Here is a Post from "Koi Guru " Mike McMahon, on the Origins of Sanke.
I came across an old interview of Isematsu Takano, who was breeding koi in Niigata in 1917 at the age of 19. He descibed the initial development of the Sanke. A breeder named Heitaro Sato is said to have first developed Sanke, but it was not intentional. In fact, he was embarassed by them as indicating that his Kohaku had inferior blood. So, the Sanke were not simply culled, but buried. Mokubei Sato saw some and liked them. He insisted on buying the parents, which he did for 60 yen. Hethen sold the parents to Gunnokichi Aoki for 70 yen.
These parent fish looked like Kohaku, but threw Sanshoku. But, the sumi was not the sumi of today. It was greenish blue. Takano described them as having markings like a Goshiki: "His Taisho Sanshoku had blue markings which were more beautiful than today's Taisho Sanshoku. They were like candles with flower patterns." Then a male parent died, and as was the custom of the time, the remaining parents were deemed incapable of producing anything worthwhile. They were sold to Eizaburo Hoshino for 210 yen.
Surprisingly to breeders of the day, Hoshino added not another Kohaku to the parent group, but a Shiro Bekko. His koi became popular and the modern Sanke line was born.
I've found this slice of history interesting, and wanted to share it. It tells something about how preconceptions limit possibilities, and different views of beauty. Today Shiro Bekko is a cull from Sanke breeding, but truly was a parent of Sanke. But, it was not a cross of Shiro Bekko with any Kohaku. She was a Kohaku that threw greenish blue flower patterns among her young. It also lets us know that we have missed out on something. Takano, who was 88 years old when interviewed, says introducing Shiro Bekko degraded the original Sanshoku and that the greenish blue sumi of the original has never re-appeared. Perhaps this wishing for the beauty forever lost is just an old man's wish for what never really was. But, perhaps not. It may have been superior in its unique way. Just not what we think of as Sanke today. If only the millions of culls could be grown to see what could be that one rare new variety, but it cannot be.
I'm curious whether Sanke breeders ever see some throwbacks to that old maternal line type of sumi. But, in young fish it might look like bad sumi or a bad Goshiki/Goromo and get culled.
Yes they do have have all colors in the rainbow. I am also suspecting that the older lines of Sanke were not so problematical, despite being less genetically refined compared to Kohaku, but that the re-introduction of magoi genes to obtain size and conformation has greatly reduced the success rate.
Original Thread : http://www.koi-bito.com/forum/main-forum/1342-developing-sanke.html
I came across an old interview of Isematsu Takano, who was breeding koi in Niigata in 1917 at the age of 19. He descibed the initial development of the Sanke. A breeder named Heitaro Sato is said to have first developed Sanke, but it was not intentional. In fact, he was embarassed by them as indicating that his Kohaku had inferior blood. So, the Sanke were not simply culled, but buried. Mokubei Sato saw some and liked them. He insisted on buying the parents, which he did for 60 yen. Hethen sold the parents to Gunnokichi Aoki for 70 yen.
These parent fish looked like Kohaku, but threw Sanshoku. But, the sumi was not the sumi of today. It was greenish blue. Takano described them as having markings like a Goshiki: "His Taisho Sanshoku had blue markings which were more beautiful than today's Taisho Sanshoku. They were like candles with flower patterns." Then a male parent died, and as was the custom of the time, the remaining parents were deemed incapable of producing anything worthwhile. They were sold to Eizaburo Hoshino for 210 yen.
Surprisingly to breeders of the day, Hoshino added not another Kohaku to the parent group, but a Shiro Bekko. His koi became popular and the modern Sanke line was born.
I've found this slice of history interesting, and wanted to share it. It tells something about how preconceptions limit possibilities, and different views of beauty. Today Shiro Bekko is a cull from Sanke breeding, but truly was a parent of Sanke. But, it was not a cross of Shiro Bekko with any Kohaku. She was a Kohaku that threw greenish blue flower patterns among her young. It also lets us know that we have missed out on something. Takano, who was 88 years old when interviewed, says introducing Shiro Bekko degraded the original Sanshoku and that the greenish blue sumi of the original has never re-appeared. Perhaps this wishing for the beauty forever lost is just an old man's wish for what never really was. But, perhaps not. It may have been superior in its unique way. Just not what we think of as Sanke today. If only the millions of culls could be grown to see what could be that one rare new variety, but it cannot be.
I'm curious whether Sanke breeders ever see some throwbacks to that old maternal line type of sumi. But, in young fish it might look like bad sumi or a bad Goshiki/Goromo and get culled.
Yes they do have have all colors in the rainbow. I am also suspecting that the older lines of Sanke were not so problematical, despite being less genetically refined compared to Kohaku, but that the re-introduction of magoi genes to obtain size and conformation has greatly reduced the success rate.
Original Thread : http://www.koi-bito.com/forum/main-forum/1342-developing-sanke.html
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