Swimming...A Great Engineering Feat!!

It is so common nowaday to hear hobbyists exclaiming that the ranchu is "A Great Engineering Feat" and I fully agree. Ranchu is "man made"... where over the 100 odd years, the dorsal fin is genetically bred out of the fish. The main purpose of the dorsal fin is to stabilize the fish against rolling and to assist in sudden turns. Against this "no dorsal fin" backdrop, to really appreciate and understand how a ranchu managed to keep its balance and yet abled to swim gracefully and with much power and vigour, like to share how I look into the mechanics behind the swimming.

I reckon one way...very simple and very basic way to understand how a ranchu swim.....is to visualize ranchu swimming as one where one ride a bicycle without a handlebar.

If we ride a bicycle without a handlebar, we must change the whole concept of delivery ....where the grip of power lies and how using those muscles in the legs and lower body, one try to steer the bicycle forward and meanwhile maintain balance without falling over. In a nutshell imagining riding a bicycle without handlebar is as close to what I can as a human try to comprehend and feel how a ranchu swim "without a dorsal fin"...my apology if I sound too animalistic.
 

 

Keeping in mind how one ride a bicycle without a handle bar, we can try visualizing ranchu swimming(without a dorsal fin)...where the concertration of energy/power lies in order to propel the fish forward with much grace and power. Similarly to how one ride a bicycle without a handlebar, the iniation of the ranchu swimming movement begin from the back of the ranchu, gathering power and transmitting through the peduncle and finally spreading out onto the tail. That is why(IMHO) we always emphasize ranchu must have a strong back, good body girth and a good sized peduncle and if the ranchu have the desired proportion/balance and coupled with a good tail with the correct setting...lo and behold we have a "great engineering feat" swimming in front of our eyes.

Below is a video of Japanese Master Chihiro Kudou and his fishes...I enjoy watching the developement of his ranchu swimming.....

Oozeki Annual Ranchu Show...1st January 2013

It was a beautiful day to start the journey with bright sunshine and a fresh breeze after yesterday torrential rain. Hong Lim Park is just a stone throw from my office and with recent developement of a top end hotel just across the road, I sincerely hope the nostalgic atmosphere and freshness of the park admist all those high rise buildings can remain and be preserved to be continously enjoyed by users from all walks of life.

With last year Oozeki competition images in mind, I was looking forward to see further developement of last year fishes and of course the much anticipated inputs of fresh fishes that the club members breed themselves and specimens from their group buy for their annual "grow-out" event. These fishes are mainly shown in the Tosai class and add much freshness and excitement to their members and to us spectators/hobbyists attending as guests to this great event.

There were only two classes on display...Tosai and Nisai classes totalling about 70 bowls. From last year Oozeki Competition, it was revealed that the club suffered some losses of their adult fishes which were kept at the Club's farm and subsequently, the Oya Class for this year competition was shelved. Nevertheless from
the vast entries in this year Nisai Class,next year Oya Class will be very interesting.

These are some of the winning fishes....

Tosai Class

Nisai Class

I thoroughly enjoyed the kindred atmosphere and met a few hobbyists that I finally can put a name to their faces. It was also a great learning experience talking ranchu with Alvin, the Club President and also to Wee Yap who did a few "live" demo on some fishes showing certain traits and faults that we as breeders have to look out for. Looking forward to next year Oozeki Annual Competition.