For young asagi, you want to get a very pale colored one (they darken as they age) and one with just a touch of red showing in the pec fins and tail. The red will deveope as they age, so if it has a lot of red on it now, it may have too much on it later. It must also have nice even scalation. Yellowish head on a youngster is OK if the nose is white. If the nose is not white, then the head may never turn white.
This was written bu Art Lembke and posted on Koishack (
Selecting Koi for Show or for Pond and How They are Judged by Art Lembke - KoiShack )
ASAGI/SHUSUI
Asagi and Shusui are blue Koi with a scale reticulation in a darker blue. The wagoi (scaled) variety is the Asagi and the doitsu variety is the Shusui. The Shusui can have a row of dark scales along the back or it may have no scales at all. Red normally appears on the sides of the body, sides of the head, pectorals and fins. Pectorals can appear as motoaka with red joints against the body or full red fins. Both are acceptable if balanced. Wagoi is preferred for the three dimensions of scale presentation. The Asagi, as long as it is good, always beats the Shusui. So, if buying for Show think Asagi.
The head should be a clean white or slightly bluish white. It should not be yellow or cloudy. The sides of the head look best if framed evenly in Hi from side to side. The nose should be white. This is generally an indication that the head will stay nice. If the nose is cloudy then the head is more likely to become cloudy.
Pectorals can be all red or have motoaka. The tail can be clear or red. Again, it is all about balance or power. Hi on the sides of the fish are different for the two types. On Asagi, the red on the side should come up to the lateral line and stop. It should not go into the netting pattern on the top. The dorsal fin can be clear or red. On Shusui, the red can come just up to the lateral line. It can also come up past the lateral line and stop before the dorsal, or all the way up and include the dorsal. The most popular is the second, where we see the red above the lateral line but not to the dorsal. On Shusui, the pattern of red should be balanced. If dorsal scales are present on the Shusui, they should be evenly placed in matched sets all the way along the top ridge. We sometimes refer to this as the rack. The rack should be even, all dark blue, and have no waste scales, or Mudo Scales, outside the rack. When this is perfect, the Shusui has a chance of beating an Asagi, but not often. Want to show in this class? Buy Asagi.
On Asagi, the netting pattern of blue is very important on the back. It should have no scars. Scars are very visible on this pattern. The netting should go all the way up to the shoulder crease and be even. The coloration should be even throughout the net and background blue color. The areas between the scales will have almost a fukurin glow on high class Asagi. Gin Rin scales scattered on the back of an Asagi can be very distracting. Gin Rin Asagi are becoming available, but mostly for foreign markets, not for show. One scale cannot carry that many things (blue, net, gin, etc.). Gin just distracts from the net.
Be careful with Asagi and Shusui as they grow. They can get speckled with shimi or Jyami as they get older, especially in hard water. Over time, Asagi and Shusui do better in soft water.
The collectors joke about Asagi a lot because it is not a contender for Grand Champion; however, a truly high class Asagi is a beautiful fish and can be pricey.
09-24-2007
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