Appreciating The Progress of Nishikigoi

[MikeM]

A recent thread asking for opinions on a pond mutt got me thinking of how the wondrous koi of another generation are of no interest to the serious koikeeper of today. I think we all have had a beloved mutt of a koi that we would not part with willingly, but make apologies for when kichi visit. Perhaps we can enjoy our pet koi a bit more by recognizing them as an example of what was considered very special in another time.

Here is the earliest photo of a Goshiki Showa I could find... the cover fish on an issue of Rinko from 1982. Today, she seems a mess. Definitely a mutt, but in her day she was unique and considered worthy of such prominence as a 63cm "cover girl".

...And, the Goshiki Showa I have admired since first posted on a dealer's website over a year ago... a gal hatched in 2004 at the hands of Otsuka.

Twenty years made so much difference.

[cppond]

Quote: Originally Posted by MikeM A recent thread asking for opinions on a pond mutt got me thinking of how the wondrous koi of another generation are of no interest to the serious koikeeper of today. I think we all have had a beloved mutt of a koi that we would not part with willingly, but make apologies for when kichi visit. Perhaps we can enjoy our pet koi a bit more by recognizing them as an example of what was considered very special in another time. Here is the earliest photo of a Goshiki Showa I could find... the cover fish on an issue of Rinko from 1982. Today, she seems a mess. Definitely a mutt, but in her day she was unique and considered worthy of such prominence as a 63cm "cover girl". ...And, the Goshiki Showa I have admired since first posted on a dealer's website over a year ago... a gal hatched in 2004 at the hands of Otsuka. Twenty years made so much difference.

Thank you for offering that perspective.

[Brutuscz]

You may think it's funny...but I really like both goshiki-showa. The one on the left I still find attractive. Because this variety is not so common...it is hard to appreciate how far it's come. The point would probably be made better with a kohaku or showa comparison. Then you could really see major changes over the years.

[koiczar]

Mike

Amazing what 20 years will do for a variety. Russ and I were at Otsuka's this past fall. I picked up this goshiki-showa and a maruten goshiki with a rather different scalation. Otsuka said it was his only one in 2 years.

Mike

[mrbradleybradley]

Mike

No doubt that todays goshiki-showa are a few steps forward of 20 years ago. But guess, what, as far as I can determine, we have not a single goshiki-showa in Australia. And, perhaps, there might never have been one here ever.

An interesting perspective

BB

ps. I tried breeding goshiki-showa this past season, but the babies are too young to see if I have been succesful

[dick benbow]

Bob and kathy on the Olympic penninsula of washington state own a douitsu
goromo showa. In it's younger years it was incredible but as the goromo has darkened it has lost that "cut flower" peak. Still a very rare and unique koi ( female too! ) Goshiki as a breed has really changed over the years, and I just loved it when sakai hiroshima first introduced some goshiki-sanke which i also think are quite unique. I think from a basis of lasting longer the goshiki showa would be more stable than anything that had koromo in it. I always love ai-gotomo and them when everything went sumi goromo, I lost interest cause they were too transisitional. Quess that tendency as a cut flower is
ok as long as you have lots of flowers in the pipeline....LOL

[koiczar]

Dick

Maybe we should look in Flander's Fields - LOL!!

[JasPR]

Mike M, you always come up with such great topics!

And I'm with ya-- kinda---- well, sorta---

Most varieties have improved greatly, no question. Size being an obvious one. But some great varieties have actually gotten worse or are lost to us today.

I hear what you are saying regarding appreciating koi for what they were for the times. And it makes sense. Until you see some fish of old and realize that the numbers are better today but unique excellent individual specimens existed always. It's that genetic roulette wheel and it has a mind of it's own! I think this is especially true when it comes to varieties that are more mutation than selected breeding results.

I'll try and come up with some examples. Stay tuned. Best, JR

[MikeM]

Blasphemy! ... a variety that has gotten worse? Hmmmm....whatcha got in mind?

[JasPR]

Sure, I'll show you a couple. But before that, I have three tosai modern goshiki for your consideration. They were first and second place in a koi show in Japan. What was the year? JR