Daniel . . .
While you're correct, of course, please allow me to respond by pointing out a few nuances which I think are in danger of being glossed over here.
First of all, artists are not judged by their lesser works -- they're judged by their masterpieces.
Furthermore, when one compares the culls of top Japanese breeders to the best koi which breeders such as Blue Ridge have been able to produce, one is comparing apples and oranges --
even when the grade of the koi is the same.
Finally, when the Japanese Masters pair, breed and cull koi it's with the exuberant expectation of producing yet another world-class Grand Champion. And why not? It's what their entire system has been designed to produce.
On the other hand, most domestic American breeders just hope to break even at the end of the year, or maybe even make a little money, based on volume sales -- as for quality, they can only dream of winning JR's dollar.
But, hey, there's always hope and there's always tomorrow.
