how can you tell when hi and sumi are finished?

[mrbradleybradley]

As finished as it will ever be before going into decline

[JasPR]

Really good question.

By the uniform color of the color plate itself
By the crisp finished edges ( kiwa is tight and sashi, if present, is minimal and fixed)
And ultimately by the nature of the skin surrounding the color plate. This is VERY important and often missed like forest thru the trees.

Against these three things, you want to assess the age of the fish, as the older the fish typically the less it is likely to continue to change/improve.
Signs of aging for instance, in the head shape, tarnish, pitting etc tell you that the skin is older as well. Older skin is 'fixed' and color cells are likely fixed along with the 'environment' taht thise color cells live in.
The perpetual tategoi ( smokey unfinished sumi or unorganized beni) is, at a point- hopeless. This is always made obvious by the mature skin that the color sits in.

In the end, young skin is growing, thickening, expanding and developing . At some point, this process comes to completion and the skin is simply maintained. Color BETTER be finished in that process and time line. JR

[HEADACHE6]

JR , I know you have photos of everything when it comes to koi . So , would you have photos of Beni/Sumi that show it still developing and also photos of koi that shows after it has Peak ? Wouldn't need to be the same koi . I think it would be something many of us would like to see side by side .

Troy

[mrbradleybradley]

Quote: Originally Posted by JasPR Really good question. By the uniform color of the color plate itself By the crisp finished edges ( kiwa is tight and sashi, if present, is minimal and fixed) And ultimately by the nature of the skin surrounding the color plate. This is VERY important and often missed like forest thru the trees. Against these three things, you want to assess the age of the fish, as the older the fish typically the less it is likely to continue to change/improve. Signs of aging for instance, in the head shape, tarnish, pitting etc tell you that the skin is older as well. Older skin is 'fixed' and color cells are likely fixed along with the 'environment' taht thise color cells live in. The perpetual tategoi ( smokey unfinished sumi or unorganized beni) is, at a point- hopeless. This is always made obvious by the mature skin that the color sits in. In the end, young skin is growing, thickening, expanding and developing . At some point, this process comes to completion and the skin is simply maintained. Color BETTER be finished in that process and time line. JR

JR

I assume there is a relationship to sex, since males tend to finish younger.

BB

[aquitori]

Quote: Originally Posted by JasPR Really good question. By the uniform color of the color plate itself By the crisp finished edges ( kiwa is tight and sashi, if present, is minimal and fixed) And ultimately by the nature of the skin surrounding the color plate. This is VERY important and often missed like forest thru the trees. Against these three things, you want to assess the age of the fish, as the older the fish typically the less it is likely to continue to change/improve. Signs of aging for instance, in the head shape, tarnish, pitting etc tell you that the skin is older as well. Older skin is 'fixed' and color cells are likely fixed along with the 'environment' taht thise color cells live in. The perpetual tategoi ( smokey unfinished sumi or unorganized beni) is, at a point- hopeless. This is always made obvious by the mature skin that the color sits in. In the end, young skin is growing, thickening, expanding and developing . At some point, this process comes to completion and the skin is simply maintained. Color BETTER be finished in that process and time line. JR

Just wanted to add:
I know while I was in the club, Grant thought us age by the thickness of the lead ray of the pecs.