What makes a good showa?

[lildude]

I have a few basic things down, and basic things of what to look for. but I am still yearning for more.
I am posting the same pictures I posted earlier. I want to see why this koi has potential that I have been told.
What are its strong points.
Here are just a few I think I know.
Good odome
Thick sumi.
Atleast 2 of the colors on the fish's head.

Does it have what one would call, matsunosuke "gin" or matsunosuke "silver"?
Thats about it. I dont know how to detect what sakai san says about silk beni and good shiroji.
Please teach me.
Im sorry for the bad pictures.

Arigato gozaimasu
Thank you.

[RookieKoiGuy]

You will need better pics.
It helps to take them in a blue bowl..
Whats the age of this koi?
Breeder?

Maybe its the pic but it looks like scales might be sticking out a bit.
Tom

[lildude]

Unfortunately these are the pictures I have, so they will have to do.
This is tousai
Breeder: Sakai of Isawa.
I think what you are seeing is the light being bent from the water. As you can see it moved around a lot.

[jnorth]

Lildude please please please get a blue bowl. Even a blue rubbermaid storage container for $5 from Walmart will do. Hard for me to tell from your pics since the koi is thrashing around but the sumi looks thick on the head and it appears to be coming up on the body. On showa it should traditionally have all 3 colors on the head. If the body and quality is there then it doesn't matter much unless of course you take it to a show and go up against one with the same body and quality that has all 3 colors on the head.

[lildude]

Quote: Originally Posted by jnorth Lildude please please please get a blue bowl. Even a blue rubbermaid storage container for $5 from Walmart will do. Hard for me to tell from your pics since the koi is thrashing around but the sumi looks thick on the head and it appears to be coming up on the body. On showa it should traditionally have all 3 colors on the head. If the body and quality is there then it doesn't matter much unless of course you take it to a show and go up against one with the same body and quality that has all 3 colors on the head.

Ok, I will get a blue container from walmart. The next time I am in San Francisco I will go to china town to see if I can't find a real blue container.

[jnorth]

Quote: Originally Posted by lildude Ok, I will get a blue container from walmart. The next time I am in San Francisco I will go to china town to see if I can't find a real blue container.

Thank you!!! You'll find that after you do that you'll get much better photos and a lot more comments on this type of thread.

[RookieKoiGuy]

Quote: Originally Posted by jnorth Thank you!!! You'll find that after you do that you'll get much better photos and a lot more comments on this type of thread.

FOR SURE

[Super Kindai]

Hi, Nice showa.
In my solo opinion, your showa has a good level of beni.......kiwa, evenness, thickness. and also the beni and shiroji have faily good tuya(luster) like a silk --> silky touch/feeling beni --> silk beni (^^)v

a little weak point is..............
attached the pic. it may be easier to find a difference without any fancy color and pattern ?? Good luck!!

[aquitori]

Conventional way of looking at developing Showa get's thrown out the door when it comes to Sakai Isawa Showas...To be completely honest with you I would do as the others have and that's the way of the blue bowl...I saw some in SF China town for $5 for a 18inch tub....plus it is a pale blue not the hard blue of the William Lim tubs.

[dick benbow]

an exciting new marusome showa from sakai-san.

The black is very strong in the koi and you'll notice by the age of three that the black will dominate the pattern. This will draw attention to the white tail tube and will balance out the strong black in the face.

The black in the pecs is pretty tight so I imagine that will pretty much hold it's proportional size with minor expansion.

Follow the marusome in it's advancement in both the black and red. Hopefully it will be a few years yet to see it strongly displayed.

next year at this time when you show another picture of this koi people will oohh and aww over it's tremendously powerful shape and shoulders.

I remember not too many years ago on my trips to visit the challenger, i would buy sanke and ask about showa. He would honestly say he didn't breed very good ones. While that was a modest staement, there is no doubt now that this man's new marusome type are top of the line.

I see some matsunosuke gin in the shoulder ( he bred his sanke into his showa) so that's where that comes from. I also see the start of fukerin in this koi which will be fun to watch develop as it ages. besides the benfits you mention the koi's white is excellent. Like bone china. it is not bright and shiny like the driven snow which could endanger the red. Look at the koi as it is now and make notes of what you see for later compaison's. Look at where the black comes up on the dorsal and what happens to the koi as the black
fills in sumi along the backbone.

If i remember seeing a pic of your pond, it's a liner, no? That's good because
I think the black would come faster in a cement pond and you don't want to rush the inevitible. Do not feed color enhancing food.

While many would wonder how a tosai ( it was culled at one year right) could ever amount to anything, I think a lot are gonna be surprised.

Your job is to provide the best uncrowded top quality water you can make.

While others can teach you certain things, do not under estimate your own ability to learn thry observation. You have a great subject to learn on....