About 2,000 years ago, some small red fish were discovered amongst a school of wild
carps in southern China. Through breeding and natural selection, it became the goldfish of today.
Story has it that the goldfish was first brought to Japan at the end the Muromachi period in 1502.
Initially, goldfish were prize pets of the aristocracy and wealthy, and didn't diffuse amongst
the commoner class until the second half of the 19th century.
Goldfish farming in Yamatokoriyama is said to have started when Marquis Yoshisato Yanagisawa
came to the area from Kofu, Yamanashi, in 1724. It became a booming trade as farmers and low
rank retainers of the daimyo who lost their positions when feudalism was put to end with the
Meiji Restoration of 1868 took up breeding as a side business. The success has also been
accredited to Yasunobu Yanagisawa, one of the later lords of Koriyama Castle, who strongly
supported the business. Besides this political backdrop, goldfish farming thrived also because
of the advantageous conditions the area offered such as an abundance of good quality
irrigation ponds and plenty of water fleas in the ponds for the goldfish to feed on.
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 Come 1965, rapid economic development and advancements in hatching techniques
fueled a year-on-year increase in production. Goldfish were exported not
only to other parts of Japan but overseas as well to western nations and
Southeast Asia. In recent years, production has fallen off as water pollution
has increased alongside spreading urbanization. Despite the decline, there
are about 80 breeders and approximately 100 ha of breeding ponds producing
some 80 million goldfish and 3 million carps annually. In tribute to this
long-standing trade, a Breeder's Cup is staged in early April every year,
about the time that the cheery blossoms are in full bloom, at Yanagisawa
Shrine whose history with the tiny creature dates back centuries. The event
draws not only local residents but goldfish collectors and admirers from
the surrounding area. |
