A Koi Named Hanako
226 YEARS OLD!!
A fish named Hanoko was the oldest living koi. She lived to be 226 years old. Hanoko was born in Japan in 1751, five years BEFORE classical genius Mozart was born. Hanoko died on July 17, 1977. Her name means "Flower Girl" and you can read more about her here and how they discovered her age https://www.fishlaboratory.com/fish/koi-hanako-longest-living-fish-ever
The social Koi represent love and friendship in Japan. I have seen many koi ponds while selling homes in North Central WV and they are always a delight.
According to the San Diego Zoo, they are illegal in the state of Maine but legal in all other States in the US. Other interesting facts about koi that you will find by visiting their site https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/koi are:
These colorful fish can be worth thousands of dollars.
Without a good filtration system in their pond, koi would poison themselves, as they excrete ammonia.
My painting of 2 Koi friends is created on 9 x 12 in, 140 lb. Watercolor paper. I thought I would use the color wash and sea salt treatment to give texture and movement to the water.
Almost makes me want a Koi pond...almost.
Happy Friday!
Helen