The Vision Behind 'The Koi Perspective' with Joe Mitchell

I’ve always envisioned starting my own Koi business from the day I set foot in the hobby Like many of you, I was hooked instantly Koi over the last few years has become my obsession, this obsession has taken me from a small goldfish pond to a completely modern pond with bottom drains, a drum filter and shower But it wasn't an easy job to get there Do you ever find that information on the internet for Koi pond building isn't easy to find

and even when you do, it’s difficult because you aren’t sure whether you ’ re listening to an advertisement of a product thats going to cure every single pond problem you have or, will ever have? I was lucky enough to be surrounded by Koi dealers in Yorkshire (North England) and managed to get my wife Hollie to agree to travel around on the weekends to go and scope out what was actually the way to move forward in re-building my Koi Pond Although I enjoyed this, The idea behind this magazine is to bridge that gap between dealers and manufacturers to Hobbyists. Some Koi Dealers and manufacturers out there don’t have social media, and at the best of times even if they do have the best of intentions, they don’t have time to use it. I want this magazine to become a free way for everyone reading to consume unbiased content This may mean along the way that I have to ask some difficult questions to dealers and manufacturers and so be it

One thing is for sure, this isn't a case of jumping into this half-arsed and praying it works, I’ve done my research And having worked in the trade for the last year professionally, I feel I have a good grasp on what everyone out there wants from this venture

One of the major points for me is to make The Koi Perspective free of charge totally, always

I’d be lying to you if I didn't say I’m not planning on making a living from the magazine This is now my full-time job and for that I am excited Every morning I’ve been jumping out of bed to get on my computer or camera to start creating this for you In some cases, I’ve been on the telephone way past midnight having conversations with dealers to make this happen

Each month I’d like to feature 3 articles, with varying different interviews and authors but including video content on YouTube, I want to create a magazine that is fun to view and not just words on your phone, computer or tablet. The content should be to serve everyone in the hobby, from seasoned keepers to completely new Koi Keepers I’ve been involved in Koi Shows, in both exhibiting and the volunteering side, helping build at the Great British Koi Show (2022 & 2023), I also exhibited in 2023 and won a best in variety with my Asagi which was a cherry on the cake for me, being an Asagi nutter! From these experiences I believe there is a mix of hobbyists out there that attend the shows just to look at the Koi in the vats, and then there’s some people who attend just to look at what dealers are stocking and see if any new products have recently hit the market

I believe that covering the show scene is already being covered in another publication to such a high level by Liam Bess at the World of Nishikigoi, (I’d recommend to anyone to go over to his website and subscribe to his magazine.) this probably means covering Koi show results is something that won’t happen all that often in this magazine That’s not to say it won’t ever happen, if there was a particular exhibitor story or an unusual Koi that stood out then that may be something that’s covered in The Koi Perspective

That being said, I’m really excited to be collaborating with the Great British Koi Show in 2024 to bring the digital age to Koi Shows in the UK, as part of this partnership I will be creating a digital programme for the show, which hopefully should hold some interactive elements, but I will hold the cards firmly close to my chest on that until we get closer to the time

Another side of the hobby that I would like to cover is visiting Japan, It certainly interested beginning I was fortunate enough to make my first visit to the south of Japan with Chris Masters (from Koi Masters) in 2022 to the southern region of Japan in the Kyushu region This was a huge eye-opener for me into Japanese culture and how little exposure there is for other “non-Niigata regions ” At parts of the trip I could tell that this was Chris’ side of the hobby (visiting Japan) and not all that dependant on making money or purchasing Koi, he has fantastic relationships with the breeders out there, me and my wife Hollie were made to feel very welcome

Picking the right dealer or agent to travel with can be an obstacle for some hobbyists who maybe don’t have closer relationships with their dealers, Chris Masters was hugely helpful with organising the trip for me Whilst I was there I saw a changing dynamic in the breeders

In Japan, things are moving forward, into a new generation of breeders Sons & Daughters are taking over the family businesses and some are moving their farms into the digital age, we have all recently seen the masses of Koi Auctions hit the market since the Covid-19 pandemic, this was born out of necessity for the Japanese breeders to continue to sell Koi without the influx of dealers to Japan throughout the International Border closures However, this isn’t going to disappear No matter your opinion on the Koi Auctions (It can be a divisive subject), they have always served me well as a place to go and look at Koi and admire the standards these breeders are creating week in, week out

This is something I hope to achieve with our “Koi For Sale” section of the magazine, I’d like to create a similar platform for viewing Koi in this magazine each month These Koi for sale are sold directly via the dealers but advertised in The Koi Perspective.

In a similar way to how I use the Japanese auctions to see what standard they are producing, perhaps the readers can use this section to see what dealers have available and the standard they are bringing in

I know there will be some readers who just flip straight through the pages in the magazine and head straight to the Koi For Sale page each month, I’d like it to become a place for dealers to want to be

Lastly, I have to say thank you again to everyone involved in making this happen Everyone in the trade who has reached out to advertise in this magazine I’m truly humbled by the outreach I’ve had from the community This hobby is absolutely fantastic

If this magazine can just be a small part of bringing people together and fostering a sense of community, then I’ll consider it a success The Koi Perspective is about the passion and love for Koi that we all share I hope that through the articles, interviews, and features, readers will not only learn something new but also feel inspired to connect with others in the hobby Let’s continue to grow and support each other in this wonderful world of Koi keeping

In my logo, I chose a Torii gate to use on the logo and not a Koi, a lot of people have asked me about this or told me that I need a Koi in my logo, in Japanese Culture a Torii Gate marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred and a spot where all are welcomed This is the case with The Koi Perspective.