Gin Rin Showa Development

The last of Martin’s koi I wanted to take a look at in closer detail was this gin rin showa bred by Marushin and imported by Queni Koi.

Martin told me that he selected this from a pond of some 100 pieces because it simply ‘stood out‘ to him, he particularly liked the placement of the beni.

It’s worth noting that this was an inexpensive purchase...

The koi was imported by Queni Koi back in 2018 and the first photo was taken at 20cm. Now at 55cm (and female) we can see once again how a change in size can have a huge impact on the visual composition of a koi. This seems a running theme in all of the koi I have featured recently, but I shall say it again...

- don’t underestimate the simple addition of size! Location 1 indicates the quality of the beni, which is consistent throughout, the sashi and kiwa now showing signs of refinement also. If you look closely at the left shot, the koi had caught it’s head, scratching the beni, in the right shot we can see this has fully filled in...a very good sign indeed. Hopefully the white skin on the face will brighten in time, sometimes a harder attribute to achieve with gin rin go-sanke. The sumi spot on the head has stayed the same size and no more sumi has appeared just yet, but there’s no rush!

Location 2 demonstrates how the sumi has started to thicken and it looks to be of good quality. Not only that, but one of the highlights of this koi is the placement of the sumi, which compliments the beni placement rather nicely as well. Although there’s not yet further progress towards the front end of the koi, all the signs are there that sumi should appear. There’s some on the top of the head and right cheek and also some inside the mouth, upon inspection. There’s sumi on the right shoulder and wrapping up the right flank slightly further back. So there’s definitely scope. In my experience, gin rin sanke and showa tend to be quite slow burning when it comes to sumi development, but I don‘t think this is a reason to be put off. If anything it means you can enjoy the process for longer!

Location 3 indicates to the change in volume of the koi, looking at the left shot one might believe that the koi has little chance of ever developing a strong frame. The right shot shows the opposite. Now 55cm the koi has a very powerful body and it gives the koi an imposing presence, making it appear bigger than it is. Also note how the increase in volume has expanded the areas of white ground, giving the pattern more ‘breathing room’ and actually making it more attractive.

Location 4 shows us how the tail tube has thickened and also adds to the impression of power. I really like the balance of beni, shiroji and sumi here, it’s very pleasing to the eye. It looks as if there might be slightly more flesh on the left side of the tail tube, this could however be an illusion caused by the sumi present here (or just the position). Time will tell, as it will either cause a physical issue as the koi grows, or it won’t.

Overall this koi has made really fantastic progress and when you consider that is was also rather cheap, one has to tip the hat to Martin for finding it and to Queni Koi for making it available. In my opinion this is a koi I would now develop with a close eye on the body. It’s not a koi I would push hard for growth as the head and shoulder ratio could become problematic, making her too ‘thick.‘ However, if she can stay as streamline as possible, with the addition of some more lovely sumi, I think Martin will have a very attractive koi and at a serious bargain too!

Thanks to Martin for allowing me to do the feature and Mike Hughes @ Queni Koi for the Tosai shot.