The center of the bloodline records is the female line. This is because of multiple males used in spawning. Out of thousands of babies, only a few are selected. Most of the time, the male is obvious; each male has such different qualities. And great males help create great fish. We are always looking for certain male traits from particular males in our offspring. And this adds to the value of the individual fish. Still, accuracy dictates a female inheritance.

Teisi
Teisi is a Taisho Sanke. She is in class by herself. She combines so many rare qualities. She is 80% Niigata Matsunosuke. And she inherited what is great about this bloodline. Her body is magnificent. At 85 cm she is massive. Her skin is creamy white with glistening fukurin scales. Her sumi is deep. Even at this size and age (she is over 15 years) her black is thick and deep. And some of it is in large patches (which shows that 20% of Sadazo that is part of her genetic heritage). These qualities alone would make Teisi a great brood fish. But what takes Teisi a step further is her hi. There is no way to classify the tint of her hi. It is just hers. We call it Matisse hi or Gaugain hi because that is the only place where we've seen this tint of red. And it is thick, very thick. You can't see the scales. Very few fish have red this thick at her age and size and so unusual in tint... this is what makes Teisi such a unique brood fish.

My Fair Lady (or MFL) MFL is a cross between Teisi and Dom. What makes MFL such an amazing Taisho Sanke brood fish is her length of back. From Teisi, she inherited the long back in the Niigata Matsunosuke style. Though in size (80cm) she seems mature, MFL is actually only seven years old. Her hi and sumi are still finishing. Whether she will inherit Teisi's remarkable hi is still a question mark. But the thickness is all Teisi. Teisi is very much in her genes. But she has some very strong Sadazo characteristics that came from her father. This can be seen in the shape of her face. She has an elegance that is all her own. We may not breed her until next year. She is the future.

Scott's comments When I imagine great Taisho Sankes, I want to see a translucent white. This is the beginning. I like the pectoral fins to be white and creamy and big. I like the Sadazo style face. It's not as powerful as other bloodlines but it has an elegance, a charm. I like my blacks to be solid and thick. I don't like speckles or even circles. And I like a lot of hi. The tint of the hi should not overshadow the other qualities. A lipstick red never works in Taisho Sankes. It is crass. Subtle, bright persimmon shades are much more refined. If you look at MFL, you will see the essence of many of these qualities. If I could improve her, I would overlay Teisi's black patches and the tint of Teisi's hi-- which is perfection.

Magnificat or Maggie
Any lover of Showa Sanke can appreciate the magnificence of this fish. Few Showas have her elegant conformation. Her body shape is perfection. And when you realize that she is over 85cm and only six years old -- you see why her name is Magnificat. She is the ultimate Showa. Adding to this body is a superb quality of the sumi, layered against the glistening perfection of snow white skin. And her sumi is still coming up. She is still maturing. To this is added the brilliance of her red that thickly accentuates the white and black. Nothing surpasses a Kobayashi Showa (except perhaps a Sadazo Sanke) for sheer gorgeousness. These fish when correctly bred capture the eyes of most koi enthusiasts. And Maggie combines the old Kobayashi blood with a modern Showa look and her own incredible body size and style. Great Showas develop slowly, letting the majesty of their colors evolve over the years. And in Maggie will come many great Showas.

Scott's comments I have used three different females for Showa Sanke breeding. I selected Showa broodstock for their icy, crisp white and sumi that was like oil. The separation of hi from black was also an important consideration. I wanted a female that was cleanly defined - hi, sumi, and shirogi. The size of the body was not a primary consideration. I wanted a beautiful Showa with powerful markings. I also have a preference for Showas with Yagozen style faces. As I improved my Showa broodstock, I acquired females with more and more of what I liked. And with Maggie I not only got what I liked but I got much more. She has the separation of color, the crisp, icy white and the Yagozen style face. But she also has much more. She has a magnificent body (hence her name Magnificat), incredible conformation, and a tint of hi that is rare - it is a reddish pink. And because her sumi slowly, ever so slowly, rises to the surface - there is a changing beauty to her offspring. You can watch the sumi take shape across the frame just as the seasons pass across time.

Snow Dream or Sam
Traditionally, Kohakus have been about awesome whites with red highlights. These fish are studies in conformation. The colors red and white are symbols of good fortune. The Japanese decorate weddings with red and white boxes. The tint of the red has never been as important as the shape of the body and the glistening quality of the white. White that shines like snow and turns creamy with age-- that seems to go deep like staring into crystal clear water -- is where the art of breeding Kohaku begins. The greatest bloodlines of Kohaku were (and are) famous for these whites. White the color of purity, the meditation of all - this is Kohaku: red threads on a heavenly fabric of white.

And Snow Dream begins with a great white. It is her Yagozen heritage. Her white is rich and deep. It is thick. And this white is in her offspring. She produces baby after baby with this gleaming white. But Sam, as we call her, is the largest of our brood fish. She is bigger than Maggie and dwarfs most large koi. Already 90 cm, there is no reason to doubt that she will one day surpass a meter, an incredible feat for any kohaku. But study her conformation - it is perfection. The shape of her head, the size of her tail, the length of her back, the awesome pectoral fins - all combine to create the diesel truck of kohakus. Yet as she swims there is an elegance and grace that is more like the Jaguars and BMWs of the world. She is quite a fish.

And if that isn't enough, her "red threads" aren't too shabby. Her red is the tint of bright lipstick. It is the red to die for. And it's two layers thick and still coming up.