There are Koi clubs all over the world and showing your Koi is a good way of showing other hobbyists your expertise in keeping your Koi in tip top condition they range from little club shows which are closed for showing to people outside the club to the mighty ALL JAPAN which is the most breath-taking sight for Koi Hobbyists in the world.
There are many people who think Koi should be left in their ponds and transporting your Koi around is not a good way of treating such great creatures although in my experience if care is taken it does not cause any problems but everybody is entitled to there opinions.
Preparing for a show
In the weeks running up to a show you should decide on which Koi you are wishing to exhibit taking note of anything that may cause the Koi to be disqualified i.e., injuries that are infected old healed wounds are acceptable remember if the Koi has a problem the last thing it needs is a weekend in a show. Stop feeding your Koi 4 to 5 days prior to the show to ensure the Koi do not foul in the bags when in transport or when in the show therefore keeping the water quality good at the show.
On the day of the show your Koi should be caught and placed in bags it is a good idea to lift the bag so the underneath of the Koi can be checked for damage if the Koi is OK then oxygenate the bag (a 100% pure oxygen bottle is needed for this) make sure the bag is not leaking then fasten the end securely place the bag in a box and place in the vehicle for transportation if the box contains large Koi then place the box so the Koi is lying across the vehicle not nose to tail the reason being on braking if the Koi is nose first it will rub its nose if it is sideways it will rock side to side but it wont bash its nose.
Benching
On arrival at the show he Koi are benched this is were the Koi are measured and classified into there correct varieties they are then placed in the correct vat (this is the large container the fish are showed in) there are two different formats for Koi shows English style:were all a exhibiters Koi are placed in the same vat and Japanese style: were Koi are placed in the respective variety and size irrespective of who owns the Koi.
In the UK their are 6 sizes
Size one up to 20cm(8in)
Size two 20-30cm(8-12in)
Size three 30-40cm(12-16in)
Size four 40-45cm(16-18in)
Size five 45-60cm(18-24in)
Size six -over 60cm(over 24ins)
And 12 varieties
Kohaku
Taisho Sanke
Showa Sanshoku
Utsuri-mono
Bekko
Koromo
Tancho
Asagi/Shusui
Kawarimono
Hikarimuji-mono
Hikarimoyo-mono
Hikari-Utsurimono
The Koi are then judged the Koi are judged in their variety first, ie size one Sanke size two Sanke and so on in all 12 varieties then the best in size irrespective of variety in all six sizes the Grand champion is taken out first so it does not compete for any more awards so if the grand champion is a size six Kohaku then the Koi that wins best size six Kohaku is actually second best size six Kohaku because one as been removed because it is Grand champion the major awards are as follows.
Grand champion
Supreme champion Mature Koi (Best Koi from size's 5 & 6)
Supreme champion Adult Koi (Best Koi from size's 3 & 4)
Supreme champion Baby Koi (Best Koi from size's 1 & 2
Best Jumbo Koi (Largest Koi in show)
Best Tategoi
Koi shows vary in their format and there classes can be different i.e., recently in the UK Goshiki have been removed from Kawarimono and placed in Koromo in Japan they are still Kawarimono and there are a lot more classes in Japan than the U.K.
© Copyright 1996-1998 By
Eduard Freeman