[JasonS]

Dale, I wish I could explain it better but I think Dick explained it about as well as I ever could:

Quote: I like to find a sanke that has a good shoulder patch and maybe not a lot else showing. A showa i want to see something on the head and maybe some pin prick black at the base of the dorsal. the koi with black at the tail and you wish for something at the head or shoulder can be frustrating but it can happen.

This is the essential part of the lesson we were being taught over the weekend, I think. It was also couched in judging a koi; the sumi near the front is judged more important than that near the back.

Keep in mind this lesson was for sanke and showa -- I wouldn't apply it to Goromo for instance.