3 DAIEI SHOWA by KOIMAN

This koi is unusual.
Firstly, young koi advertised 'for sale' in Koi magazines, normally do not improve to a great degree and never win such a big prize as this showa. (Real TATEGOI should be kept by the farmers and sold when YONSAI or GOSAI)
Secondly, normally any KOI that wins best in size at the All Japan Show, in small to middle size, should be at it's peak, with no possible room for improvement. However for it to reappear 2years later showing remarkable improvement is virtually unheard of.

This is an unusual specimen for us to use as an example, but it can illustrate for us the progress and improvements possible from a NISAI.

1. NISAI 36cm advert photo from DAIEI KOI FARM (NIGATA SHIOZAWA)

1.As I have said previously we should not estimate the quality of sumi on KASANEZUMI (sumi on red), if there is only KASANEZUMI, we will have to guess the quality from the surface or from inside of body.
Actually it is always hard to check the quality of SUMI when it is KASANEZUMI. But it certainly had jet-black sumi with full TSUYA & TERI.
Also please look hard at the photo, it had very small jet-black sumi on the white at the root of the dorsal fin. (Can you see it?)
2.55cm 31st (1999)All Japan KOI SHOW best in 55Bu owned by SADAO KAWAMURA (MIYAGI)
There is still a lot of KAGEZUMI (shadow sumi) and sumi that is almost finished on the KASANEZUMI parts. But if you check the sumi on the face and tail (near end of dorsal fin) some sumi is already established on white skin with the same quality (TSUYA & TERI) as the KASANEZUMI parts. Also there is beautiful MOTOGURO (just concentrated in the center of pectoral fin but no black main bone) This guarantees the other KAGEZUMI parts
will become established in the near future.

C.70cm 2001 All CHIBA pref. KOI SHOW best mature KOI owned by SADAO SAITO (CHIBA
.

Perfect! I can't believe it!

*At HINPYOKAI (KOI SHOWS in Japan) all judges check the quality of SUMI strictly and they prefer real SUMI over sumi that has established unintentionally.
It should be jet black and not see through type.

*With kind permission of KINSAI SHUPPAN.
All photo from NISHIKIGOI monthly.