| Based on my very little experience with koi, and just some life experience and logic, I can see where showa might be the most "difficult." First, to achieve balance with two colors on a white ground would intuitively seem to be more difficult than to achieve balance with one color (beni) on a white ground. It is true that a sanke or showa's sumi can serve to balance the beni, where the beni is unbalanced, but that would not make for a "perfect" sanke or showa. A "perfect" sanke or showa should have a perfectly balanced beni pattern, and a perfectly balanced sumi pattern that does not interfere with the beni pattern. In addition, the sanke must have quality shiro, sumi and beni, not just quality shiro and beni. I would think that would be more difficult to achieve, but maybe it isn't. Just trying to understand Kodama's order.
As to the difference in sanke and showa, my understanding is that one of the most important criteria in a koi is a clear head pattern. If I were trying to "paint" a koi I would think that trying to paint a perfect pattern in three colors on a small area, such as the koi's head would be very challenging. |