Promotion Show for Japanese Breeds at the Noordshow 2015
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Above: Breeder Akijo Kuroyamal with his Onagadori roosters. Photo: © Stanislaw Roszkowski. PROMOTION SHOW FOR JAPANESE BREEDS AT THE NOORDSHOW 2015 By: Berta van der Meer and Wanda Zwart (NL) At the recently held Noordshow there was a promotional exhibition of Japanese varieties, and it proved a huge success. In the middle of the hall we had a separate area entirely in oriental style. The only setback was that our foreign guests who were to exhibit some breeds could not come due to the bird flu. This meant we were lacking a few breeds we would have loved to show to the public. These works of art among chickens deserve to stand in the spotlight. In Japan, these little gems are looked at in a very different way; to the Japanese a chicken has a soul, a special meaning and history. They cherish their animals preserving these often ancient varieties is elevated to an art form. More and more people are attracted to the many rare breeds, especially the longtail fowl and long-crowers. A group of equally fascinated European breeders got together and organized this pro- motion. It is often thought that these chickens must be kept under special conditions, but in fact this only counts for Onagadori cocks if you want the tail to continue growing. All other long tail varieties can just roam free like any other chicken. During Noordshow, several breeds were presented to the public and one could ask any questions to the people mounting the displays. The long-crowers are also very special, with their melodious crowing, which can be sustained for up to 25 seconds. Left: Trio Shokoku. Below: Shokoku rooster. Owner: Keizo Maekawa. Photo: Stanislaw Roszkowski. The Shokoku The most important breed in Japanese culture is the Shokoku. They are inextricably linked to the Shinto (religion) and the sun goddess Amaterasu. Amaterasu was rather harassed by her brother, the god of sea and storm, and was so angry that she locked herself in a cave and refused to come out again. With the sun hiding, the earth was dark and there was chaos. After days of deliberation a plan was devised. A white Shokoku rooster was used as a bait. When she heard the cock crowing, the curious Amaterasu came out of the cave and enjoyed the crowing so much that she stayed out of the cave and the sun began to shine again. The Shokoku became so important that even today it can still be found in almost all Shinto temples, where every year a sacrifice is brought to it. The Shokoku is a longtail fowl and is also a semi- long-crower. The Jitokko Unfortunately this breed could not be present because of the bird flu. The Jitokko is very special with its short legs, crest and beard. (see photo to the right.) The breed got its name in a unique way. During the Edo era (1603-1868) a landowner, Mr Jito, called his farmers together. Wanting to please him, one of the farmer’s wives fed him a roast chicken. Mr. Jito was so delighted with this delicious piece of meat that he never wanted to eat any other chicken breed. Since then they are called Jitokko. This is the only chicken breed in Japan that carries the name of a man and its name has no other special meaning. It is a short-legged, large breed; the tail has many main sickles and lesser sickles. Left: Jitokko rooster. Breeder Kazuyoshi Goto. Photo: Stanislaw Roszkowski. The Chabo In Japanese gardens you can see many Bonsai trees; an attempt to bring together the beauty of wild nature to your garden in a natural way. Bonsai trees, also called a ‘soothing microcosm’, have much in common with the features of the Chabo, because this chicken is a small presentation of reality. Together they form a balance between rest and movement in the garden. Below: Okina Chabo rooster and hens. Breeder/Photo: Berta van der Meer. As the Bonsai is the culture of miniaturization in the plant kingdom, so the Chabos fill this role in the animal kingdom. No miniature landscape in Japan is complete without Chabo. Apart from the ‘normal’ Chabo, there are several other varieties in Japan, eg. Okina (bearded Chabo), Maruha (hen feathered Chabo), Taikan katsura (large comb), Daruma (large comb and short tail). At the Noordshow some Okina Chabos bred by Berta van der Meer, were entered. Left: Okina Chabo. Breeder/Photo: Berta van der Meer. The Ohiki The Ohiki is another short- legged breed, although they do not have the lethal short- leg gene found in the Chabo. The name Ohiki refers to their plumage: hiki = dragging. The saddle hackle must drag on the ground. The Ohiki