that has a limited number of scales or completely scaleless. The color on that koi is more vibrant, and I know of one on this island that is a lemon-yellow color with a few scales that look like gold foil."
Where: Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center in Waikiki A Celebration of Hawaii's Boys
When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday
Admission: Free
Call: 945-7633
Note: Activities include tegata hand printing, koi drawing, origami and samurai hat making. Entertainment provided by the Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko, the Kenshikan Kendo Club and a yo-yo demonstration by Evan Nagao.
Occasionally, the fish's spawning instincts take over during inopportune times like, say, this weekend's show or next week's Pet Expo or the annual Okinawan Festival. Because of the change in environment and water temperature, male and female koi can start spawning, resulting in murky water that must be cleaned out.
"Sometimes the filter system in a show tank, with the water pouring, is enough to make the koi leap right out of it and onto the ground," Kmett said. "They can take the bumps and bruises.
"They're overall really peaceful fish," he said. "As pets they can be characters as well. As the koi grow older, they get used to you, and they can be trained to come to you when you ring a bell, or you can feed them by hand, or when they get real big, you can even carry them without their flopping around."
Which makes for easier transport for a showing like this Sunday's. Kmett plans to bring koi imported from Japan that cost him about $350 each. "There'll be two kohaku, a sanke, a doitsu kohaku (a smooth, refined-looking koi) and an ochiba, a darker-colored koi with a light gold to bronze brocade that will look great in the round, blue, 6-foot show tub I'll be displaying them in."
When kids want to buy baby koi, Kmett makes it a point to show them the grown-up koi. If they say they're going to keep it in a small tank, Kmett said, "I usually ask, 'Wouldn't you like a goldfish instead?'"
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