Yamakoshi And Nishikigoi
Nishikigoi(colored carp) is a precious treasure that the Yamakoshi people, traditionally having little contact with the external society, have protected and passed down for two hundred years.
The carp had been raised as a valuable source of fish Then one day, they found a "colored carp" that was born as a result of a mutation, and they thought it was too precious to eat, so they kept it and loved it, and that was the beginning of Nishikigoi.
After numerous breeding cycles, Nishikigoi are known for their vivid and elegant colors and stunning beauty, which has been compared to the colorful Nishiki designs of the Kimono, a traditional Japanese silk fabric. The Nishikigoi, born miraculously from a perfect combination of the harsh nature, topography, people, and years in Yamakoshi, has been widely recognized as "NISHIKI-GOI," a universal term, and continues to fascinate Koi lovers around the world.
The Nishikigoi NFT represents the "living art (Nishikigoi)" created by Yamakoshi combined with generative art. And by integrating it into the context of the NFT becomes an identity of being "digital villagers". We feel that generative art can be a representation of the relationship between society and the people who are involved in it, and helps enhance the identity of the digital villagers.
We hope that the Nishikigoi NFT continues to be a symbol of Yamakoshi as its origin, as well as a symbol of the local community and the NFT project overall as we see a growing importance of the relationship between the local community and the arts.
”ykxotkx”
Last year, we’ve minted the first and second editions of NishikigoiNFT. And now we welcome our third generative artist, ykxotkx. He is a creative coder who has been very widely recognized and involved in the Tezos blockchain. In May of this year, he exhibited at Bright Moments Tokyo. The work “Hanabi” is designed with fireworks as its theme, with the water surface reflecting the fireworks, city lights, the silent shadows of shrine gates and bridges, and twinkling lanterns, allowing viewers to enjoy the atmosphere of a Japanese fireworks.
(Nishikigoi Team)
What did you have in mind when you were creating this work?
(ykxotkx): I believe that Nishikigoi is a culture that Yamakoshi and Japan in general can be proud to have so I tried to create a work with a "Japanese" vibe, particularly focused on "Wa". I hope you can feel the sense of beauty of Nishikigoi and the seasons in the village where Nishikigoi was born.
(Nishikigoi Team)
We already revealed the art and have seen many people including digital villagers say they love it so much. So can you explain how you created this art with generative art and how you felt more like technically during the creation process?
(ykxotkx): First of all, I am so happy to hear that and am so glad to be part of the project. This time, I wanted to go for a very traditional Japanese style of art, so I created a PFP-like design inspired by Manga and Ukiyoe, but at the same time, I was particularly focused on the fact that it was created using a generative art method. It is not a combination of static image components, as is often the case with PFP, but is entirely programmed and drawn from scratch. That shows that every output is unique and there is no same thing, from the body shape and pattern of each individual Nishikigoi to the details of the background.
I ended up with a total of more than 30 different types of variables, most of which have been modeled on actual real Nishikigoi. (Kohaku, Taisho Sanshoku, Showa Sanshoku, etc.)That's one of the things that I'm focused on.
Before working on making this art, I took time for myself for studying Nishikigoi, and I found a common between generative art and Nishikigoi. Generative art is an art form that creates something unique and unpredictable based on an algorithm that includes randomness.
The same goes for Nishikigoi. Even if they are the same type, it is impossible to completely predict what their body shape and pattern will be until they are born and until they grow up.This is the most interesting part of Nishikigoi, and I think it is the best part of raising Nishikigoi. I wanted to capture the fun aspect of Nishikigoi, so I implemented an algorithm for each actual Nishikigoi type.
ykxotkx’s AMA!
We hosted a Twitter spaces with yk the other day!
Check that out please if you haven’t!
https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1djGXllovgoGZ
One more Surprise…!?
We actually have a special surprise coming up for you!
That will be announced soon on Twitter and Discord
NishikigoiNFT Artists
“ykxotkx”
Software Engineer / Creative Coder
Exhibits at "Digital Art via Blockchain," "Bright Moments Tokyo," and "Art Basel Miami. Mainly works on the tezos chain, fxhash and objkt. Social Links: Twitter
“Okazz”
Generative Artist / Creative Coder
The creator/artist of KUMALEON, a collection of Japanese poo culture. Social Links: Twitter / Instagram
“raf”
Digital Artist
Artist exploring new forms of art expression by combining illustration and generative art. Social Links: Twitter / Instagram
Links
Artist “ykxotkx”
Twitter / https://twitter.com/ykxotkx
fxhash / https://www.fxhash.xyz/u/ykxotkx
Founder Teams
Haruka Takeuchi / https://twitter.com/yamakoshiMTG
Atsushi Hayashi / https://twitter.com/AtsushiHayashi
Toshiaki Takase / https://twitter.com/toshiaki_takase
Crypto Village / https://crypto-village.xyz/
Nishikigoi NFT / https://nishikigoinft.com/
X(Former Twitter) / https://twitter.com/nishikigoiNFT
Discord / @nishikigoiNFT
Opensea / https://opensea.io/collection/nishikigoi-nft
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