The term Sashi....

[aquitori]

What is the Sashi? How is this word used in finding good tategoi....?

[dick benbow]

SASHI IS THE LEADING EDGE OF COLOR in the patten looking from the head of the koi back to the tail. In kohaku, where the red scales dive under the white, it shows as pink. Most feel that if the depth of the pink scales is wider than 2 scales, it will take too long to finish.The real tategoi are those with no color depth or very little showing on the leading edge. We're not talking about the depth of color in the beni itself which is a separate criteria, but just the leading edge where the two colors make contact. The head ( or hachi) is not involved,
just from the shoulder back

[koiczar]

To me, sashi on tategoi would be "mae" sashi. It is preferably only one row of red scale under the white overlapping scale entering the red pattern. It should have a uniformity to it along the entire edge, which demonstrates that the hi "should" all develop evenly. The transparency of the white scales on a young fish is what usually causes this look. In case we forget, white is a color also. It develops as the fish matures just as much as red, black or any other color. The only fish that seems to go against this philosophy is a budo goromo. The white seems thick even at a very young age. It has a whole different pigment to it. Yes, as Dick B put it, you shouldn't see much blurring at the beginning of the pattern. However, having said that, if the fish has NO sashi showing at a young age, it probably, or most likely, is finished. Especially if it's a male!

Mike

[dick benbow]

good follow up input Mike....

[aquitori]

Dick and Mike well put!!! Usually when picking fish with the three points in mind like shiroji, conformation and pattern...Would you guys pass on a Kohaku with more that 4 scales deep of Sashi? Let's just say the fish is a Sansai...

[koiczar]

Tony,

That's very hard to say without seeing the fish in the flesh. I currently have a sanke that I purchased last December. It was an 18" nisai at the time. It has a beautiful face pattern and is a 5 step with all tsubo sumi. The shoulder area had 2-3 scales of sashi leading into the shoulder hi. The hi has gotten very thick, but the sashi still remains. The shiroji has not gotten thick enough to override it yet. I'm hoping it will in the next year. I will try to get a picture from last year when I purchased her so you can see what I mean.

Somebody needs to walk me through the procedure of posting pictures

[jbolding]

This discussion is very informative. Even for most of us who know at least something about such subjects the more they are discussed they better informed we all become.