Niigata: American communicates attractiveness of nishikigoi

Nishikigoi carp compete with each other for food. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

NAGAOKA, Niigata -- To promote the nishikigoi carp's appeal to the world, a native of Florida now living in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, is involved in carp aquaculture and export.

Alexander Sanchez has been photographing the carp's graceful swimming and the faces of the people who raise them. He recently held his first carp photo exhibition.

"I want to make hidden Japanese culture known," he said. He aims to share information about the fish on social networks.

Alexander Sanchez poses for a photo in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

Sanchez, 38, studied design and photography at a university in Florida. He had always liked Japanese culture, such as Japanese-style gardens and movies by Akira Kurosawa. He met a woman from Nagaoka in the United States, married her about 10 years ago, and came to Japan.

From around the following year, Sanchez began to help export nishikigoi carp and was fascinated by the vivid color and lustrous beauty of the fish's body, as well as carp producers' efforts to raise the fish as carefully as they would raise babies, and began to take pictures.

He now runs a company that exports nishikigoi overseas and helps out at a carp farming company in Ojiya, the same prefecture, in the summer.

A man holds a nishikigoi in his hands. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

In addition to carp swimming leisurely in a pond and competing with each other for food, Sanchez takes colorful and realistic up-close photos of the fish with their vivid patterns and scales, and producers holding carp in a pond.

"There are many scenes of which I can take photos because I am there. I love carps," he said.

In 2019, Sanchez held photo exhibitions at three locations in Nagaoka until August.

(Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

"[Sanchez is] a bright, positive and fine young man. I am grateful for his making carp's attractiveness known," said Katsunori Miya, 58, chairman of the Nagaoka city nishikigoi aquaculture association.

"Foreigners are familiar with aspects of Japanese culture, such as kimono, kabuki and sumo, but they know nothing about nishikigoi. They should know the attractiveness of the fish. I want to make Niigata culture widely known," Sanchez said enthusiastically.

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