Henry Alfaro Interview ABC news Channel 7 (1996)
When Roland de Aenlle, a California business owner, wanted to flee the urban sprawl of Los Angeles, he went to Japan -- without leaving his back yard.Recalling Benten sama, a temple water garden in Toyoma, the northern seaside town where he first saw koi three decades ago, he decided to build a pond of his own, creating an island of tranquility in one of America's largest metropolises.
Roland's involvement with koi has evolved over 15 years from a relaxing diversion into a hobby and then a business. In repeated trips to Niigata, the mountainous region of Japan that is home to many of the best breeders, he honed his knowledge of these ``living jewels'' and began to import them for his pond. Friends who were impressed with his acumen in selecting koi soon began offering to buy the fish he returned with to California and then asked him to choose koi for their own ponds on subsequent sojourns to Japan. Realizing that he could bring higher-quality koi to the United States at lower prices than importers were charging by eliminating broker fees and working directly with breeders, Roland entered the business full time with his wife, Yoko, a Toyoma native.
In just a few years, Toyoma Koi has achieved a reputation as one of the leading importers of better-quality koi in the United States for dealers and hobbyists. Roland offers much of the credit for his success to Yoko, who translates and interprets during the three or four trips the couple make to Japan each year. —Yoko insists, though, that Roland's skill in choosing the right fish -- what she calls his ``artistic eye'' is the key. He uses it to cull the best koi from pools of thousands for composition, color and pattern.
Roland's eye will be called upon in January when he serves as a judge in the All-Japan Nishikigoi Promotion Association show in Tokyo, representing the breeders of Niigata Prefecture. This is the first time the Niigata breeders' group has chosen a Westerner to be its representative judge in the prestigious All-Japan show.
Roland has developed strong ties with a number of breeders in Niigata from whom he buys koi directly, without having to go through a broker, as many foreigners buying in Japan do. Among these breeders are Seijuro Suzuki, Sadao Igarashi, Shoji Tanaka, Toshiyuki Sakai and Mano Minoru Daininichi, who is considered by many as the leading koi breeder in Japan. Toyoma Koi is the only American company importing tosai gosanke from Dainichi, although many dealers claim they do. Such one-year-old fish are difficult to find outside Japan.
Success with koi -- for business or pleasure -- only begins by choosing the right fish to buy. For koi to develop to their full potential requires proper care of the fish and their environment.
Roland's personal and immediate attention to the multitude of questions his clients ask about ponds, filters and gardens, and about the koi themselves, has enhanced his popularity across the United States.Roland's business philosophy has instilled a frankness when relating to clients. He believes it is best to educate them about koi: which fish to buy, and which to avoid; what steps to take to provide the best care, and what to avoid. This is why he has so often assisted clients in building their ponds, when he could have been making sales of koi instead. He would rather encourage a hobbyist to build a better pond, with a filtration system that will bring out the best in koi, than to sell koi into an environment where they will not do their best.
After building up a client base across the United States, especially in California, Texas and the East Coast, Toyoma Koi is expanding into Europe with an office in London. Enquiries can be made to 44 (0)171 833 4101. |
