| The first thing I look for in tosai is body shape. the color variety will help you be aware of what to look for from a negative stand point. Showa often have crooked heads. Ogon often have undersized pecs.
you want to see atleast 4 1/2 heads in length from the tip of the tail to the end of the nose. many hikari varieties tend to be "football shaped " (american football not soccer).
I look for koi that appear to look long. They tend to grow bigger. I like to look at the distance from the tip of the nose to the edge of the gill plate. If the distance to the eye and the nose is the same as from the eye to the gill plate
chances are this will not be a bigger koi. this is often referred to as a long head. You want to see a longer stretch between the eye and the gill plate.
I also like to see a wide head and widely spaced eyes for the same reason of growth. The shoulder should show some depth from it's top to the belly of the koi. but not so exaggerated as again to look football like.
I hope this helps a little bit. I remember with clarity my first lessons by kentaro Sakai after work each weekend when he would bowl koi and point things out that i had read about but really couldn't picture. Once he pointed them out in koi side by side, it was easy to see and understand. I'm sorry we're not in a place where I can do that for you!
In my classes I always like to get several koi out with good skin and several with so-so. Once pointed out you can recognize it. I'm not sure I know how to explain it with dry words ( as opposed to a wet example!) |