hi james,
i have been growing 'shishigashira' since the mid-80's and it is definitely not cascading. after that many years, it is a dense, spreading shrub about 5'x5'. the flowering begins in fall (usually late september in my area) and continues sporadically through mid-winter. i have seen the occasional flower at christmas though the main flowering period is during october-november. during peak, it is a solid mass of small, bright pink flowers over glossy foliage on stiff branches and a fine plant, in my opinion.
'chansonette' has more beautiful individual flowers and my shrub is still young. it is, however, already exhibiting a cascading form at less than 3' in height. it blooms later than 'shishigashira', more into winter here.
i can't make a fair comparison of overall merit between these two because of the differences in ages but ,hopefully, 'chansonette' will become a favorite as well.
just considering the individual flowers, 'chansonette' wins hands down.

I agree with Jeff. Just to add, the Showa is not so compact a grower, and can actually get pretty tall, but yes it has a strong spreading habit that gives it a cascading appearance as it grows larger. Its main attribute is that it is very floriferous, producing a showy profusion of light pink blooms, which shatter and produce a snow-like effect on the ground around the shrub as it is blooming. This is quite a show. Mine are small, but there are some in the neighborhood, planted near the street, that nearly cause wrecks when passersby see them in full bloom.

Hey guys, thanks for the advice - it's just what I was looking for!
If the pictures online are true, I'd agree that Chansonette has a lovely and superior flower.
Would you care to share with me the bloom periods you've observed for Chansonette and Showa?
Thanks again,
James.

I think Chansonette and Showa are both cultivars of ShiShi, so they all bloom about the same time which, in our region, is typically late autumn around November, as Jeff said. I am not sure about this, but I think Chansonette may bloom a little earlier than the other two, but they are basically all three the same blooming period.

Just a little more info:
Here's a link to an Australian nursery that includes pic links and info on seasons and length of flowering for these camellias.
James.

Here is a link that might be useful: red land nursery - sasanquas

Keep an eye out for 'Reverend Ida.' This is, I believe, a redder-flowered sport of Shishi Gashira. Green Nurseries in Alabama is wholesaling this. I lucked out and found one at a local nursery. I have several Shishi Gashira curving around our walkway, but they are small and so so so SLOW!

Well, there seems to be a consensus that Showa No Sakae is amazingly beautiful and long-flowering. I'm going to give it a try. And that beautiful Chansonette, too. Heck, next year I may squeeze out a spot for Shishi Gashira as well. I know I'm nuts, but these are so very lovely and I'm always impressed by plants that bother to flower after September.
Click the link below for paghat's page on 'Showa-No-Sakae'. If you haven't visited her beautiful site, you should do so right now.
James.

Here is a link that might be useful: Showa-No-Sakae: paghat's take.