Thank you Quality Koi

[gjs63]

Thank you Matt and Bob for hosting and showing us their new showa with NEW SHINNY SUMMI. These fish are all male but 1 and will be comming to the Breeders' Show in Maryland. And guess what,,,the females were returned to the mud to continue to grow,,,big surprises waiting in the mud ponds. JS

[MikeM]

Thanks for posting. Nice beni and the sumi appears intense. Because so much is over the red?

... So many koikeepers have ponds in the 4,000 gallon range and want to keep a dozen or more koi. They should really consider keeping males. That Hi Showa with the black surgeon's mask is going to be a striking fish.

[JasPR]

Mike,what do you think the showa's head/face in the last picture? JR

[MikeM]

Well, JR, I wish it was female. But, I'm having some trouble figuring it out. It is a mid-season nisai, so still quite young. Nonetheless, the bone structure of the head has the look of a very young fish... not as fully developed as I would expect at this age/length. The eyes are still a bit protuberant, almost like a 6-month old fish. I can't say if that is good or bad at this stage, because I'm not sure I have seen Showa with this look at this age. I'm not sure what to expect next. My guess is that it's a good thing.

The pigment is exciting. The sumi markings are dramatic and grab the eye. The fish has glistening scales, which show well along the lateral line. We can hope for high lustre as he ages. (That's saying something for a male!) The intensity of the sumi is remarkable. There is some red showing on the right side of its head (away from camera where it is hard to figure out just what it is), and a couple of small spots where the beni is visible, but I'm not seeing the bronze color that usually shows up when sumi overlays red, so it appears to be quite thick, especially for a 14 month old. I like the way the sumi is forming in the white area along the side. I'm not seeing the usual signs of superficial 'baby sumi'. This is the real thing developing. Altogether, an impressive set of genes.

I wish I understood what the baby face tells us about his future body development.

Do we know what day the female siblings are being harvested? I'm hoping it is one of the days I'll be up there.

[JasPR]

No, I don't hear much from Mat any more? Lost the plot myself. JR

[dick benbow]

thanks for posting pics. I was glad to see you posted a picture of Jen and the Kids

[HEADACHE6]

Gotta Love the Lite Blue Tanks of NKF !!!

More Pics. Please ?

[gjs63]

I believe the reason for the light tub was to see if the sumi would fade. I think they were in there overnight, and no fading. This is the best I can do in the photo department, I didn't take too meny pics. I was trying to pay attention to what Matt was saying about the "new sumi" that is my name for it. NKF got some new breeders from Japan and this is the offspring,,,,Maybe someone from NKF will post here to give acurate info ,,,,,this is pretty exciting stuff. JS

[MikeM]

Thanks for photos. The fish look good, but then when you look at the one where they are in the shadow of the tank, you realize how much sun saturation is washing out the photo. The color intensity is best seen in the shadow. Really nice pigment. Definitely male pond time.

[JasPR]

Nice quality fish no doubt.
your comments Mike do beg the question- what is the best sumi? Young male sumi ? Young surface sumi? Young surface sumi with high luster? Deep hidden as of yet sumi? I think that in these cases, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And it is only the hardcore or maybe the dreamers that look for more. Nothing wrong with a young what you see is what you get fish- especially if they are finished well.
I was once a koi snob. Loved the idea of the hidden holy grail. And would disregard anything with no future. But then there were those uncomfortable moments of realizing that the story of 'The Emperor with no clothes' was a story written about perpetual tategoi! I must have come full circle now. I like small highly finished male fish as much as hot female tategoi. And to me there is no such thing as tategoi males or Jumbo tosai produced from entire spawns( as least as indicators of future value) Maybe now, finally, after judging so many shows, I get it. Maybe.
By the way Mike, Your Sanke is THE best domestic fish I have ever seen. That is a fish that many would not understand right off. And maybe that is unfair as the Amercian eye has come a really long way over the past five years or so. But if anyone wants to understand really good koi, look past the color ( color finish) and the pattern ( do look to see that the pattern flows over the whole fish) and look to the body of the fish. A fish with deformities is of no value. Mike's sanke has THE body line of the very best grade of koi. The head is perfect with only one dimension as opposed to a compound head. The tail tube is to die for. The bodyline is long strong and full. This is all credited to the shoulder and bone structure. The skin is coming in as promised and the color is the last element to arrive- all going scarily towards a remarkable finished project. I'm thrilled and hope you own my dollar at some point Mike.

Your point and shot judge Jim.