Saturday, July 21, 2012

Japanese Ranchu...Sunshine on some cloudy days....

As human as we can be, our lives are full of challenges and with responsibilities of work coupled with family matters, many a time we are bogged down and need outlets to "De-Stress". Ranchu keeping is a healthy avenue to spend some quiet time away from all the "hustle bustle" of daily living and have been my main stay in relieving some of the daily stress of life. I like to share the development of one of my young 2012 Tosai. I wish I can share more...maybe after another week or two...

Friday, July 6, 2012

Beauty In The Eyes of the Beholder....

Large and strong Tosai of very good deportment. The overline and underline are well defined. The Head and Body girth are... "Tosai pronounced and Tosai developed". The Back is strong and "Tosai wide". The Body is medium long and the Body through the Back is straight. The Eyes setting are correct and the Head is long. The Peduncle is thick and the  Tube is well rounded. Large and well balanced Tail and the Tail is sitting on a very good sized Oza. The Tail seat is deep and there is a slight roach. The Tail shoulders are strong and flexible. The Tail is big, but not overly large and symetrical. Overall good colour definition and the colour on the Pectoral Fins are present. The Scalings are small and harmoniously laid.


General Overview ......A large, strong Tosai with very good balance. The fish swim powerfully and the sequential of strokes are rhythmic and correct. This fish have potential for further developement. The slight roach on the back and the deep tail seating need further consideration.


Critiques are very important for the advancement of ranchus. One must learn to critique ranchu and not criticize ranchu. Last Year All Japan Ranchu Show yielded a very exciting and beautiful group of Tosai winners. I like to share how sometime with a bit of imagination and passion and in my little sketch book, I try expressing in words my feeling about the ranchu that I am viewing. Please note ..it is just my imagination running a bit wild and it is also something I like to do in my free time...it is just my little expression. Also please note... I may be wrong in my critique and as I always maintain... "I am just a student of ranchu".


The video clip of the swimming was taken from this youtube video posted by a Japanese hobbyist....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch7wEBQAZR0&feature=channel_video_title


Footnote: Tosai wide, Tosai pronounced etc etc are just terms which I feel is the maximum that the fish as a Tosai can have...like some seniors ever mentioned...a Tosai should look like a Tosai...basically let say a Tosai have a headgrowth like an oya...then as it gets older...there isn't much room for further developement.