Conformation

[Russell Peters]

Post your thoughts on the conformation of the Showa.

[Russell Peters]

This was a Showa from a Toshio Sakai seminar in 2008.

[rainblood]

Fine you pansies, I'll go first and take the lumps

IF the picture is dead center, the left side looks a tad bulgy.
Its got the classic torpedo/cigar shape. Broad shoulders with a big mouth.
Tail tube looks like it could be a little small, but that may be due to pic.

I don't really know what else to look for/at

[Joey S]

Hmmm....I love showas so I'll showa my ignorance. I thought it had a nice thick tale tube. Nice and broad although I appreciate the thinner lines of a male. I notice what seems to be a little pinched in, right at the pecs on both sides. Should the pecs be just a bit longer? They look a little stubby in the pic. But really a beauty.

[andres58]

..... a bit pinched by shoulder.....peduncle is very nice and thick.... head a little long...looks like a male.

[Joey S]

..... a bit pinched by shoulder.....peduncle is very nice and thick.... head a little long...looks like a male.

Jorge, I would never have thought male.

[powerman]

I think it is quite likely a female and for this age of a koi, it has a very nice body shape...wide face and mouth.....for showa I always look to make sure the head is not bent and it isn't..the slight difference in the body shape on the one side compared to the other , I attribute to the round bowl and only one picture ...another pic or video would tell more...but i like the wide face and mouth...the way the body stays strong all the way to the tail tube and I think it has potential to grow to a good size..
I will say that from the picture it appears that one pec fin is smaller than the other...but again that might just be the picture ...so if the pecs is just a visual distortion from the camera angle, I'd say a very nice koi and I like the confirmation....
EXCEPT.... I THINK ONE OF THE BARBELS IS IN THE WRONG PLACE....AND THAT'S AN OOPS.... so I would like to look closer at the mouth....

[nebriowa]

Here is my amateur opinion:

Negatives-It appears as though the positioning of the right and left pecs are uneven (the right pec starts back a little more), the body is a little uneven on the sides behind the dorsal fin. Both could be because of the pic.

Positives-Large head with wide set eyes and large mouth. Good ratio between head size to overall length. Large pecs and good peduncle. The caudal fin looks a little short, so it makes me think the tail tube will only get thicker as the koi ages. Looks like a female to me. When looking at the overall body shape, it appears that the widest part of the fish is way behind the shoulders, and I have read somewhere that koi with this body type have the ability to grow very long/large.

To me the conformation is excellent/great, and definitely way above average.

[Joey S]

Powerman, I didn't notice the barbel until you mentioned it. You must have really examined the photo.

Nebriowa, I also noticed this: "it appears that the widest part of the fish is way behind the shoulders, and I have read somewhere that koi with this body type have the ability to grow very long/large." I was thinking about just that fact after my comments - that some Japanese breeders are going all out for bigger bodies and exceptional growth/length. Maybe this is a short run consequence of that breeding, if it's there at all.

[Russell Peters]

This is the only other picture I took of this Showa and I am sorry that this is the case.

[rainblood]

Ok, I'll take it. Let me know where to send the $25, thanks.

[Russell Peters]

BTW, Koi should have 4 barbels and distortions happen in pictures. Take a look at the barbels in the second pic. The right one doesn't look like it is in the same place as the first picture

[Russell Peters]

Ok, I'll take it. Let me know where to send the $25, thanks.

It's been living in Spokane fro a little over 3 years now.

[rainblood]

It's been living in Spokane fro a little over 3 years now.

You sold my fish?

[rainblood]

It's been living in Spokane fro a little over 3 years now.

Well, it must be a helluva fish to be in Spokane

[cindy]

Whats up with the dorsal fin? pink and looks a little thick in the picture?

[powerman]

ok that is why pictures aren't the best way to judge a koi or buy a koi....in the first pic it looks like the left pec is smaller but in the second pic you can see that it isn't...in the first pic the barbels look off and misplaced but in the second pic you can see they are ok.... so with all that being said I'll go with the rest of my comments that the koi has a very nice body shape for a koi of it's age and it looks to have the potential to grow large... what is the age of the koi when the pics were taken... It was a tosai, correct....and for a tosai it is nice and powerful looking...I hope you are going to have the owner send an updated picture

[Russell Peters]

..... a bit pinched by shoulder.....peduncle is very nice and thick.... head a little long...looks like a male.

No, the head is perfect and it is 100% female. Just out of curiosity, what lead you to believe it was a male? The pinched thing I understand as most people aren't used to seeing Koi like this.

[Russell Peters]

I think it is quite likely a female and for this age of a koi, it has a very nice body shape...wide face and mouth.....for showa I always look to make sure the head is not bent and it isn't..the slight difference in the body shape on the one side compared to the other , I attribute to the round bowl and only one picture ...another pic or video would tell more...but i like the wide face and mouth...the way the body stays strong all the way to the tail tube and I think it has potential to grow to a good size..
I will say that from the picture it appears that one pec fin is smaller than the other...but again that might just be the picture ...so if the pecs is just a visual distortion from the camera angle, I'd say a very nice koi and I like the confirmation....
EXCEPT.... I THINK ONE OF THE BARBELS IS IN THE WRONG PLACE....AND THAT'S AN OOPS.... so I would like to look closer at the mouth....

Dan , you made some very good observations and I am glad you took the "picture effect" into consideration.

[Russell Peters]

Here is my amateur opinion:

Negatives-It appears as though the positioning of the right and left pecs are uneven (the right pec starts back a little more), the body is a little uneven on the sides behind the dorsal fin. Both could be because of the pic.

Positives-Large head with wide set eyes and large mouth. Good ratio between head size to overall length. Large pecs and good peduncle. The caudal fin looks a little short, so it makes me think the tail tube will only get thicker as the koi ages. Looks like a female to me. When looking at the overall body shape, it appears that the widest part of the fish is way behind the shoulders, and I have read somewhere that koi with this body type have the ability to grow very long/large.

To me the conformation is excellent/great, and definitely way above average.

For an amatuer I am very impressed. Your first comments are an issue only with the picture. The Showa is way above average in fact, it is a close to perfect conformation as you will ever see. It's a shame we don't see more Koi oike this in the US. Not seeing them makes us feel that there is something wrong with them when we do see them. Compared to what most are used to seeing this is unusual.
A comment was made about the Sanke in another thread having too big a hump but, if you compare this Showa to that Sanke, there are a lot of similarities, including the hump, which is harder to see in the Showa.