Here is my last ranchu from the same spawn of April 15, 2014. This male OYA is a very nice looking fish with bright red color and neat, well arranged scales. This ranchu is very similar to the ranchu I described in part II, in terms of scaling, coloration, body shape and tail.
Little over 3 months old. Photographed on July 28, 2014
Little over 5 months old. Photographed on September 27, 2014
Little under 10 months old. Photographed on February 6, 2015
Little under 1 years and 7 months old. Photographed on November 2, 2015
Little under 3 years and 3 months old. Photographed on July 5, 2017
COMMENTS
Currently, this male Oya ranchu is close to 6 in (15 cm) long. As you can see, nothing much changed in his body and tail shape, other than him getting bigger. The head has formed into Shishigashira type, which is somewhat vintage for a modern ranchu. His tail, however, ended up with more red markings.
CONCLUSION
As NISAI fish transitions to OYA, it is harder and harder to keep them in shape. While the tail may not have any dramatic changes with age, the body and head do. My goal is to raise "lean" TVR. I prefer the body outline, as viewed from above, to be more elongated, with no protruding belly, so that the sides from head to beginning of O-Tsutsu (tail peduncle) are somewhat parallel. I also like it if the head width stays not much wider than the width of the back, a cigar shape.
From the side, I like Se-Koshi (back curvature) to be as flat as possible up to the start of O-Tsutsu (tail peduncle). Reminiscent of a long Japanese boxwood comb. For body parts terminology please click here.
Quality of food and its portioning, along with exercise, is crucial to keeping ranchu in good shape. I will write about this subject in a separate article, reflecting on my experience.
Presenting my next OYA fish - a female from the same spawn of April 15, 2014. She has always been a strong fish. Body shape is a bit shorter than in previously discussed RANCHU, but still proportionate.
Little over 2 months old. Photographed on June 5, 2014
Little under 3 months old. Photographed on July 8, 2014
Little over 3 months old. Photographed on July 28, 2014
Little over 5 months old. Photographed on September 27, 2014
Little under 1 years and 7 months old. Photographed on November 2, 2015
Little under 3 years and 3 months old. Photographed on July 5, 2017
COMMENTS
Today it is a strong and active female OYA fish of 6.5 in (16.5 cm) long. The body remains a bit short for my liking, but the overall shape is good. O-TSUKE (tail peduncle scale bracelet) and O-ZARA (under-tail plate) were and remain very good. The tail's O-GATA (tail shoulders) used to be quite stiff, but became somewhat more elastic with age - an improvement.
As seen in photos, this fish has started to loose her red markings pretty early, as she was still developing. Now there is only one red eye with no more red left.
Presenting my next ranchu - male fish study from TOSAY to current OYA, hatched on April 14, 2014. I really like this fish. Since it was CBR it displayed very neat scales - small, consistent and well placed.
Little over 3 months old. Photographed on July 28, 2014
Little over 5 months old. Photographed on September 27, 2014
Little under 1 year and 7 months old. Photographed on November 2, 2015
Little under 3 years and 3 months old. Photographed on July 5, 2017
COMMENTS
Currently a beautiful OYA fish of 6 in (15.25 cm) long. The body isn't changing much throughout the years. Elongated shape and overall outline is what I was trying to feature in this ranchu. The tail has no visible change as well, and maintained is coloration. The head, on the other hand, is changing. Its definitely widened but still slightly underdeveloped. The body color pattern somewhat changed. Body has lost a few "Azuki Bean" scales on either side. The head color pattern changed as well, from Ichimonji-aka or Red Straight Line to Kuchibeni or Lipstick, red outlined mouth.
It was hard for me to find photos of ranchu development timeline to see how a particular ranchu changes over time. So, I have decided to periodically photograph four of my fish, which hatched on April 14, 2014.
It is a great way to study and see the grooming faults and successes through the years. It is also a way to observe aging tendencies in a particular bloodline if you are concerned with how your ranchu will look in late OYA age.
So here is the female fish study from CBR to current OYA, since 2014.
Little under 3 months old. Photographed on July 8, 2014
Little over 3 months old. Photographed on July 28, 2014
Little over 5 months old. Photographed on September 27, 2014
Little under 10 months old. Photographed on February 6, 2015
Little under 1 years and 7 months old. Photographed on November 2, 2015
Little under 3 years and 3 months old. Photographed on July 5, 2017
COMMENTS
For me, this is a remarkable OYA fish of 6 in (15.25 cm) long. The body didn't change much and retained its elongated shape and good outline. The tail has no visible changes and maintains a good outline and placement. The head, on the other hand, is changing. Its become wider, but kept its overall shape without an overgrown wen. Also, the coloration and pattern are stable, with very minimal changes.
As the year just turned, a group of my OYA ranchu are nearing four-years-old of age. It is an exciting time for me, to observe these fish since they have hatched in April of 2014. This group have not lost their beauty, their scales are tight, their colors are vibrant, their body and tail shape is holding well; the swim is graceful.
Please enjoy this video of my ranchu as I see them today.
