| Pattern?
Of course, every judge (Japanese, American, BKKS, AKCA, ZNA, etc) has their own personal preferences. First, There is without a doubt certain attributes which catch a judges initial attention. Size, conformation, pattern, color, etc can play a part in this regard.....irrespective of nationality or training. What seperates a great judge from a good judge is how they then handle that "eye catcher". An experienced judge will then analyze all attributes and wieght such accordingly, again irregradless of nationality. It is important to note that ZNA US and ZNA Japan use the same standards, It is also important to note that AKCA standards were derived from ZNA standards and the core group of AKCA judges all were initially trained under the ZNA.
So where and how did "differences" (and yes, there are differences) develope? I am not a believer in the "pattern" perspective personally, other than perhap being one of the most obvious "eye catchers". A less experience judge may not openly or conciously beable to set that attribute aside and properly wiegh that specific attribute against all the others, including the most heavily wieghted attribute of conformation. This is an issue that crosses all nationalities and judging organizations and is put into balance through experience and tutalidge. Remember, typical Americans only see and or hear only "experienced" Japanse judges while are much more exposed to not only experienced American judges, but also exponentially more, less experienced American judges and can get a wieghted opinion of discrepancies in "styles" that may not in actuality be totally accurate.
Its also important to note that there is not a "cookie cutter" preferable body shape either. with changes in breeding techniques and bloodlines, varying body shapes emerge. As an example, a well figured Sakai (Isawa) Kohaku verses a well figured Sakai (Isawa) Magoi mix Sanke will have 2 totally different body shapes and a judge must now look at conformation within each as how the individual Koi stack up and the comparison to each other becomes somewhat "muddied".
I think a big "cultural" difference in judging comes from what is percieved to be better by the consuming public as it relates to beni "intensity". Americans as an example tend to favor "the redder the better" Koi while Japanese appreciate the more persimmon, yellow/orange based beni. Where "issues" can arise in this regard is the quality of the beni itself and not necessarily the intensity. The inexperienced tend to automatically think that persimmon beni is "thin" while redder beni is thick. Of course, the more experienced from either cultural understand and can distinguish between these, again, irregardless of nationality. I believe that this is one area, based upon cultural preferences (beni color intensity), that there is in fact a difference betwen "Typical" Japanese Judges and "Typical" American judges.
I think another judging difference comes from the manner in which the Koi are evaluated, not meaning what is evaluated. Its been my experience (in both formats) that the head judge under ZNA, directs the decision and the other judges have limited input and are simply there to "listen and learn". Under the AKCA style, the assistant judges seem to have far more input in comparison. Under both formats, the head judge of course has final say. As a "student" I appreciate the AKCA style personally as I see it as a better method of learning for myself personally. The AKCA developed its judging program to be more than just a judging program but also as a valueable learning tool for hobbyists in general. Oh how I yearn for the Japanese format (verses English) format) in judging. The educational oportunities (let alone the ease of judging) made things so much more of a learning experience. The best example I have seen for English style shows was a couple years back, by a ZNA judge in how an English style show, during judging, can still be a grfeat educational experience. Ron Goforth did an outstanding job explaining his top decisions and the "balancing act" of his decision process while at the NMZNA show in 2004.
Iteresting topic and I am sure varying opinions based upon varying experiences....of course mine is soley based on my own experiences and observations.
Steve | 
03-10-2006
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