Tategoi
The term Tategoi is used by Koi breeders to describe their very best Koi. There is no direct translation of the word from Japanese to English but the essence of what it means is "A koi with great potential for the future". Usually Tategoi are very high quality female Koi that have the potential to grow and develop to be a Show Koi or Grand Champion. Through years of experience and insight into the bloodlines of the parent, the Japanese breeders are extremely skilled to early determine the quality of their Tosai and Nisai. Moreover, it is a misconception to think that only tosai may have the title of Tategoi. It is also known that three and even four year koi can still be considered as Tategoi. A four year Karashigoi of 33.5 inches ( 85 cm ) can be a great Tategoi, as one can expect from such fish that will grow over three feet ( 100 cm ).
Tategoi covers only a very small percentage of the total offspring, it is obvious that this Tategoi are being sold for extreme high prices. Relatively speaking, there are just not sufficient Tategoi available. Although the real Japanese breeders recognize the quality of a Tategoi in an early stage, which is not the case with the average hobbyist. If, therefore Tategoi is something you want to purchase one must have the confidence in the selection ability of the Japanese breeder. At first sight, there is almost no difference between average tosai and Tategoi tosai. Buying a very expensive Tategoi gives you no assurance that this becomes a show koi. The pond conditions, such as water content, water quality, water temperature, and feeding also play an important role. But even if all conditions are perfect, it doesn't mean that a Tategoi develops into a show koi or even a Grand Champion. However, we can say with certainty that all Grand Champions finally emerged from Tategoi.
This article was written for and published by Yoshino Koi Products International. January 2015