Newbies go to a koi dealer for colorful fish. When they see something bright in the tank, they purchase it without any concern about genetic structure behind those colors and how they will change with time. More important than a fish being simply bright is what color family the fish fall into. Is red Beni (deep crimson) or are you getting a fish with nothing but orange tones? That is the difference between a painting that lives and one that decorates a pond.
Three primary pigments (red, black and white) forms the basis of prize-winning koi. White should be milky white with no hint of yellow, and white is the canvas where all other colors reside. Red (hi) vary from bright orange-red on a young koi to almost purple on an old one. Black (sumi) provides contrast and are like the ink they used in Japan. If you look at the chart, each of these basic color establishes its own family of color combinations.
How to Choose Beautiful Koi Fish
For example, the Kohaku depends on a combination of pure white background with red patches. How the patterns is placed on the fish matters. A Tancho has a single round spot on head inspired by Japanese crane while a Nidan Kohaku has two independent red patches. This is psychology because we as people tend to prefer symmetrical pattern. Patterns concentrated at either end of the fish get scored down by judges.
The addition of black transforms it completeley. Both Showa Sanshoku and Taisho Sanke are red, white and black koi, but how they wear those colors is what makes them different than others. A Sanke has very small black accent spots that does not reach the head. It’s mostly red and white you see. A Showa have black as its base coat, and it wraps around the body covering the face in a bold stripe known as Menware. So structurally, a Showa is more aggressive looking than a Sanke, while a Sanke feel lighter in appearance. These varieties were bred to provide different look while using the same color palette.
Then there are the metallic colors. Metallic koi (even those descended from Platinum Ogon) has a shimmer on their scales that simply won’t be matched by their matte counterparts. Gold-yellow metallic Ogon called Yamabuki Ogon have a glow to it. That sparkle meets Kohaku patterns in Kikusui, creating a jewel-like look. With metallic fish, however, comes more care since poor water quality will dull their shine. Metallics serve as sensitive indicators of water quality. When your koi starts looking drab, don’t fault its genes; instead, inspect your filtration.
Much of how a judge values a pattern has to do with terminology. For example, a sharp Kiwa (the crisp line between red and white) gets big points. A fuzzy or hazy line reduce value due to dull coloration or weak genetic makeup. Then there’s sashi, which is pigment bleeding through from below the top scale toward the front, but it must point toward the front of the fish’s body. Knowing what you’re looking at makes you analyze patterns objective as opposed to subjectively. You begin to understand the anatomy that creates the aesthetics.
And lastly think about the type of scale. Bare skin with few rows of scales gives the colors on Doitsu koi a very vivid appearance against the smooth background of skin. The reflective centers on the scales (called ginrin) adds a diamond-like sparkle when the fish swim by. These characteristics combine with color to make overall impression.
Charts and variety names are distractions that makes it easy to get lost. Instead, the fun part is seeing how elements will develop over time. A juvenile may be plain looking but over years of proper care, those pigments deepen and deepens. Patterns set up. Personality develops. Collecting koi isn’t just about having a rare fish. You’re growing a piece of art, alive. It should of reward your patience with deeper and deeper beauty. And that’s why you keep returning to the edge of the pond to see small changes that only time can reveal.
