Showa - What Do You Think!

[dcny]

Can't tell anything about the quality because of the picture but the shoulders aren't bad. My main concern is the tail. How big is this fish? 9" or so, it may still turn out ok. 12-15" the tail would be a problem.

The pattern doesn't do anything for me.

-Dan

[aquitori]

How old and how long? Breeder?

[Russell Peters]

Quote: Originally Posted by aquitori How old and how long? Breeder?

Nisai, 13"-14", Yamamoto.

[HEADACHE6]

I can tell that this koi will someday be outstanding ! I guess I just have that eye that can see into the future better then most .


I can't wait to see that i'm right ! Fingers Crossed !

[aquitori]

Quote: Originally Posted by Russell Peters Nisai, 13"-14", Yamamoto.

As they would say in Japan..."Quality good enough as breeder."

[Russell Peters]

We all know that Showa are a three color Koi. This to me is what makes them really hard to pick. We all, myself included, tend to look for noticable traits when picking Showa. We all want Menware and Hachiware, Ichimatsu or tiger stripes. These are the things that seem do define the ultimate showa for most of us.

This week in Isawa Toshio Sakai took some time to talk to us about the Dianichi Showa GC and some past grand champions. He talked about how no one thought they were any good when they were small. They had bad Kohaku patterns and almost no Sumi. What they did have was quality. It has been pointed out on this board, on another thread, that the Dianichi Showa had an unbalanced Kohaku pattern. The response to that was that the sumi gave balance to the pattern. It does.

When I came across the picture of the Yamamoto showa that I posted at the beginning of this thread, I thought, what a great way to explain what Toshio was saying by example. The Yamamoto showa as a young Koi does not really show much promise. I am really sorry about the picture quality, but thanks to marie we got a little better look. I am posting two more pictures of the showa, both of which are a year apart. Look at the end result and ask yourself, "would I have thought that it would turn out like it did?"

To me, this gives a totally different perspective on what to look for in showa. After all there are three colors and they all develop independantly. Learning to recognize quality over pattern could yield you one hell of a Showa.

[dubtaco]

What a difference, I never in a million years would have picked that koi....I knew this was going to be a fun thread once the after pics were posted!

Thanks for the Lesson Russell.

[Sangreaal]

Now that is what I was wanting to see--that frame covered with the right amount of flesh and the culmination of the sumi that was hinted at in the first pic creeping up the sides of the koi and lurking almost imperceptibly 'neath the shiroshi on its back and head.

Beautiful showa, Russ, and a very good lesson on QUALITY, growth and development. Thank you!

Marie

[Brutuscz]

But..you, of course, realize the gamble? If that showa hadn't developed such heavy and dramatic sumi, it would have been quite bland. Purchasing that one would have been a huge gamble.
I knew the after photo was going to be incredible!!!

[Russell Peters]

Quote: Originally Posted by Brutuscz But..you, of course, realize the gamble? If that showa hadn't developed such heavy and dramatic sumi, it would have been quite bland. Purchasing that one would have been a huge gamble. I knew the after photo was going to be incredible!!!

I disagree, qualtiy breeds quality, it is undeniable. The breeder knows his koi and what they can do. When I was in Isawa in October picking koi, Toshio Sakai put three showa on my tub. Actually he put quite a few in my tub and I picked the predictable. When I was done picking he put the same three showa in an empty tub. The showa are not unlike the Yamamoto showa I used as an example here. They, in my mind, are pretty bland. I decided to take the hint and I brought the showa back with me. Toshio never said a word about what he wanted me to do with them. I decided to set them aside and watch them mature. They are changing in a rather positive way, but if Toshio had not, in his own way, insisted, I never would have bought them. I am happy I did.

I do agree with you on a point though. It is a gamble, but only if the quality is not there.