Tosakin
Encyclopedia
| Tosakin goldfish |
|---|
| Country of origin |
| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
| Type |
| Fantailed |
| Breed standards |
| Johnson & Hess (see references) |
The Tosakin or curly fantail goldfish is a very distinctive breed of goldfish
Goldfish
The goldfish is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It was one of the earliest fish to be domesticated, and is one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish....
with a large tail fin that spreads out horizontally (like a fan) behind the fish. Though technically a divided tail, the two halves are attached at the center/middle forming a single fin.
It was developed in Japan, and is rarely seen in other countries. It is believed to have originally been developed from the ryukin
Ryukin
The ryukin is a short deep-bodied fancy goldfish with a characteristic hump in the shoulder region.-Description:The ryukin is a hardy and attractive variety of goldfish with a pointed head and has a pronounced hump on the back behind the head. It may be long-finned or short-finned with either a...
s.
Description
Although it has a body shaped similar that of other fantailed goldfish, its tail fin opens and spreads flat and wide horizontally with the leading edges flipping under once or even twice. Because of its large and broad tail, the Tosakin is a weak and even clumsy swimmer requiring it be kept in still water without a strong current. The Tosakin has been often and mistakenly reported by as a weak fish due to inbreeding, however in reality is as hardy as most other breeds of fancy, deep-bodied goldfish. Like many other deep-bodied goldfish, the Tosakin is especially prone to swim bladder problems.The Tosakin is considered a "top-view" fish and is traditionally kept in large shallow bowls or small ponds to be viewed from above. Seen from above, with its pointed head and deep, round trunk, the tail is obviously a flat half circle. Tosakins are metallic red, red and white or "uncolored" iron-black. Recently calico fish with Tosakin body conformations have been developed, but many purists have yet to recognize this coloration as a true Tosakin. The Tosakin is slow growing compared to most other breeds of fancy goldfish with a maximum attainable length of around eight inches.
Origins
The Tosakins were first developed by a lower-ranking samuraiSamurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
in the Tosa
Tosa Province
is the name of a former province of Japan in the area that is today Kōchi Prefecture on Shikoku. Tosa was bordered by Iyo and Awa Provinces. It was sometimes called .-History:The ancient capital was near modern Nankoku...
fief (now Kochi Prefecture
Kochi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the south coast of Shikoku. The capital is the city of Kōchi.- History :Prior to the Meiji Restoration, Kōchi was known as Tosa Province and was controlled by the Chosokabe clan in the Sengoku period and the Yamauchi family during the Edo period.- Geography...
), in Shikoku
Shikoku
is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and probably did not reach other parts of Japan until the mid-twentieth century.
U.S. air attacks on Kochi
Kochi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the south coast of Shikoku. The capital is the city of Kōchi.- History :Prior to the Meiji Restoration, Kōchi was known as Tosa Province and was controlled by the Chosokabe clan in the Sengoku period and the Yamauchi family during the Edo period.- Geography...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1945 and an earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
in 1946 were believed to have wiped out the Tosakin variety. However, Mr. Hiroe Tamura(田村広衛), a Japanese hobbyist who had lost all of his fish, scoured the area and found six fish (2 breeders and 4 two-year olds) at a local restaurant called Kyousuirou (鏡水楼). He managed to trade a large bottle of shouchuu (焼酎)(Japanese sweet-potato vodka) for the fish, and was able to successfully revive the Tosakins in Kochi. In 1969, the Japanese government declared the Tosakin a Tennen Kinenbutsu(天然記念物) or Natural
Natural
Natural is an adjective that refers to Nature.Natural may refer too:In science and mathematics:* Natural transformation, category theory in mathematics* Natural foods...
Treasure
Treasure
Treasure is a concentration of riches, often one which is considered lost or forgotten until being rediscovered...
of Kochi Prefecture
Kochi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the south coast of Shikoku. The capital is the city of Kōchi.- History :Prior to the Meiji Restoration, Kōchi was known as Tosa Province and was controlled by the Chosokabe clan in the Sengoku period and the Yamauchi family during the Edo period.- Geography...
. In 1971 the breed had reached Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, where a small group of young and avid enthusiasts painstakingly propagated and popularized the variety. The Tosakin Preservation Society (トサキン保存会) was founded a few years later in Aichi prefecture (愛知県）.