 These are the varieties that
have names.
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Koi have many different
colors. Some of the major colors are white, black, red, yellow, blue,
and cream.
While possible
variations are limitless, breeders have identified and named a number
of specific categories. The most popular category is Gosanke. The
Gosanke category is made up of the Kohaku, Taisho Sanshoku, and Showa
Sanshoku varieties. The Japanese breeders have many generations of
knowledge and experience when it comes to breeding and raising
Nishikigoi. They know which ones will be worth hundreds of dollars and
which ones will be worth thousands of dollars.
The major named
varieties include:
- Kohaku—a
white-skinned koi, with a red pattern
- Taisho
Sanshoku (Sanke)—a white-skinned koi with a red and black
pattern
- Showa
Sanshoku (Showa)—a black-skinned koi with a red and white
pattern
- Tancho—Any
koi with the only red being in a circle on its forehead. The fish can
be a Tancho Showa, Tancho Sanke, or even Tancho Goshiki
- Asagi—a koi with light blue scales
on its top and red scales on its bottom
- Shusui—the
partially scaled version of an Asagi
- Bekko—a
white, red, or yellow-skinned koi with a black pattern
- Utsurimono—a
black koi with a red, white, or yellow pattern
- Goshiki—a
mostly black koi with red, white, brown, and blue accents
- Ogon—a
koi that is one solid color, can be regular or metallic; known colors -
red, orange, platinum, yellow and cream
- Kin Gin
Rin—a koi with shiny scales. The name translates into English
as "gold silver scales" There are also Gin Rin versions of almost any
other type of koi.
- Kawarimono
(kawarigoi)—Miscellaneous types of koi
- Doitsu-goi—German
carp
- Koromo—Koi
with areas of blue-edged scales aligned neatly
- Hikari-Moyomono—Koi
with colored patterns over a metallic base, and koi in two metallic
colors
- Ghost
koi—"Hybrid" of Ogon and wild carp. Not Nishikigoi.
- Butterfly
koi—Long-finned version of all others. Not Nishikigoi.
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