| Tancho: Shape?
JR said: The tancho kohaku is one such example. A square tancho on a male fish looks out of place. Yet on a wide female, with a broad head, it is just the ticket to make the fish look very impressive.
Another hobbyist replied: There was an article in a 10 year old Rinko Magazine and it stated that the Tancho spot should be as big and round as possible. For judgeing purposes.
Kate McGill, in her book KOI Appreciation (2001, p. 61), wrote: The tancho marking, as a key feature of this variety, was originally desired to be large, round, solidly coloured, and to have clean sharp edges. The (ideally) round hi should cover as much of the head as possible, but without incursion over eyes or shoulders; hence the koi with a broad forehead would be more likely to develop the classic tancho. While this is still preferred, other shapes and sizes of tancho have become acceptable: for example the kakutan, or square tancho; or the umebachi, a shape like the petal of the Japanese apricot blossom.
Any thoughts? |