Some enjoyable reading posted on choosing tosai recently,...
One detail thats helpful for hobbyists to keep in mind when searching for “good” tosai is tosai can become “inferior” in the journey from breeder’s harvest to where and when they are sold.
A breeder evaluates tosai based on:
skin quality
pattern potential - where are the flaws, and how many
size of the tosai - at a given age
sellability - better to sell now,... or better to sell later
value to farm,... potential as future parent koi,... or potential as “show boat” for farm, etc.
When the tosai are sorted,... and many are made available for sale,... where they go, and how they are kept is VERY important down the line to the hobbyist hoping to buy. Most, unfortunately, once they have been chosen to sell go into crowded vats (at breeder’s place) then crowded vats (at broker’s place) then crowded vats (at dealer’s store),... and several months can pass by with the tosai in these conditions. What happens here is they become stunted somewhat,... but more importantly,... also in these conditions the colors begin to “finish” more quickly, and these tosai become very colorful,... or are made very colorful SO they will sell well to hobbyists,... who are drawn to very colorful tosai like flies are drawn to scat.
What you have then is a tosai that posibly had good, or reasonably good potential at harvest time - which now has a limited window of beauty, and a limited future. THIS is what happens to a lot of male Koi,... and what has helped to give them the bad press male Koi get. If a male Koi is grown in excellent farm conditions that a female Koi is the outcome is similar in the “window of beauty” department,... though the body size will always be different between the two.
Here are 3 tosai that are “fresh” and haven’t been crowded, colored up, or compromised,... the “look” is very youthful,... and not so desireable by many hobbyists,... most are looking for a “redder” Kohaku at this age of 7 months. That’s where many hobbyists fail. These are tosai that would not be sold by the breeder at tosai age. These would be grown to Nisai, or longer. Notice the patterning on the center Kohaku,... also notice the size as compared to its siblings - 12" at 7 months,... so is a koi that will grow,... also the pattern looks ordinary right now,... but we have to look into the future, and put this pattern on a large Koi body,... and can then see the potential,... 8 years down the road. Also look at the beni,... even, light, soft.
Did you ever notice that a LOT of the Koi sold on auction sites are small for their age, and very colorful??? Many of these Koi are leftovers that have been sitting around in crowded vats for a long time,... and are bought in bulk as clearance Koi - then sold in auctions where the potential for profit is good.
It’s best to:
1.) Get a good selection - if you can.
2.) Buy directly from the source when possible.
3.) Buy from sources that are very colse to the breeder if posible - in other words buy tosai that haven’t been compromised already.
Best Wishes,
Brady Brandwood
