This Goshiki Showa was unreal.
The way the Koi are laid out in the hall is really convenient. There are four main sections. The first has the smaller Koi, the second has the medium sized Koi, the third has the largest Koi and finally you have the area that all of the major winners go after the judging. You can actually walk up and down each isle of each section and keep track of what you have seen.
This GR Matsukawabake was one of the Koi in the 65BU group that we judged. There were 6 others but this one stood out so we awarded it 1st place. The skin was so nice and the Shiroji was glowing. The others paled in comparison. Later on, when we ran into Masaru Hosokai we asked him if any of his Koi were entered in the show. He brought us over to this tank. When I told him the story about the judging he was very excited, and humble, about the news. It was nice to see the look on his face when he knew his work was so appreciated. Notice the Goshiki as well.
One of the things I really enjoy about learning, in Japan, is the feeling they have for Koi especially when judging. In the Standard rule for judging it says "Each judge should make his / her decisions based on body conformation, coloration, pattern, quality, character, dignity and overall look." It takes in the whole and doesn't focus on the smaller details, or flaws, as we are taught here. You learn to appreciate the effect a Koi, and it's presence, can have on you.
Koi can not be perfect if you study them by their defects. We can always find something "wrong" with a Koi but, is that really the point? Red on the eye, a window in the Beni, no tail stop, too much tail stop, no Moto Guro, an imbalance in the Moto Guro, no balanced Kohaku pattern, the list goes on. When I saw this Showa it brought all of this up in my mind. This Showa has a window on it's shoulder but it took first place in its size at the best Koi show in the world.
Go back through all of the pictures I have posted and see how many of these so called "defects" you can find and then, once you know they are there, ask yourself if it really matters.
Last edited by Russell Peters; 01-30-2011 at 06:48 AM.