Quote:
Originally Posted by
MikeM 
In the May 2002 issue of Nichirin there is a discussion of "tategoi" by some leading ZNA hobbyists and a few breeders at a meeting of the ZNA Koi Appreciation and Guidance Division. Even in Japan the concept gains meaning from each person's perspective.
Katsushi Takeda of Yamatake Fish Farm got to the bottom line: "A koi that will only double or triple its worth isn't a tategoi. Simply put, it's a koi that can put an extra zero on the price."
In comparison, Masao Okabe, whose name you will see connected with many a prize winner in Japanese shows, had this to say: "My 85 Bu Koromo took the Best of Variety, but when it was 55 Bu it was a koi that nobody wanted to buy. Then it grew and grew. When it was in 80 Bu it took Best of Variety at the Tokushima and Fukuoka Shows, and in 85 Bu it went on to take the prize in Niigata. Now that's what I think is a real tategoi. Then I had a Tancho Sanshoku that measured about 35 cm; the skin was very yellow, and everyone said I'd gone mad. That koi also grew and grew, reaching 70 cm in five years, and took the top prize at the All Japan. The skin had cleared up nicely."
Such different perspectives of the same thing.
