Ikarashi Koi Farm in Mushigame, the Yamakoshi village above Nagaoka, is a big-fish Gosanke farm that became the home of Aragoke. Kazuto Ikarashi, nicknamed Sen'nin, founded it in 1962 and bred Kohaku, Sanke and Showa that grew larger than average and placed at Niigata shows. He died in 2016 and his son Toshinobu runs it now: roughly 50,000 square metres, about 80 mud ponds, around 100 parent koi and in the region of 75,000 fish a year.
Aragoke is Toshinobu's project. The word means the rough, oversized scales that turn up on Doitsu fish, which breeders used to cull at first selection. About ten years ago he started breeding for them on purpose, crossing a Doitsu Ochibashigure female from Maruhiro with Ginrin and Kogane Ochiba males and keeping the fry with big, laced, ginrin-bright scales. The result sits outside the normal judging classes and sells mainly in Europe. Toshinobu has said he is not chasing shows; he breeds koi to be enjoyed as pets.
That tells you how to buy here. Come for a Gosanke with frame and strong colour, for Kawarimono (Ochiba, Chagoi, Hariwake, Asagi, Goshiki, Kumonryu) from a farm with the pond space to grow them, or for an Aragoke if you want a fish nobody else on your street owns. Do not confuse this farm with Ozumi Ikarashi, a different Ikarashi family in Nagaoka known for Kin Kikokuryu; ChampKoi lists that farm separately.
ChampKoi imports koi from Ikarashi Koi Farm.
