ZNA has long set the standards for koi varieties- for 40 years now as a matter of fact. Yet the rules are living documents that change as the fish change, and in some cases- reappear! It is a very big decision to change a standard as without perspective one could be heeding pop trends or become caught up in momentary issues.

One case in point was the reappearance of old type ginrin scales that all had believed had ‘gone the way of the dinosaur’ many years ago. It certainly is not produced any more and tend to only show up in certain lines from the yamakoshi blood of old.

And in this day and age, it is the Hiroshima gin that rules as a strong and impressive ginrin type. This gin is a brilliant dorsal orientated ginrin and created the previous rule that Ginrin fish are fish with two or more rows ( preferably three or more) of silver scales aligned regularly along the back , starting from the top of the shoulder.

The rule was reviewed however after some research showed that a cross between a Matsunosuke female and a Sadazo male produced sanke with the old ginrin in rows but not at the location of the shoulder top. These old style ginrin scales must be in two or more rows just as the old rules stated, in order to qualify as ginrin variety. BUT the location of the two or more rows did not have to be at the top of the shoulder. The rows do however have to be above the lateral line.

This creates a lot of confusion and misjudging in local shows in America. As the rules have been misinterpreted and only bits and pieces get absorbed. As a result koi with ginrin starting off the shoulder are considered inferior and passed over and in other cases, the rule is updated and all fish with ginrin in two or more rows are considered equal. This is of course a mistake as it is the TYPE of ginrin that dictates the rule of location. OLD style ginrin may start at a level below the shoulder. But Hiroshima ginrin should be at the shoulder and really three rows or more is the target ideal for that type of ginrin. And of course, even arrangement and non broken lines are important and necessary for both.

Finally, the matsunosuke line has a tendency to throw ginrin ‘rips’ of old style scales at the tail and below the shoulder. This is not ginrin variety for the technical reasons just explained. But the location of these rips of old style scales shows the genetic component and gene locale for the trait that when crossed with other lines like old Sadazo throws a true ginrin sanke with multiple rows of ginrin as a ‘lateral pattern’ of ginrin scales. As opposed to Hiroshima gin that is a dorsal orientated genetic trait.