was created between 1818 and 1868. For a long time it was thought to be a cross between a Minohiki and a Chabo, but research has proven the Onagadori are their ancestors. They have long saddle hackle feathers about one-third the length of the tail. There are 2 different strains of Ohiki. One has a shorter tail with narrow feathers that moult each year, the other one has a tail that can reach up to 1 metre and doesn’t moult each year. Above: Ohiki’s. Photo: Berta van der Meer. The Satsumadori The Satsumadori is one of Japan’s oldest chicken breeds. It was once called Kenzukedori (and/or Kogashima Game), meaning ‘chicken with a sword’ because they were fitted with metal spurs and used in cockfighting games. Now they are only kept for meat and fancy. Satsumadori has the spirit of a fighter with its proud stance, clever eyes and its characteristic beautiful fanned tail. The colour is special, Asiatic partridge, in which the hens’ breast is the same colour as the back. We have to retain this in Europe, or at least try to breed it back in again. Unfortunately they have recently been crossed with Twente Fowl (Kraienkoppe) due to a shortage of good breeding birds, but this resulted in too much orange in the eye and no ‘peppering’ in the breasts of the hens, and in the silver variety even salmon coloured breasts! Above: Satsumadori’s, Asiatic silver partridge. Breeder Adrie Brouwers. Photo: Berta van der Meer. The Totenko This long-crower was also absent from the Noordshow. It is another Japanese creation with a very rich tail, that was created in 1850. In the old days they were called ‘Tootenko’ meaning: ‘eastern sky’ because the rooster is said to start crowing very long and beautifully when the eastern sky becomes red in the morning. The crowing is soft and melodic, high- pitched but not extreme for 15 to 24 seconds and sounding like “tootenko”. This breed is also classified as a Large Fowl. Right: Totenko rooster. Breeder: Fumitoshi Kariyal. Photo: Stanislaw Roszkowski. The Minohiki The Minohiki is a longtail fowl, originating from Shamo x Shokoku, among others. Years of selection resulted in very elegant chickens with a long tail and long neck hackle. The first part of the name, Mino, means ‘rice-straw umbrella’ and also ‘saddle hackle; Hiki means dragging. And so this is dragging saddle. The long saddle hackle feathers drag the ground. A walnut comb (chalice comb) is preferred in Japan; this comb has a little hollow in the middle, and in Japan they call this a Sakazuki comb, ‘bowl for sake’. It is said that the Shojo variety (yellow blacktail) of Minohiki do like sake and so need a bowl to drink. So the chicken’s name is in fact a play on words. Shojo colour is red ginger, and also means orangutan – a nickname for someone who drinks too much. In Japan this comb form is a main feature of the breed. The Minohiki is very difficult to breed. Below: Minohiki at the Noordshow. Above: Minohiki rooster. Breeder: Mitsuo Satakel. Photo: Stanislaw Roszkowski. Above and Right: Tomaru. Breeder/Photographer: Adrie Brouwers. The Tomaru The Tomaru belongs to the long-crowers. (The Kurogashiwa is closely related, but this is a longtail fowl.) Originally they were called ‘Toomaru’. This is the baritone of the avian choir. In 1939 they were designated “Natural Monuments of Japan”. De Tomaru has a purple to black face and comb and deep black legs. It is a large but elegant chicken. Its crow can be sustained for from 7 up to 20 seconds. The Tomaru is often said to have the most beautiful voice of all chickens, two-toned and deepening distinctly toward the end of the crow (the ‘schnork’). These two factors are considered a characteristic of the Tomaru breed. designated as “Natural Monuments of Japan”. The Yamato Gunkei Yamato is the name of a prehistoric tribe in central Japan, and ialso of an area near the ancient capital of Kyoto, but Yamato is also a form of painting. The head of the Yamato Gunkei is likened to the made-up male faces of Japanese theatre; the more wrinkles and folds, the better. The face of the Yamato is also compared with a full-grown, old pine, a very important element in Japanese gardens. For the Japanese breeder, Yamato is as imposing as a 1000 year-old pine; strong and proud – if you embrace an ancient pine and feel its strength, you feel the power of the Yamato. It has well- muscled ‘dinosaur’ legs and feet, and a broad chest so muscular that a broad patch of naked red skin is visible. But the most important feature is the wrinkled face, becoming more wrinkled with age. The Yamato Gunkei is the largest Shamo of the small Shamos.