Is this story true are the experts of today right in what they say or wrong?
Hanako is the name of this Koi that lived at the base of Mt. Ontake. When Dr. Koshihara would call Hanako from across the pond, she would come to his feet to be petted on the head. Occasionally he would take her out of the pond and embrace her. This was his favorite spot at the side of the pond, and he went there often.
The pond is located deep in the mountains of the Mino Province. The waters are pure that feed this pond which is less than 20 feet across. Besides Hanako, there are five other fish that swim in this pond, and each is also old. They are 170 years, 155, 151, 141, and another 141 years old. The Koshihara family had been the village head for many generation from the time of the Tokugawa shogunate, and the house and pond had been with the family since the beginning.
Hanako died on July 17, 1977 at the age of 226 years.
How was Hanako's age determined?
Dr.Koshihara was often asked how he could tell the age of the fish, and he responded in the article as follows:
As a tree trunk has its annual rings, so a fish has its annual rings on its scales, and we have only to count them to know the age of a fish. As a matter of course, we ourselves cannot do it. It requires a specialist's aid and the use of a light microscope. Now, what was it that made me think of ascertaining the carp's age?
My grandmother on maternal side, who left this world at the advanced age of 93 some eight years ago, is said to have been told by her mother-in-law. "When I was married into this family, my mother-in-law said to me, that carp has been handed down to us from olden times; you must take good care of that. When I was told this story I became very curious to know how long the carp had lived. I found out Hanako's age by the aforesaid method, but you can easily imagine how greatly I grieved when I was forced to take a scale off her beautiful body. I caught her in a net very cautiously, and repeatedly saying. Excuse me. I took off two scales from different parts of her body by using a strong pincette. The scales were examined by Prof. Masayoshi Hiro, D. Sc. Laboratory of Domestic Science, Nagoya Women's College. It took two months for him to acquire a satisfactory result. By using a light microscope, he photographed every part of the scales. It seems he took a great deal more trouble than that. When it was ascertained beyond doubt that the carp was 215 years old, we two exchanged a look of delightful surprise.
As I said the koi experts of today dispute the idea that a koi can live that long in reality they havent been arround for 215 give or take have they ?
So its up to us what we want to believe in reality isnt it , personally mate I choose to believe it why as I have stated before would they tell a lie and loose Face ?
I also believe there is documented evidence to back this claim up most of the Japanese authored books I have all mention Hanako they seem to have taken this as verbotem and why shouldnt they they have been keeping koi for many generations and in reality we in the west have been at it since around the 1960's.
So in reality not that long as the crow flies is it really ?
Also remember these people where civilized when we were still living in Mud huts with straw roof's the same goes for China where they have been breeding koi and golldfish for eons .
Face is still a Japanese thing to this day , look at the poor koi breeder who upon learning his koi had KHV rang all his agents around the world , then walked out of his office and shot himself dead ( so very sad but thats what face is).........
rgrds
Dave
Hanako is the name of this Koi that lived at the base of Mt. Ontake. When Dr. Koshihara would call Hanako from across the pond, she would come to his feet to be petted on the head. Occasionally he would take her out of the pond and embrace her. This was his favorite spot at the side of the pond, and he went there often.
The pond is located deep in the mountains of the Mino Province. The waters are pure that feed this pond which is less than 20 feet across. Besides Hanako, there are five other fish that swim in this pond, and each is also old. They are 170 years, 155, 151, 141, and another 141 years old. The Koshihara family had been the village head for many generation from the time of the Tokugawa shogunate, and the house and pond had been with the family since the beginning.
Hanako died on July 17, 1977 at the age of 226 years.
How was Hanako's age determined?
Dr.Koshihara was often asked how he could tell the age of the fish, and he responded in the article as follows:
As a tree trunk has its annual rings, so a fish has its annual rings on its scales, and we have only to count them to know the age of a fish. As a matter of course, we ourselves cannot do it. It requires a specialist's aid and the use of a light microscope. Now, what was it that made me think of ascertaining the carp's age?
My grandmother on maternal side, who left this world at the advanced age of 93 some eight years ago, is said to have been told by her mother-in-law. "When I was married into this family, my mother-in-law said to me, that carp has been handed down to us from olden times; you must take good care of that. When I was told this story I became very curious to know how long the carp had lived. I found out Hanako's age by the aforesaid method, but you can easily imagine how greatly I grieved when I was forced to take a scale off her beautiful body. I caught her in a net very cautiously, and repeatedly saying. Excuse me. I took off two scales from different parts of her body by using a strong pincette. The scales were examined by Prof. Masayoshi Hiro, D. Sc. Laboratory of Domestic Science, Nagoya Women's College. It took two months for him to acquire a satisfactory result. By using a light microscope, he photographed every part of the scales. It seems he took a great deal more trouble than that. When it was ascertained beyond doubt that the carp was 215 years old, we two exchanged a look of delightful surprise.
As I said the koi experts of today dispute the idea that a koi can live that long in reality they havent been arround for 215 give or take have they ?
So its up to us what we want to believe in reality isnt it , personally mate I choose to believe it why as I have stated before would they tell a lie and loose Face ?
I also believe there is documented evidence to back this claim up most of the Japanese authored books I have all mention Hanako they seem to have taken this as verbotem and why shouldnt they they have been keeping koi for many generations and in reality we in the west have been at it since around the 1960's.
So in reality not that long as the crow flies is it really ?
Also remember these people where civilized when we were still living in Mud huts with straw roof's the same goes for China where they have been breeding koi and golldfish for eons .
Face is still a Japanese thing to this day , look at the poor koi breeder who upon learning his koi had KHV rang all his agents around the world , then walked out of his office and shot himself dead ( so very sad but thats what face is).........
rgrds
Dave