| Similar to Chagoi is the Ogon group. An article in the electronic Rinko issue of June 15 notes that some enormous Ogons attracted much attention at the 2006 Tokyo All Japan Show. They were crowd pleasers due to their body structure. ... big, long but thick-bodied, with a large, blunt rounded head. A good Ogon looks strong and hard-bodied, like an armored warrior. Decades ago, Ogon did not have as much shine or clarity of color as we see today. Breeders have focused on shine and color intensity to create striking fish. The search for color and shine has resulted in many Ogon lacking the extraordinary bodies of old-style Ogon. When the old-style body combines with high metallic shine, the impression is awesome.
On another board JR has observed that the robust body of Ogon has been largely sacrificed in Kujaku as a result of crossing with Kohaku to obtain more intense pigment. The Kohaku body shape is becoming dominant.
In my opinion, if koikeepers saw more well-grown mature koi in the Ogon group, they would select the duller orange of Hariwake or Kujaku with old-style body over the more slightly built but deeper orange or red of the contemporary Kujaku/Hariwake. However, few koikeepers have ponds that can accomodate full-sized Ogons, and far fewer purchase mature ones. When seen as young fish, the deep colors prevail...both in the sale tank and the show tank. Breeders supply what the market demands.
I think we would all agree that the key trait of Ogon is its metallic shine. That shine is what makes an Ogon. It is greatest on the fins and the head where the skin is clear... and upon maturity in the thick fukurin skin encasing the scales.
So, what shape is best suited to Ogon? I would suggest that the old-style body has the advantage over the torpedo shape for two reasons. First, the broad head of old-style Ogon provides the better canvas to highlight metallic shine. Second, the inflated body better exhibits scalation. Third, the large proportions project the powerful image of armor plates. It is quite a trade-off when you have to choose between body shape and higher quality pigment. Perhaps breeders will eventually find a way to give koikeepers the best of both. Meanwhile, judges have a responsibility to be sure they are considering the whole fish when judging contemporary and older style Ogons competing with one another. |