| Grant, I can understand why #44 would seem bland now. This type of Beni begins as a yellow-orange color. As it slowly consolidates, it becomes more orange. As nisai, it will be a reddish orange. By sansai, it will become intensely saturated in color. Then it reddens until it is red-orange. It is a durable, slow developing Beni that reaches its peak after several years. It grows with the fish. As for pattern, it is going to be grand. Notice the insert of white behind the dorsal. The Beni pattern reminds me of a plume from a volcano rising into the sky. I would name her (?) Kajigumo. The Sumi will come. Right now there are hints of it rising at strategic points in the shiroji. If this is female, she has the makings to be awesome... if everything comes together. If not, she will be merely beautiful.
I think Dick has said what counts on #2. The Beni is very immature, so don't worry about the mottled look of it. The quality is there. The pattern is what will throw you off. Notice again that there will be white inserts toward the rear. And black does balance red in Sanke, like Dick said. In a very recent issue of Nichirin there is a photo of the Reserve GC Sanke at a Japanese show. The entire right side of the fish from the start of the dorsal to the caudal fin has no red. The left side is heavily red. As tosai it would have looked more unbalanced than #2 (and some of the others listed) if only the red is weighed. But, that Reserve GC has heavy Sumi on its right side and not so much Sumi on the left. She is drop dead gorgeous. (I'd post photo, but have the same problem others have been encountering.) So, when you have a tosai Sanke from a line that tends to produce slow developing Sumi, as is the case with Sakai (Isawa) magoi line Sanke, and you see high quality in the skin and pigments, it becomes a bit of a gamble whether the Sumi will come in where it sets off the whole fish. With #2, the gamble is not so much. The Sumi patch showing now is going to provide balance. It is a question of personal taste when it comes to big, bold Sumi on Sanke. What I can tell you is that it will be 2 more growing seasons before you really 'know' (if it is truly possible 'to know')about where the Sumi will be on this fish, but it is very likely that bold patch will be there. The Sumi on these magoi-line Sanke is very intense when mature, like what I imagine it is like for an astronomer to look into a black hole. .... If the sumi does not come up in places that provide balance, there may be disappointment. (I say 'may', because the skin quality and porcelain-like shiroji may eliminate the disappointment of even a pattern fancier.) If the sumi comes in to provide that balance, then you have a very impressive Sanke.
Tosai are always a gamble. Typically, the odds are 95% against you... koi sold as tosai are not likely to turn into much. The difference with these 2 tosai is that they normally would not be sold as tosai. Of course, if anyone could know for certain that everything would come together perfectly, then you'd have to add a zero to the price. |