| Rick,
What we've always been told is to look for all three colors on the tail as well. Tail stop might not be the right term for showa, but what I mean is that when you look at fish B, the tail seems weak in terms of coloring. Fish D has a lot more possiblity in terms of having all three colors right there at the tail joint. The possibility is there too that if sumi is there underlying it might cover up all the Hi. The sumi will come, but what hi is there is all you are going to get. While we want the white at the base of the tail in the kohaku, you need hi at the base of the tail on a showa to be balanced with sumi and white. Now we are still learning too and could be way off.
Marc |