*edit by mod* These posts were pulled out of another thread that went way off topic. By popular demand I pulled these out and turned them into a new topic. If some posts in this thread dont quite make sense...well nobodies perfect
The teaching during judging was
especially good. He asked each of the assistant judges questions, without giving away what he thought about the particular fish or class we were looking at. It often seemed that he was probing us for the depth of our understanding. Our koi knowledge. Then his "lessons", or what he talked to us about seemed pointed towards helping us each get to the "next level". Different than judging with some other Japanese judges I have judged with, where there was not much discussion or consideration. He very much respected our opinion, even to the point of asking more questions to understand what we thought we saw, and in several occasions, changed his mind based on going back and looking at the koi again. Larry Gill had alot to do with that with his thoughtful questions. Unusual for a Japanese judge, but very much Mr Sakai. Felt like we were discussing koi over tea again in Isawa or Niigata. These things are why he has been my favorite breeder for 10 years.
The Lecture focused on how he looks at koi and how to tell good and bad beni apart. Fukurin was a stepping stone, but not the focus. Mostly assumed the people there understood that and had a reasonably high level of koi general "understanding", and also of his koi. He also showed examples of his "new" kohaku, sanke, and showa over time. 4 season feeding and care, but more in depth than the web site, or other talks I have heard that he has given. How to 'repair' some of the things we saw in the koi in the show. he is in favor of 4 times the O2 in the summer 3-4 months of heavy feeding compared to winter. Movement of the water more by the airstones than the traditional "jets". Not as much worry about 'quiet spots" as the koi "know" where to go. More, but this is just off the top of my head. I videotaped the lecture, and need to watch it some to see what I missed. So I will update over the next week or so as I watch the video, and hopefully talk to Mr Sakai for some clarification. If any want more info.
Hope that helped clarify some.