Selecting Best Tategoi Showa...

[aquitori]

How would you rank these Isa Hajime Showa's? Given they are 16" long..

Also, if you had the chance to leave one of these Showas in a mudpond in Japan which one would it be?

Have fun.

[koifishgirl]

I dont know much about showa but I rank b and d good and would leave those two in the mud ponds.

[dizzyfish]

Even though it doesn't win the conformation battle, I like C. Then D.
Mitch

[gofish]

B has the better body overall but has a weak tail stop. I think D has the 2nd best body and has more potential over the long haul. My hope would be that the sumi is lying deep and that by putting it in the mud pond, you bring out the sumi. I think D will take longer to develop.

Overall rating is D B C A and D stays in the mud.

Marc

[Sangreaal]

You know, I really don't like any of these showa and wouldn't purchase any of them unless they were the last showa in the known world. But if I were to rate them it would go D, A, C, B, with D being the olympic hopeful that sees mud again (although they all need it).

What is it that I don't like about them? I'm getting spoiled to radiant shiro, and none of these fish have it. I don't like the facial patterns and I don't like the beni much--in short, I just don't like the skin and color quality. Nothing is crisp and clean with these fish, and I don't know if mud is going to help that. Of course, wonders never cease....

Marie

[Brutuscz]

C is my favorite simply because I like kindai showa and sumi with this type of quality. Do you think C is a male or female? Hard for me to tell.

[Brutuscz]

My favorites aside....B,C,D,A...if I were judging. B simply has the best conformation, and it cannot be ignored.

[cppond]

From my novice perspective I would say d then b. I would put b first, but I am a little concerned that the sumi is going to overwhelm that koi. I like d's hi pattern in terms of balance, though b is pretty close. I think the shiro on the face of d creates the possibility of some dramatic sumi and I like the tail tube on d better than on b, though I would like to see some shiro at the tailstop.

Buying for now I would pick, b, for the mud pond I would pick d.

Of course, I've only been at this since August so don't give any undue weight to my opinion.

[Clay]

I'm having trouble picking as well. I usually do with Showa. It is said that showa are the most difficult to pick since the sumi development is the unknown. At a recent ZNA seminar I remember the speaker saying that even the breeders make more mistakes when selecting their keep fish or tategoi in the showa variety than in the other two gosanke varieties.

What I try to look for is balanced motoguro. At 16" I would not expect all black pecs. I also try to look for all three colors on the face when the fish matures and this looking into the crystal ball is what gives me fits. If you were to spray paint all of the fish a single color I am most impressed with B for body shape. B tail area is nice and thick and the body is impressive. Marc, I understand (or more so) the tail stop ideal in kohaku. Can you explain what to look for in a tail stop in a showa? I'm still learning and don't have any problems admitting it. In Kohaku I want the thickness and the hi to stop before the tail and have a nice chunk of white before the tail, in a showa what is the ideal? I am also a kindai showa fan because I find them easier to select personally. I remove the sumi and pick a kohaku and then balance out the sumi to fill out the pattern. Again I find this much easier to select.

Now having said all of the above, I have no idea and look forward to reading more responses from those more knowledgeable with their reasons as to why they selected what they did.

Rick

[gofish]

Rick,
What we've always been told is to look for all three colors on the tail as well. Tail stop might not be the right term for showa, but what I mean is that when you look at fish B, the tail seems weak in terms of coloring. Fish D has a lot more possiblity in terms of having all three colors right there at the tail joint. The possibility is there too that if sumi is there underlying it might cover up all the Hi. The sumi will come, but what hi is there is all you are going to get. While we want the white at the base of the tail in the kohaku, you need hi at the base of the tail on a showa to be balanced with sumi and white. Now we are still learning too and could be way off.

Marc