Dainichi Inazuma Showa.

[Sangreaal]

Now that's a lovely showa and it has minimal hi on her head, which is something I like but seems to be frowned on elsewhere. Nice bod, nice pattern, but I'm afraid I hold the yellowed dirty shiroji against it in the first pic. It is neither creamy white nor hard white and looks as if it was fed way too much color food. It's hi, though, is to die for and the sumi makes promises I hope it delivers.

The kohak has the best skin and shiroji, and the hi is beautifully thick as if she were recently lacquered. When it comes down to which is the better fish, the kohak is more finely finished and the showa has a little further to go.

[keokoi]

Different ERA's in Nishikigoi....

No doubt these are the cream of the crop GC's with many more in the past and to follow.

But this is like comparing Tiger Woods to Jack Nicklaus and both are arguable since one was playing with wood clubs and the other with space age titanium. ( Tiger For me LOL)

But seeing pics of Mulitiple Past Grand Champions lined up on a wall there is something about the showa that keeps popping in and has me looking at it. The Kohak no doubt has the body but like an earlier post the showa back then was considered big body at 85cm.

Something about why this showa keeps popping up once again as a historical showa and is one of only a few that have won the All Japan. A Mystique about the showa that keeps us drooling and talking about it an no doubt will be talked about for years to come.

Would the super mask Kohak have been remembered like the showa for its fine qualities like the showa with very little known of its history or will the Kohak be remembered more for its owners????



Joe

[RayJordan]

I made a post (#20 on KoiShack @ http://koishack.com/forums/index.php...opic=6601&st=0) about the kato showa and why I thought it was such a special showa. I don't want to cut and paste so provided th link for anyone who cares to read it.

I would hope that the kato showa would prevail over this years Shinkokai GC "the mask." I was at this year's AJS and saw "The Mask" on Saturday morning. I understand her shiro looked much better on Friday when judging occurred.

The current trend to stress production of jumbo koi has resulted in the lost of some quality points.(IMO) Mainly shiro quality and also refinement of pattern. When judging koi of AJS caliber it is not about demerits it is about accomplishments, overall presence, and also beauty. Size is important but it is not everything. The Kata showa was a better koi because of it's unique representation of living art and it is a better showa than the mask was a kohaku. in my personal opinion.

let's don't forget the mask won but there were still lots of votes by the judges for another kohaku that ended up 2nd and also a showa that was 3rd.

Unlike other animal judging koi are not judged on a + and - point system today. It is important to consider the over all effect and beauty of the entire package. The best koi are more than just the sum of their merits and demerits.

[Nancy M.]

I personally, like the showa much more than the mask kohaku. But as they say the hobby begins and ends with kohaku. So with that in mind, I think if they were judged today the kohaku would beat the showa.. But the showa has my vote, I seen this kohaku last year, honestly was not that impressed, the quality, the confirmation, size are all there. But I do not like the pattern. I know I know, pattern is not everything, but I still have a personal preferance, and she just did not do it for me. JMO so don't beat me up

[Russell Peters]

Quote: Originally Posted by Nancy M. I personally, like the showa much more than the mask kohaku. But as they say the hobby begins and ends with kohaku. So with that in mind, I think if they were judged today the kohaku would beat the showa.. But the showa has my vote, I seen this kohaku last year, honestly was not that impressed, the quality, the confirmation, size are all there. But I do not like the pattern. I know I know, pattern is not everything, but I still have a personal preferance, and she just did not do it for me. JMO so don't beat me up

I agree with you Nancy, but remember the Showa never got a chance to "finish" totally. Who knows what would have been if it was still alive.

[Sangreaal]

Quote: Originally Posted by Russell Peters I agree with you Nancy, but remember the Showa never got a chance to "finish" totally. Who knows what would have been if it was still alive.

Eggzacalacaly, Russ! Though I placed the kohak higher than this showa, the showa is easily my fav between the two (even though I carp about the shiroji) and I'd give anything to have seen it in finished form.

I also agree with Nancy--the pattern on the kohak just doesn't excite me a whole lot. Of course, most kohaks don't excite me these days. But that's the personal preference thing and has nothing to do with the quality of any individual fishies.

How about we do a comparison of pics of some of today's showas and kohaks in comparison to these past greats. Just for a marker of what has improved over the years. Can either fish compete in today's shows with today's koi?

M

[koiczar]

Okay, seeing as how we are trying to compare fish from different eras and the pics shown of the Kato Showa and the Mask have both been heavily photoshopped magazine covers, here are a few shots I took (un-retouched) at the AJKS this past January of some fish I thought would be serious contenders for top awards. They are in no particular order.

Marie, there are two shots of the mask and when you compare these with the pics Tony posted of the showa in the show tank I think you'll see a differing image of the shiroji on the Mask. It's not what the mag cover represents. However, when you see these fish in person, at first it is disappointing, as Nancy pointed out, due to the fact that all we ever get to see are "enhanced" versions of the original pics. Once you see them in person, and you take time to stand there and look at these fish in all their "true" glory, the more you appreciate what it took to maintain them while they grew to these sizes (without injury) and see the sheer volume and grace they display, it gives you a truer appreciation of what you're looking at and the work that went in to creating these "living works of art".

I too agree that my all-time favortie koi is the Kato Showa. She must have been something to see in person. I too don't care for the pattern on the Mask. But if the fish were judged side by side today, I would have to give the award to the Mask. The showa's head is smaller in volume, the sumi isn't completely finished and it just didn't have the volume to display it's pattern as well as the Mask. I saw a lot of fish I pesonally like better pattern-wise at the show as some of the pics show. But, I didn't see another fish with such a thick layer of beni and the quality of the fukurin as the mask had. By the way, that's why the shiroji doesn't look as good in pics. The fukurin creates such deep craters in the shiroji the lighting doesn't do it justice compared to viewing it in person!

[Russell Peters]

When Toshio Sakai was here in October, I got a chance to talk to him about the Dianichi Showa. It was very interesting as one of the things he said about the fish is that it was never going to be "big". So Mike's point about its head an volume are good points.

Russ

[mitten]

Mike, Russ, Nancy?

Can anybody point out the fish in Mike's pics that may have been the showa contender? Any other contenders in the pics Mike took?

Mickey the windowman

[Russell Peters]

This is the reserve champion Showa from last year. It is not in the pictures Mike posted.