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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Above: Yamato rooster and right a head study. Photo’s: Berta van der Meer.
The Yokohama The Yokohama is known as a Japanese breed, but this is untrue. The Yokohama is not known in Japan. What is clear, however, is that they were created from Japanese breeds, so we are placing them in this overview. Around 1880 Shokoku were exported from the city of Yokohama and it is assumed that due to translation problems Shokoku was renamed Yokohama, or perhaps like the Lahore pigeon they were named for the town from whence they came. Around that time Minohiki were also exported from Yokohama, and research has shown that both breeds are present in the genes of the Yokohama. The Yokohama was created in the late 1800s by Hugo de Roi. He crossed white Shokoku with red partridge coloured Onagadori-like chickens (probably
Minohiki); what other breeds were used will always remain a mystery. The descendants of these crosses showing a walnut or pea comb became the basis for the Yokohama. The single combed birds arising from these matings became the basis for the Phoenix. Right and below: Yokohama. Breeder: Berta van der Meer. Photos: Mikel Katuin.
The Yakido These fowl have a fiery, proud and alert appearance. They stand upright, are very muscular and strong, with a broad breast and broad shoulders. The tail is long with narrow sickles. The feathering is hard. Their eyes are pearl white with prominent brows, and they have a triple pea comb. Their legs are yellow. They resemble the Shamo, but their weight lies between the Chu Shamo and the Nankin Shamo. Named after the city of their creation in 1850, namely Yakido in the province of Mie, the Yakido were mostly used as a sparring-partner when training the Shamo. Since the Yakido is smaller and lighter, the young Shamo gained more confidence and experience.
They come in the black variety only and they are very rare, in Japan as well as abroad. And finally, to end with, the breed whose photo is at the head of this article – for many, the signature breed of the Japanese varieties: The Onagadori During the Edo era, the reigning leader decreed that all faithful followers were to pay tribute to him as a token of appreciation. This was done in the form of processions and from far and wide, the gentry came to honour their leader. Each carried a long staff adorned with animal hair or feathers and the longer the feathers, the more respect you were showing. Farmers responded very well to this annual event and bred as many Onagadori as they could. The chickens were highly prized by their owners, who sold their feathers high prices, some selling as many as 2000 feathers every year. To get the tails as long as possible, the roosters were kept in a kind of high cabinet, the 'tomebaku'. They had little freedom of movement, sitting high above the floor with enough space to ensure the tail feathers weren’t damaged. The roosters are let out each day for exercise, with the tail carefully carried by the keeper. In Europe this is rarely done and therefore the tails are significantly shorter here. Without a tomebaku you will never get a tail several metres long. Of course there are more Japanese chicken breeds, but we think we have presented a nice selection to you here. The promotional show was organised by Wanda Zwart, Stanislaw Roszkowski and Berta van der Meer, in cooperation with the Noordshow. Stanislaw Roszkowski took a lot of photos, which at the end of next year will be presented in an album titled ‘The most beautiful chickens of the world’.
We were happy to receive many foreign guests, it was a real international happening. In the photo, left to right: Stanislaw Roszkowski (Poland), Emanuele De Simone (Italy) Berta and Johan van der Meer and Wanda Zwart (Netherlands). The longtail fowl and long-crowers from all countries are poorly catered for by any specialty club and that is why several breeders and judges have decided to launch a club especially for all longtail fowl and
long-crower breeds from all countries, not exclusively Japanese breeds. Adrie Brouwer, Wanda Zwart and Berta van der Meer are on the board.
In the meantime we started our club, named Optimum Avium Specialty club for longtail fowl and long-crowers, in short: OASLL. Loosely translated, the name means ‘The most special and most beautiful birds’. Our goal is to promote the keeping and breeding of longtail and long-crower fowl, to assist in the breeding and conservation of the original types, and maintaining the typical varietal characteristics and colours.
Left: Logo of Optimum Avium, the new specialty club of longtail fowl and long-crowers. We are hoping to achieve this by maintaining the standard provisions in the country of origin of the breed. We organize an annual event/club show in the form of a big national show with crowing competitions for the long-crowers, as well as judging the long tail fowl and long-crowers, and also through lectures and discussions on the various breeds. This specialty club will support and guide the recognition of the long tail fowl and long-crower breeds that are not yet recognized in the Netherlands. Our website is still under construction but in due course it will provide you with a lot of
information. The texts on the website will be available in both Dutch and German. For more information you are welcome to contact [email protected]
