How To Select Taishio Sanshoku/Sanke

Sanke or Taishio Sansoku is one of Koi Type from Gosanke Class, other type in gosanke are Kohaku and Showa.The word Sanke literally means tri-color, the three colors being red, white and black. in Japanese Characters, the word Sanke is also read Sanshoku, the term used in early works on Koi.Selecting a good sanke is very similar to selecting a good kohaku koi Fish.

Basic Sanke Colors
Sanke is a three colored fish with hi (red) and sumi (black) markings on a white body.
- As with the Kohaku, the depth of these colors is very important. The white should be the color of snow - a yellowish white does not give a good background for the pattern to stand out and gives the fish a dull appearance.

•   The head of the sanke, as in all varieties of koi, is one of the most important things to look at.

•   The head should be the exact same head as kohaku. There must be red on the head and the red should go down to the nostrils.

• The nose is better if it is white.

• One eye may be covered in red as long as the red is not over-powering. Red is too over-powering when it covers both eyes.
• There Must Not Be Any Black On the head.

• Next look for an interesting pattern of red all the way down the body. Do not pick a koi with only red on the front half or on the back half of the body.

•   The hi should of sanke koi be of the same quality as on a good Kohaku. It should be of deep hue and of uniform shade.

• The proportion of red to white should, again, be the same as on a good Kohaku. The base of any good Sanke pattern is a good Kohaku pattern.

•   The sumi of a Sanke should be fine, uniform in shade and with good depth of color. It should be shiny in appearance. As sumi should overlay the Kohaku-style pattern, the markings need to be clearly defined in order to stand out.

Sumi can appear and disappear over the lifetime of a koi, and sumi of poor quality may be affected by water quality, temperature change and change of environment. Sumi markings on Sanke are also described by their position on the pattern of the koi, so sumi that appears on the white skin is known as "tsubo" sumi, while sumi that appears on the hi is known as "Kasane" sumi.

First black spot is on the shoulder (not on the head). If there is no black until further back on the fish, the head can look too elongated. The rest of the black further back on the fish should be in a nice pattern that is balanced and preferably in the white areas rather than on the red. Some black on the red pattern is alright but the more black in the white the better. The black spots are better if not much larger than a quarter and should not distract from the red pattern.

Modern sankes are basically kohakus with a few small black spots placed in the white field. Red should take up about 70% of the fish, the black about 10%, and the rest white.
At an early stage, look for a fish with a lot of interesting red and very little black. Black tends to come out later and if you start with too much black, the black may be too powerful later. The red may be bright red or orange-red because the red can improve with age. The white should be snow white or slightly pink white. Black develops later, so pick one with only a little black that is balanced now. Avoid any sanke that has a lot of small, black, peppery like spots. Pepper like spots can be a sign of poor quality.

The fins on the sanke should be either all white or white with black stripes. There should be no red in any of the fins. Be careful buying an early sanke with many black stripes in the pectoral fins. These sometimes develop too much black at a later stage.

Sanke Patterns
Although Sanke differ from Kohaku in that they have three colors, the criteria by which the two varieties are judged are very similar.


Sanke Head
There should be no sumi on the head of the Sanke. The head pattern required is the same as on a Kohaku: that is a large U shaped hi marking, which should not extend down over the whole face. Unusual shaped head patterns are not so easily tolerated as on Kohaku, possibly because there is an extra color on the fish and a "busy" pattern lacks elegance and visual impact.

Sanke Body
Large hi markings are preferred down the length of the Sanke's body, complemented by sumi markings, which should also extend the length of the body. Sumi marks should start at the shoulder. Sumi markings should be small in number - an excessive amount of small sumi markings gives the koi an untidy appearance. AKA Sanke - This is a Sanke whose hi markings extends the length of the body. Maruten Sanke - This is a Sanke with a separate hi marking on the head.

REFERENCE:
1.Pic From Narita Koi
2.Akca Library