A tale of two sanke begins..

**dick benbow** · 01-08-2013

Haiku is an ancient form of japanese poetry that reached it's heights in the 17th and 18th century, tho it is still appreciated to this day. There is brevity of wording and the likes of folks like Basho and kenko over the decades were well respected for their work.

Here's one from basho that koi keeoers could appreciate....

loath to let spring go,
birds cry and even fishes'
eyes are wet with tears

**Lam Nguyen** · 01-08-2013

Thank you for sharing these two wonderful SFF sanke with us. It's amazing what breeders see in these two koi that would justify why one would cost twice as much as the other. I agree with Mike in that the bodies of these two sanke are very different with one having much higher potential for growth than the other. The sanke with the heavy sumi will look very powerful and imposing and the body and skin quality will complement it well when it reaches 70+ cm. While I love both sanke and can only dream of having them swim in my pond, if I had to choose one, the one with the heavy sumi and Matsunosuke-looking body would be my first choice.

Thank you also for sharing your pond dimensions with us. Your pond is lovely and is everything that I envision in mine. More and more, I am starting to learn that having a bigger pond does not directly correlate to bigger koi. Rather, it's the little things that we do day in and day out that goes a long way to having healthy koi with good growth. The devil's in the detail, isn't it?

Beautiful sanke, Erns! And the karashigoi is a beast!

**redman** · 01-09-2013

Both are fantastic! The beni on the maruten looks awesome, very sharp, but I like the one with more sumi on it. It is very well balanced and pleasing to the eye. I really wish I could own such beautiful koi. Someday I hope.

**Erns** · 05-20-2013

a quick update.

Marutne Sanke now 63cm. Nice sumi movement.

Heavy sumi Sanke now 65cm. Fantastic body line.

No flash on the camera so the color is a bit under exposed.

**dick benbow** · 05-20-2013

probably too influenced by the japanese art of tokonoma display where less is more.....The maruten is catching up nicely with it's sumi. That's just personal taste. I'm sure if the truth were known the majority would be happy with either one. I really think it's grand that you have two very different types to watch evolve.

**Erns** · 05-21-2013

Originally Posted by dick benbow

probably too influenced by the japanese art of tokonoma display where less is more.....The maruten is catching up nicely with it's sumi. That's just personal taste. I'm sure if the truth were known the majority would be happy with either one. I really think it's grand that you have two very different types to watch evolve.

Thanks Dick. At the moment I can't enjoy them as they are still with my dealer to be shown at our national show in July. After that they will come home and I can enjoy them. However - before they will come home I need to fit a RDF filter I have on order and I can't wait to see how removing the waste every 30min or so will do to my water quality!

But you are right - I am very fortunate to have these two pieces to grow on and enjoy! Thanks for commenting.

**MikeM** · 05-23-2013

They are looking very good, Erns. The angle of the photo makes the larger one seem to have a short head, but I do not think that could be accurate over so few months.

I understand what Dick means about 'less is more', but I still prefer the the larger one with the heavier sumi. The large blocks of sumi give her an atmosphere of boldness. I hope your judges do not nitpick over the sumi on her head.

Will they be shown in the same tank?

**Erns** · 05-23-2013

Originally Posted by MikeM

They are looking very good, Erns. The angle of the photo makes the larger one seem to have a short head, but I do not think that could be accurate over so few months.

I understand what Dick means about 'less is more', but I still prefer the the larger one with the heavier sumi. The large blocks of sumi give her an atmosphere of boldness. I hope your judges do not nitpick over the sumi on her head.

Will they be shown in the same tank?

Thanks Mike. Yes - for our national show I have only these two fish going so they will show in the same vat. It's just to be part of the national show for once. At our local show in September I will have around 3 vats and then I won't have them in the same vat. I always try not to have fish in the same size together in a vat. Looking forward to both events at this stage. I'e had some good results this summer with my growons so it will be interesting to see what our judges say.