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koi boy tom
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what are the koi ages in japanese

hi i was just wondering if anyone knew the correct names for the ages in japanese, i know tosai is one but that’s about it. i tried using google but it sent me on a wild goose chase.

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rigger1971
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RE: what are the koi ages in japanese

ill start
tosai-upto 2 years (i think)

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gibbo
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RE: what are the koi ages in japanese

Ages of koi use the standard Japanese age counters “sort of”

So one to ten is

Tosai
Nisai
Sansai
Yonsai
Gosai
Rokusai
Nanasai
Hassai
Kyusai
Jussai

The you go into dounble years so 10-1 10-2 10-3

Juissai (isai now not tosai)
Junisai
jusansai

I have seen a lot of discussion on when a koi turns 2 years three years etc.

How I understand it from asking the breeders is

A tosai is such until it is put in the mudpond at almost the end of its first year whne it will be considered nisai.

So for example koi born last year are still tosai, but in a few months (around april/may depending on weather) they are put in the mud pond and become nisai.

Same happens for nisai, as they are put in the mudpond they become sansai.

So they are aged slightly different to our way of doing things in that nisai means in its second year, not 2 years old. When a koi is actually 2 years old it is sansai, or in its third year

Hope that makes sense

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bigkoi
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RE: what are the koi ages in japanese

A great explaination Gibbo, at least I think I’ve got it now.

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LakesideLad

RE: what are the koi ages in japanese

I have always been interested in sizes and ages of Koi and how some bloodlines seem to grow/develope quicket than others and then year hear about these Jumbo Tosai and it makes for all interesting reading.

I was trying to get my head around an age of two of my Koi firstly my Koahku from Maurice and now the Chag so to do this I decided to do a little chart to help me understand Koi age, hope it is reading along the correct lines if not please bring me back to correct it.

The one thing I did pick up on is that Breeders seem to determine years through counting summers in ponds, so for example by looking at the year two analysis, if a Tosai Koi was to go back to the mud ponds in June then it would only be classed as Nisai ONCE it was harvested in October ?

Love to have someone confirm or dispell this.

So really the June to October is a grey area and that it’s only classed once it’s re harvested.

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gibbo
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RE: what are the koi ages in japanese

Your chart looks correct to me.

I asked specifically about the ages whilst in the mud ponds when I was out in Autumn, and it was clarified that the age changes when they go into the mud pond, as it makes things simpler.

For example in July if the breeders was to ask someone to go and feed his tosai ponds, would you feed the ponds with the koi born 1 month before, or those that were born last year.

The tosai ponds would be the ones that were recently born, the ones born last year would be the nisai ponds

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scoobysti
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Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2006 1:40 am

RE: what are the koi ages in japanese

[quote]ORIGINAL: gibbo

Ages of koi use the standard Japanese age counters “sort of”

So one to ten is

Tosai
Nisai
Sansai
Yonsai
Gosai
Rokusai
Nanasai
Hassai
Kyusai
Jussai

The you go into dounble years so 10-1 10-2 10-3

Juissai (isai now not tosai)
Junisai
jusansai

I have seen a lot of discussion on when a koi turns 2 years three years etc.

How I understand it from asking the breeders is

A tosai is such until it is put in the mudpond at almost the end of its first year whne it will be considered nisai.

So for example koi born last year are still tosai, but in a few months (around april/may depending on weather) they are put in the mud pond and become nisai.

Same happens for nisai, as they are put in the mudpond they become sansai.

So they are aged slightly different to our way of doing things in that nisai means in its second year, not 2 years old.  When a koi is actually 2 years old it is sansai, or in its third year

Hope that makes sense

[/quote]

About time someone else told the forum this, i ve been doing it for ages. And had to give up telling them, cus i was getting no where lol (i understand ya myles)

Most on here are of the view its tosai for a year, from when they brought it. Or they say “thats what it said on the vat at the dealers”

So this year can we remember please guys, when you buy your 2 for 1’s or you half price clearence koi in august/september its highly unlikly its a tosai!!!!!

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markgardner
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RE: what are the koi ages in japanese

The other term you will sometimes here connected to ages in Japan, and can be useful when clarifying ages whilst Koi are in mud ponds is ‘ake’, for example a Koi could be referred to as ‘akenisai’.

Ake means beginning therefore ‘akenisai’ literally translates as ‘beginning it’s second year of life’.

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koi boy tom
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Joined: Mon Nov 23, 2009 4:20 am

RE: what are the koi ages in japanese

hi guys im sorry i didn’t reply earlier as my laptop is broken and my dad set up the ancient one this morning while i was at school. i was delighted and got straight on here.
thank you for clearing that up it was a question that was bugging me for weeks and i finally remembered to ask it.

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koi boy tom
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Joined: Mon Nov 23, 2009 4:20 am

RE: what are the koi ages in japanese

thanks for the help again guys it came in handy on the winter quiz recently

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