JUDGING STANDARDS maria hayward
The texts of Tancho both ancient and modern
Koi Appreciation; the First Step, K McGill
Page 60: “A koi with a distinctive, usually round, marking on the head in a colour that does not appear anywhere else on the body.”
Manual to Nishikigoi, T, Kuroki Page 155: “A koi with a round Hi marking on the head but no other Hi markings on the body is defined as ‘Tancho’. For example, a koi with a round head, Hi and red lips is not ‘Tancho’. It is to be grouped in the Kohaku. A koi with a round head Hi which slightly spreads over the shoulders cannot be called Tancho either.”
Living Jewels, R Watt As you can see the spot comes away from the head
Page 57: “The Tancho must be confined to the head and may not touch or extend over eyes, lips, cheeks or shoulder.”
Nichirin
“If another Hi marking, even a small spot, is found on the body or lips besides a round head Hi, it should be called ‘maruten’ or ‘kuchibeni’, not grouped in the Tancho class.”
Nishikigoi Mondo
Pages 85 and 86: When describing “Hi Kabuto with tohi (head hi) stretching to the shoulder…” Nishikigoi Mondo states that: “While all of these Nishikigoi exhibited interesting head patterns they would be evaluated as Kohaku, not Tancho.”
This photo was taken at this year’s Interkoi Show. Here the pattern is just going onto the body
hypothetical tolerance, as nobody actually recalls seeing it in a show ring or discussing it at meetings. Certainly nothing was ever mentioned during my training period and yet my response on being asked was to affirm that I considered it a legitimate pattern. Quite how I came by this notion is a complete mystery as every book that has covered Tancho from Kuroki onwards clearly states that kuchibeni is not permitted. However, we (the BKKS) are united in viewing any other beni pattern on the head as undesirable and a case for a serious demerit.
AKCA
It was never about who was right or wrong, it was about
sharing information and understanding each others point of view
48 KOI CARP
Kuchibeni No Body hi
Body Hi
It would be natural to assume that the BKKS developed their tolerance for kuchibeni from being isolated from other koi societies, but if that was the cause then you would equally imagine that beni on the body would have been accepted too. However, it isn’t – it’s just tolerated (in
small amounts) and treated as a demerit, and not just by the BKKS.
I knew that the ZNA frowned on this as far back as 2003, due again to Vincent Chiu. He once queried a photo I had sent him of a UK Tancho class winner where beni was visible on the body. I justified it by stating that we only consider it a demerit, and that it was only just on the first row of scales. Vincent’s logic was: “There are no scales on the head, therefore a koi with beni on the scales can never be classed as a Tancho”. You can’t be clearer than that. However, Vincent was at pains to point out that the focus should not just be on the word scales; the key word was body as this was essential when viewing Doitsu Tanchos but just as applicable to borderline Wagois.
To elaborate his point he resorted to basic physiology – the skull and spine. In his words “The Tancho mark had to appear over the skull and nowhere else”. Again, this was a clear and concise statement that leaves no room for doubt.
in summary
Unlike kuchibeni where we Brits are out on a limb, body hi is treated differently in other societies. AKCA concurs with us (demerit), SAKKS sticks to the original ZNA principles (rebench). ZNA say ‘rebench’ but recent evidence suggests they are more tolerant in practise. The 2009 ZNA All Japan Show showed some questionable benchings, as did the 2010 Interkoi show staged by KLAN, the German Chapter of the ZNA.
Our email debate’s objectives were very clear. It was never about who was right or wrong, it was about sharing information and understanding each others point of view. After the email debate drew to its conclusion I contacted Bryan Bateman, an AKCA judge to get his point of view, and to find out the opinions of the AKCA. Bryan brought in two other AKCA judges – Gallen Hansen and Charles Phelps – for final confirmation. He also extended the invitation to James Reilly of the US ZNA to get a complete contribution from the USA. The final analysis can be seen in this table:
BKKS SAKKS ZNA ZNA-USA Yes
No No (Yes1) (Yes2) No No
No No
(1) Only to the first row of scales. (2) Not beyond the second row of scales.
final point
Before I end this article I think it’s important to point out that the ZNA have, in recent years, added Tancho Goshiki to the Tancho Class.
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