Level of difficulty regarding different koi varieties.

[PapaBear]

This year we got the spawn we were hoping for, as we wanted to see what luck we might have getting a few decent Sanke from the backyard puddle. (I know, backyard breeders only get lucky once in several million, but it's a fun and educational exercise in futility nonetheless)
We have several Kohaku males from excellent Japanese stock and an Aka Bekko female (my avatar pic) with outstanding Sumi. We assumed there would be plenty of bekko, a few Kohaku, and hopefully several Sanke to play with. Plenty of Bekko to be certain, quite a few Kohaku as well, but Sanke... precious few. Pretty much the same results we had several years ago with a Sanke Female and Bekko males. Oh well. At least we got a few to play with

[MikeM]

Every breeder seems to agree that Sanke are the most difficult. I think this needs to be understood in the context of expectations ... what the market of hobbyists and judges expect, and what the breeder seeks to accomplish. A Sanke of modest accomplishment remains more refined that an Ochiba Shigure, albeit an Ochiba of high accomplishment for that variety. When it comes to Sanke, the goal is a Kohaku with strategically located lacquer sumi that elevates the Sanke to a higher plane. All the conformation, quality and pattern issues of Kohaku, plus all the complicating problems of the sumi quality, finish, balance and position. It is more than simply increased complexity, IMO. It is the belief in the dream... that Sanke should excel... confronting the reality of randomness in koi genetics. The breeder has the challenge of unpredictability of tosai development, complicated by sumi that comes, goes and "moves", and the hobbyist/judge has the expectation that it will all finish at the same time. With Showa we have a lesser expectation, and forgive much that would not be forgiven in Sanke. JMO.