As I learn about ranchu standards and grooming techniques, I train my eye to recognize qualities of a good ranchu. In Japan, each ranchu master works on its own line (bloodline) that will ultimately reflect the master's vision for a "perfect" ranchu. Through a scrupulous process of selection, the breeder seeks fish that carries one or several desired qualities. By carefully selecting parent fish with such qualities and breeding them, followed by many years of selection, the goal can be reached. It truly is a "living sculpture".
A preference for my own "perfect" ranchu is now more clear. My vision is shaped by studying the many looks of ranchu and recognizing what is most pleasing to my eye. These are as follows (looking at the ranchu from above):
long rectangular body outline
rectangular head outline with funtan slightly protruding on the right and left of the head (I call it a hammer shark look)
not much headgrowth development on top of the head
thick tail peduncle and bracelet
triangle shaped tail with supportive shoulders, that are only gently curved, with side lobe tips curved slightly more
when swimming the tail must take a rounder shape and return to its original shape when fish isn't moving
small uniform scales
bright reds
Early bloomers might not look as good at an older age, with their headgrowth overdeveloped, ruining the overall balance. Vise versa, those not fully developed tosai can turn into a beautiful fish when older.
All of the above must be in balance. Proportions between head, body and tail are very important and rely on personal perception. I am very interested in creating a ranchu that blossoms slowly, reaching its desired shape by the end of nisai and maintaining that look through its oya years. This, in my opinion helps to raise a healthier fish, that can live longer. In most cases, ranchu that are judged at the All Japan Ranchu Show, are groomed for a specific age category - tosai, nisai or oya. In all of the competition's history, it is very rare that a single ranchu is able to win the grand prize in all three categories tosai, nisai and oya in three consecutive years.
Ultimately, my "perfect" ranchu must be a great swimmer, projecting calm, power, strength and balance.
Through digital manipulation, I have created an oya ranchu of the shape and proportions I desire. To make this composite, I took various parts from several of my ranchu and exaggerated the parts that I still need to work on. Hope one day, I can match my drawing board fantasy with an actual ranchu in my pond. The vision in the making.
One of the main successes with ranchu, as a breeder, lies in training yourself to be able to identify and recognize merits of this fine goldfish variety. This very ability of the breeder ensures that ranchu standards will be preserved and further improved. Being under scrutiny for over one hundred years, ranchu were "molded" to fit into strict standards set by high Japanese aesthetics. Therefor, Japan Ranchu Association (JRA) has established a series of rules, by which the ranchu to be judged. These rules are vague and has to be interpreted by a group of most experienced judges on the show.
I found these rules posted by Hugoboss on Arofanatics website in 2008. According to the post these are the rules of Japan Ranchu Association that have been translated to English. With further improvement in translation, I am re-posting these rules here. For identifying ranchu body part click on "Defining What Is What".
One of the quality ranchu in Japan
THE RULES
ARTICLE 1 - Particular Matters of Concern 1. Overall fish shape and balance Overall shape is defined by the characteristics of the head, torso and tail and their balance with each other and as a whole.
2. Fish to be thick and sturdy Thicker and sturdier fish in proportion to its size to be graded as superior.
3. Scaling and color Scales that are neatly lined and small in proportion to the body of the fish to be graded as superior. Fish with deep red or gold colours and high luster to be graded as superior, regardless of being aka (red), sarasa (mottled) or shiro (white).
4. The fish movement must be as graceful as possible
5. Fish maintaining noble grace to be regarded as superior
6. Swimming Swimming fish must be elegant, with light wagging of tail resulting in fluid movement.
ARTICLE 2 - The way to view fish body parts 1. Head
To have wide mehaba (spacing between the eyes) and wide mesaki (distance between the eyes and the mouth). Part of the head past the mouth, which is adequately wider and longerto be graded as superior (with variety of Tokane, Kamicho, Ryuutou etc.). 2. Back
To have a broad back with a gentle curve and adequate roundness.
3. Stomach
To be well-positioned compared to the back and spaced adequately from the tail.
4. Tail Peduncle
To chose the fish with more rounded and robust tail peduncle in proportion to the back width. There must be apparent roundness at the point where the tail joints the back.
5. Tail
Tail must be beautiful with bilateral symmetry of its tail lobes and with adequate ozara (under tail plate). This equally applies to yotsuo, sakurao, mitsuo tail types. The tail must neither exceed approximately 90 degrees angle in relation to the tail peduncle, nor rise above the back. 6. Fins
All fins must be uniform in movement and size. Fish to be judged equally regardless whether they have double or a single anal fin.
ARTICLE 3 - Size of fish must not be taken into consideration for judging
ARTICLE 4 - Fish must be judged according to their quality on that particular day
Supplementary provisions. Names of color patterns are designated as follows.
ARTICLE 5 - Fish to be disqualified if the respective defects are excessive 1. No judging of fish with dorsal fin, double tail or other deformities.
2. Uneven or broken back curve or tail peduncle.
3. Pinched, closed, irregular, curled or stripped tail.
4. Extrusion of anal fin(s); head tilted upwards; head tilted downward; tail with one-sided tilt; covered, protruding or indented eyes.
