| JR is referring to how "conformation" is used to mean different things by different people. Oftentimes it is used to simply mean "big", but to a judge "conformation" is much more. Size may be what the man-on-the-street hobbyist is referencing, but size relates to only an aspect of conformation. A large size is not necessarily the relevant factor. It is a question of whether the koi has the appropriate length and bulk for the total presentation of the fish, and whether it has a body structure that allows it to carry that length and bulk.
The beauty of koi may be in the eye of the beholder, but over the past 50 years standards have arisen as a consequence of judging koi for show. These standards are not written rules by which a person can take a tape measure and determine whether the subject koi meets the "standard". Rather, they are the result of the composite sense of beauty represented by the multitude of judging decisions made at the many koi shows held around the world. As appreciation of koi deepens and the eye becomes educated to see the whole fish, there are characteristics which come to be recognized as favorable. These may be influenced by the fad of the time and the preferences of individual judges, but in the combination of the many separate decisions a common understanding arises.
This in turn influences the breeder, for whom producing fish that can be contenders in the show ring drives the culling and selection process. Profit is found in the few fish that can contend, not in bulk production of "every sort for every taste".
Which brings us back to the subject... body shapes.
What are the standards when it comes to body shape? Is there a single ideal shape all nishikigoi breeders should be striving to attain? Or, should conformation be conceived as an ideal shape suited to the particular variety being considered? Or, are there several body shapes equally acceptable for any koi?
Let us start with Kohaku, simply because it is the most refined and revered variety. The torpedo shape of the best Kohaku is nothing like wild carp. It is the idealized shape that has succeeded in the show tank. It is a long-bodied shape. It can carry bulk, but curvature in the area between the spine and lateral line is not as rounded as in, say, Chagoi. The width of the fish is not concentrated at the shoulder and head, nor at mid-section. It tapers in a streamlined fashion. Imagine for a moment that you saw a Kohaku shaped like a Chagoi with about as much girth as length...Would it look "right"? Or, would it seem too fat and cumbersome? To my eye, a Kohaku should look like a fish that can zoom through the water. The shape of a mature Chagoi would not suit it. So, while bulk on a Kohaku gives one an imposing impression, the abdomen muscles should be strong and contain the eggs in a sleek package. It is the combination of bulk with an impression of speed and agility that makes the simple red and white patterning of Kohaku so impressive.
In comparison, the Chagoi is all about bulk in my opinion. The coloration is plain. It is the unmarred skin and even scalation that makes one Chagoi stand out from others of its type. The massive bulk in itself makes the impression that draws koikeepers to these fish. A streamlined Chagoi would not be the same. It would just be plain. But, with mature bulk, the large, even scales can be hypnotic... and there is no better canvas for displaying scalation than the inflated shape, with its wide, rounded curves. An inflated belly will not have the detrimental effect on the visual impression of a Chagoi that it would have on a Kohaku. Is that because our collective eye has simply come to expect such bulk in Chagoi? Or, is it because the bulk suits the variety best? Or, is it something far simpler... That's simply what a Chagoi is. That is, we know Chagoi have certain characteristics and we see the combination of those characteristics as defining the ideal body structure for Chagoi. If that is correct, then we are saying that the torpedo shape of Kohaku is not the single ideal all koi should be bred to match.
And if the ideal body structure for Kohaku is different than the ideal shape for Chagoi, then we are left to look at other varieties according to what best suits each. Should Showa conform to the body shape in which it originated, or is it acceptable for Showa to take on the Kohaku-shape through breeding in Kohaku genes to obtain better quality red pigment? Should Ogons continue becoming more streamlined? It is how judges at shows view these fish and what hobbyists will pay the highest prices to obtain that ultimately influences what is bred.
[To be continued] |