KOI

 

In Japan, the term Koi is used for ordinary carp fishes and the term “Nishikigoi” is more accurate if you want to refer to domesticated ornamental carps. Koi was however the word that managed to make its way in to the English language, and the international name for this type of fish is therefore Koi. Koi keeping did not really catch on outside Japan until the latter half of the 20th century when airfreight and plastic
    containers made it possible to transport Koi fish to other parts of the world.

 

BUTTERFLY KOI

 

Butterfly koi is similar to the traditional Koi, but is equipped with long and flowing decorative finnage. The finnage resembles the delicate wings of a butterfly,hence the name Many breeders and Koi keepers do not consider the Butterfly Koi
    a true Koi, since it is a hybrid. The first Koi fish were developed in Japan during the 19th century, but the Butterfly Koi has a history no longer     than a few decades. The Koi fish is sometimes viewed as a Goldfish, but this is not true. 
    Both Koi and Goldfish are domesticated versions of a wild carp and they are closely related, but the goldfish was developed in China while the Koi
    was breed in Japan.

 

STANDARD FIN KOI

Standard fin Koi have been kept and bred by the people in Japan for a long time. Where very talented fish breeders, starting from the Common Carp, developed several beautiful color patterns. To the left is one of the most popular Koi varieties, a Kohaku. Koi varieties can be mixed in ponds to create great beauty and tranquility.

 

 

Aka Bekko

 Bekko fit into the Bekko group. Bekko also come from the Sanke family. There are three types of Bekko; the Aka (red) Bekko, the Shiro (white) Bekko, and the Ki (yellow) Bekko. The Bekko has a simple stepping stone pattern of sumi (black) which should be black as coal running down its back set against a red, white or yellow background.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Asagi

Oldest groups of Koi! Asagi are fairly classical from a genealogical point of view, and constitute a very tasteful variety. They usually have blue on the entire back and Hi on the belly, pectoral fins and gill covers.The scales on the back have whitish base and thus collectively give an appearance of meshes of a  net. As they age, black spots often appear          in the head region and Hi on the belly tend to climb up reaching as far as the back.

 

 

 

 

 

Benigoi 

Benigoi is a deeper solid red color than the Aka Muji which is also red in color.

 

2.  
3. Chagoi
4. A common misconception concerning finding a high quality chagoi is an easy task. Contrarily to belief, like all other varieties, chagoi also have their own stringent criteria. First it must have a perfect body confirmation along with perfect scale alignment and defining fukurin. Scales must also have good articulation, color uniformity without any blemishes.In addition, chagoi also must have the potential to attain jumbo size, which is over 30 inches while meeting all the above criteria isn't that easily found.

 

 

Goshiki are said to have been crossbred between Asagi and Taisho Sanshoku -- not yet an established theory, however. They also form a very tasteful variety of Nishikigoi. Goshiki used to be included in the Kawarimono group. However, with recent production of fairly excellent Goshiki, they are now being treated as an independent variety at Nishikigoi shows.Their red markings are similar in patterns to Kohaku, but may not be taken as seriously. Some scales of Asagi may also appear in the red markings.

 

Hariwake

Hariwake have a metallic white ground with yellow to red patterns. As the variety was developed, the pattern came in all shades between yellow and red, but Koi with good red patterns became a separate variety called Kikusui which is basically a metallic Kohaku. Originally, the word refered to the contrast of gold and platinum.

 

Kikusui

Kikusui (kee coo' swee) are a scale-less version of a Hariwake. Look for one with a nice Kohaku pattern that has nice sharp edges and very white skin. A Kikusui's         pattern is judged the same way as a Kohaku's. Doitsu Platinum Koi with a Hi
        pattern, means "a Chrysanthemum in water", is the same as a Doitsu         Hariwake with red markings or a metallic Doitsu Kohaku.

Koromo

Koromo, meaning "robed" in Japanese, describes a group of koi whose quiet elegance finds favor with connoisseurs, even though this breed of koi did not become available until the early 1950s. Koromo are crossbred fish; the first example resulted from a spawning between a male Kohaku and a female Narumi Asagi. The collective name "Koromo" covers several varieties, the best known being Ai Goromo.

 

Kujaku

The Kujaku is a metallic or Ogon koi with the reticulated net-like pattern of the Asagi on its back. This is overlaid with either a gold, yellow, orange or red Kohaku-type pattern creating a striking effect.

 

 

Ogon

The koi most commonly associated with this group are Ogon (formerly spelled Ohgon), but the classification also takes in metallic Matsuba. In 1921, a Magoi with a gold- striped back was caught from a river in Takezawa, Yamakoshi prefecture, by Sawata Aoki. Fascinated by this unusual carp, he and his son Hideyoshi embarked on a process of selective breeding keeping back only those fish that showed some golden scalation.

Showa

Showa is a black Koi with red and white patches named for its development in the Showa era.Whereas Kohaku and Taisho Sanshoku have red and/ or black markings on the white ground, Showa Sanshoku have red markings on white patterns formed on the black background. Showa varieties (including Showa Sanshoku, Shiro Utsuri and Hi Utsuri, etc.), on the other hand, are almost completely black when just emerged from eggs.