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Matsunosuke body is the ultimate tategoi as the body does not finish up bulking up until the fish is at least six or seven years old. Until then they look awkward and like a 'living cigar' more than 'living art'. And you must also appreciate that it often is only IN Japan that adult koi can really be bulked up at all? So we in the west are left with the mistaken notion that the juvenile/young adult shape is THE shape that Japanese connoisseurs are looking for when they praise young matsunosuke tategoi. When in fact it is not. What they look for is the obvious and easily identified 'teen' phase so that they might finish the body line in a jumbo size.
If you look at Momotaro jumbos you can see the matsunosuke blood in those very pleasing jumbo fish- when the proper flesh is on the fish. The fish gives a different impression then and the matsunosuke chassis can be easily missed by the casual eye. JR
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