Which Sakai Hiroshima Nisai Kohaku do you like and why?

[cocoyboy]

You got that right brutha, a very nice herd of kohaku's! Would love to see one of those here in Cali.
Hiroshima's rearing is down to a science, body, pattern and color.

[dick benbow]

cocoyboy: Missed you at the sakai seminar....how did you do with your marshal arts contest?

FOR THOSE THAT WENT TO THE SEMINAR: #9, left hand shoulder, beni patch....am i seeing a "sawtooth" red flag?

[jbolding]

I would go with 12 and 8. Two differnt body styles, but both appeal to me.

Dick can you explain the sawtooth edge for those of who couldn't attend?

[dick benbow]

Our teacher said to watch out for beni that if you look casually may look like rounded marusome, but when you looked closer looked more like a pointed tooth of a saw. he said this was an indication that the beni would incurr problems in the future ( breakdown)

[Sangreaal]

Wow, what a banquet of brilliance you bring to the table this time, Tony! It's taken me since yesterday to even begin making a mindful thought to the "one" in the many that you've presented.

Starting with the first group, #13 stands out due to the extreme shiroji, bright rich beni, and a tight crisp pattern that flows down the back of a nice plump fish. Conformationwise, it appears to be just a little front-heavy and the pendical(sp?) appearing very slightly weaker (though the head and pecs are absolutely lovely), throwing off the overall balance in the contour of the body. Still, this one is finished the nicest of this group.

#12 is my favorite in this selection. Body conformation is the most symmetrical front to end, nice big pecs for those power turns and a strong tail section to propel it with grace and precision. Beni very nice, shiroji very nice, shown off with a well balanced classic stepping stone pattern.

Both 11 and 10 are front heavy and I don't care for either of their patterns, though the shiroji and beni are nice on both fish.

#'s 6, 5, 4, and 3 find me nitpicking little things in each fish--a blocky head on #4, a bent pec in #'s 6, 4, and 3, a red eye in #'s 6 and 3... A well presented pic gives #5 a slight edge over #6, and I can't decide which is the more important to forgive in the fish--a slightly bent pec on a better body conformation or a narrower tail tube on an otherwise more brilliant fish...

#'s 9, 8, and 7 finds me nitpicking on equal fish again--#9 a little polly woggly, #8 has a neat bonsai pattern but flared gill plates, #7 the least balanced pattern...

So I'm now comparing #12 with #5.

...Who would I bring home?

#12



Hard choices, Tony...all of them are drop dead gorgeous.......

[dick benbow]

is polly woggly a great discriptive term or what! At Toshio's seminar he talked about turned up gill flaps, what causes it and how to "fix-it". Wish you could have been there...since i have a kohaku already, and i'm in the market for a sanke, not too excited about reviewing "ko-hocks"....

[Sangreaal]

Quote: Originally Posted by dick benbow is polly woggly a great discriptive term or what! At Toshio's seminar he talked about turned up gill flaps, what causes it and how to "fix-it". Wish you could have been there...since i have a kohaku already, and i'm in the market for a sanke, not too excited about reviewing "ko-hocks"....

Polly woggly......somehow it just fits, ya knoe?

Wish I could have been there too, Dick. I've seen a koi or two in person with that gill flap thingie going on and wondered if it's just a genetic defect or a result of some circumstance...

Ko-hocks...you know, if you had asked me what I thought of them a year ago I'd tell you just how utterly boring I thought they were..........*LOL* And speaking of Sanke, there are a couple of kohaks in this line up I think would make great Sankes if they just had the sumi.

I wonder...Are there any show rules against tattooed sumi enhancements?

[dcny]

Quote: Originally Posted by dick benbow ... FOR THOSE THAT WENT TO THE SEMINAR: #9, left hand shoulder, beni patch....am i seeing a "sawtooth" red flag?

I thought sawtooth was generally on the kiwa but I guess beni breakdown can occur anywhere. When it does happenon the side, would it bite in from the back edge of the scale or any edge of the scale?

-Dan

[dick benbow]

good question dan, that's why i was hopefull ( like doctors) we'd get a "second opinion".....least i know that lesson of the "sawtooth" stuck in my mind and made an impression.....

[koiczar]

Dan/Dick

Good question

I remember during our visits and again at the lecture that Sakai was talking about development of beni (sashikome and kiwa). He says the best way to observe the development was to look at the bottom scales of the pattern. That is where the kiwa begins to tighten and then works it's way up along the trailing edge of the pattern. From what I recall, he stated that the hi "pulls" together as it thickens. Interesting. I was always told that the beni in maruzome kiwa actually extends and fills out the rest of the last or trailing edge of the pattern. The tightening actually makes sense when you think about the fish you see, as they develop, leaving a stranded single or group of scales out in no man's land. It just never pulled in with the rest of the pattern. HMMMM, very interesting!!
All this makes sense when we talk about the "saw toothed" edges being a sign of weak beni. What you're seeing is the beni is already breaking apart at that point and will continue to do so as the fish grows.

Aaahhhh, finally, I think the light has gone on!! Brain light that is!LOL

Mike