5. Sick fish
ARTICLE 6 Obese or juvenile fish that lacks of grace and poise shall be disqualified
ARTICLE 7 Prizes will be revoked in case of falsifying the age of exhibited fish Here are some videos of the champion ranchu in each age group (tosai, nisai and oya) taken by Mr.Boss (Boss Ranchu Nursery, Thailand) during All Japan Ranchu Show, 2013.
During the ranchu's early development, active feeding with a variety of foods is essential. Among the many, two foods are of most importance: fresh or frozen bloodworms and green algae. That is what directly effects the overall head growth, including funtan. While frozen bloodworms are readily available at the pet stores, green algae needs to be "cultivated" on the tank's walls and floor. Sufficient light and fish waste will do the trick. Soon enough, every surface in the tank will start getting covered with one of the best food supplements for ranchu - an assortment of algae.
But the job of "building" impressive head growth doesn't end after the ranchu pass through their BBR stage. As I have mentioned in my earlier posts, the head growth continues to develop throughout the ranchu life and can get rather big. It is necessary to foresee what the baby ranchu will look like when they are older by evaluating their head growth and feeding it bloodworms accordingly. For some, the head growth development needs to be slowed down and for some accelerated, by changing the feeding pattern.
Below is an example of one of my female ranchu with lack of proper head growth at three months. Despite her smaller and narrower head shape it was still possible to increase the head growth quite considerably by eleven months. Feeding her bloodworms and high protein pellets did the job. More work is needed. I hope by the oya age she will have a nice and balanced head.
Female at three months old.
The same female at eleven months old.
In the case of my eleven months old ranchu male below, I might not want to stimulate his head growth from now on, as I would rather see it develop slower and not become unbalanced with his body in his oya age. We will see what happens in a year, but for now that is what I am hoping for.
The art of creating and keeping Japanese top view ranchu has come a long way, setting strict standards. Because these standards have been closely followed and refined for over a century, TVR have reached the level of perfection we find today, and at the same time has burdened the breeders and keepers with extreme difficulty to produce quality fish.
Through reading and asking questions, I have found that there are a few variations in ranchu head, body and tail shapes equally accepted according to Japanese standard. In a sense it was a relief for me, as adhering to only one standard would be very difficult due to a great level of deviation in ranchu offsprings.
The shape of the head growth or wen is mainly divided on two types shishigashira and tatsugashira. Shishigashira or lion head is square or rounded in shape. Tatsugashira or dragon head is rectangular with developed funtan or protruding cheeks. Tatsugashira is more popular nowadays, nonetheless, shishigashira type can be very beautiful. There is also a third type, transitional between the two mentioned above types. The main objective here is to have size and shape of the head in balance with the rest of the body. It is not desirable to have head growth as developed in tosai, as it is found in nisai and oya ranchu.
The body length is accepted as short, medium and long. Longer body would be my choice, it balances best the head, especially in nisai and oya fish, when the head growth develops more. The body shape and especially back curve must be reminiscent of traditional Japanese boxwood comb, that can be short or long.
Long boxwood comb
Short boxwood comb
The tail, which we scrutinize at the early stages of ranchu development, continues to be in the center of attention throughout the fish life. Unlike head or color pattern, tail doesn't just presents with ornamental value, it plays critical role in how the ranchu swims. That is why over the century certain tail traits were identified to produce good swimmers. All in all, there are three tail types accepted: yotsuo or ⅔ split in the middle of the tail, sakurao or a small split at the tip of the tail and mitsuo or no split.
Ranchu personality and ability to swim in elegant and powerful manner can overpower certain imperfections of its shape, turning the fish into a praised possession.
For millennia several species of carp were raised in China for food.
Common Carp
It was not until the Jin Dynasty (265-420 AD), when the first mention of mutated "silver" to "gold" carp appeared. These fish were separated from the prussian carp and bred selectively. Chinese ornamental goldfish was born and its many verities started to emerge. One particular variety was crucial in developing a modern Japanese ranchu - the so called egg-fish with no dorsal fin and egg-shaped body.
From China the goldfish was brought to Japan by the Dutch merchants during the Edo Period (1603-1868) and was first mentioned as maruko in Yoshiyuki Adachi's book about goldfish published in 1748. Maruko fish had no head-growth.
Maruko
It took over a hundred years to shape this goldfish to what we see today. In a second half of the 19th century, Tokyo resident Kameyoshi Ishikawa formed a group of goldfish enthusiasts, who gave birth to a modern ranchu and set the first standards. Mr.Ishikawa began to organize ranchu shows and aided in a great popularity of this type of goldfish in Japan.
Women Selecting Goldfish, Japanese Woodblock Print
And now here they are, the latest champion ranchus from the All Japan Ranchu Show, 2013. Three categories are shown:
OYA (Parent Fish) - fish reached the third calendar year or older NISAI (Second-year Fish) - fish reached the second calendar year TOSAI (Yearling) - fish hatched in the current calendar year
OYA
NISAI
TOSAI
Wow!
Traditionally these goldfish were viewed from above, swimming in a pond or a ceramic bowl. And so the Japanese ranchu were created to be viewed from above. They are often referred to as TVR - abbreviation for top view ranchu.
