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Goldfish Diary
2002/6
Goldfish News - Ozeki Ranchu Club (Singapore) - 2nd Japanese Ranchu
Competition 2003
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In this issue, we feature a brief introduction of the Ozeki
Ranchu Club of Singapore.
The
Ozeki Ranchu Club (Singapore) was formed by a group of avid
goldfish hobbyist in 20th Oct 2000. Although the club is
devoted to the keeping and appreciation of the top- view Japanese
Ranchus, there are many club members who are avid fans of other
varieties of Chinese goldfish.
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Most goldfish hobbyist would know
that the (side-view) Ranchu was popularized by the Japanese.
Very few hobbyist are aware of the top-view variants. For more than a hundred
years, the art of keeping and appreciation of the top view
Japanese Ranchu was very little known to the world outside Japan.
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In Japan, side-view Ranchus are less highly regarded than the top-view Ranchus. You can say that the top-view Japanese Ranchu
represents
the pinnacle of Ranchu appreciation in Japan. Ironically enough, it is
the side-view Japanese Ranchu that has taken the world by storm!
The reasons for the lack of
information of the top-view Japanese Ranchu appreciation are
manifold: For more than a century, the Japanese are very
aggressive in protecting the pureness and lineage of their top
view Ranchus. Even within Japan, the elite clubs were
not allowed to export or sell to any individual who is
willing to pay a high price for their precious Ranchus. The
premium for the Japanese Ranchu has also made it less
accessible to the man-in-the-street.
Today, club grade
Japanese Ranchus still fetch a very high price and are not sold
indiscriminately. The more readily available are raised and
exported by commercial breeders. Inevitably, the high prices
commanded for authentic Japanese Ranchus has attracted
much unscrupulous dealings in the commercial goldfish industry.
Much of such misdoings was drawn to the attention of the club
and it has felt the need to educate the public and inculcate the correct way
of keeping Japanese Ranchus.
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Show grade Kashino yearlings of 2002
imported
by the club for its members |
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Anatomy of a
Japanese top-view Ranchu
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Typically, a top view Japanese
Ranchu has an articulate shape and a "buffalo" cheek.
The most important emphasis of the fish is its dynamics in swimming. It should
have a thick tail seat, a balance swimming and waves its
tail like a Hawaiian Hula dancer (Sexy! Whee!). Contrary to the
side-view variety, little attention is paid to the curvature of
the back and the coloration of the fish. Top-view Japanese Ranchus are also raised by the most traditional and natural
methods - They are not well accustomed in keeping with a
filtration system!
For
the Japanese, the best top view Ranchu embodies the form, dignity and charisma of a champion
sumo wrestler. The Japanese word "Ozeki", adopted for
the
club's name, signifies the highest ranking sumo wrestler.
Interestingly, in
top view Japanese Ranchu competitions, the ranking of the fish follows
closely to the ranking of the traditional sumo wrestler
tournament.
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The Ozeki Ranchu Club will be holding its second
Japanese Ranchu Competition on the coming New Year. Although the
competition entries are restricted to club members, the public
are most welcome to view the competition.
Feel free to join the club in the
competition and talk to any club members on the hobby. Educational VCD
recorded by club members during the annual "All Japan Ranchu Show" (AJRS)
will be on sale to the public. For those interested, it promise to be
an eye-opener on how Ranchus are appreciated by the Japanese
connoisseurs.
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Ranchu bred in
Nagoya owned
by a club
member |
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We welcome you to send your
comments to GreenNgoldSG@yahoo.com
or sign on our
Guest Book.
To see other
articles in our goldfish diary, let's go back to our
diary home page.
5 December 2002 |
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