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Kohaku

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With each passing year the number of Koi increases and, as it does, so the terminology becomes more and more complex. To the beginner it can seem quite confusing-and even to an informed enthusiast it can be difficult to remember every name applied to the various Koi forms, the more so because all terms used are not accepted, even in Japan.

Each Koi is a unique fish and no two are quite the same. Koi can be divided into broad categories based on their markings and colors.

Koi fish names are in Japanese, they relate a great deal to the natural world around them. Many of the terms applied to Koi derived from the names of flowers or birds, mountains or animals, plants or features of a landscape. Unique Koi can be described in many ways and each way is no less correct than any other, it being purely ones opinion on the features of such a Koi.



The very cult of the Japanese Koi Fish is derived from the Japanese love of the Kohaku.

Kohaku was the very first variety to become established in the 19th century and has remained the Japanese favorite ever since. It is a white Koi where red appears in varying patterns, and each of these patterns has its own name. A really outstanding Kohaku is rarely seen because most will fall short on one point of detail or another, so when viewing Kohaku in your dealers tank do not expect to find perfect specimens.


The desirable points are as follows:
  1. The Hi (red) markings should be bright and even over all the body. The red may be dark or light.
  2. The edges of the Hi should be sharp and well defined and not gradually changing from Hi to white. The Hi is never quite as sharply defined on the top of the body as it is on the rear part of the body, but it must still be to a very good standard.
  3. The Hi should not spread over the eyes or into the fins, but it can reach the eyes. But some of the winning Koi in Japan have had these markings, standards do fluctuate depending on the other merits of the Japanese Koi Fish.
  4. The Hi should not extend down past the lateral line. But in the west it is popular for the Hi to wrap the body. These Japanese Koi Fish also make better aquarium exhibits when young, for then the color can be seen from the side and not just above as in a pond.
  5. The Hi on the head should not spread below the nostrils nor should it be on the tail. You will find that many Koi have red over the nostrils and on the lips, but these are not valued in Japan.
  6. There must be Hi on the head. Any Japanese Koi Fish with no Hi on their head is of no value in Japan, regardless of how well it may otherwise be marked.

These 6 points are the Basics of a Kohaku Japanese Koi Fish



History of Kohaku


Red and white Koi first appeared in Japan between 1804 and 1829, when the offspring of a black carp was found to have red cheeks. She was called Hookazuki and her white offspring were bred with a Higoi, a red fish, to produce Koi with red stomachs. By 1829, a Koi with red gill plates called Hoo Aka had been produced, and between 1830 and 1849 several different patterns appeared, including Zukinkaburi (red forehead), Menkaburi (red head), Kuchibeni (red lips) and Sarasa (red spots on the back).

The breeding of Kohaku continued and varieties were improved, especially in the Niigata region, now considered the birthplace of koi-keeping. In about 1888, a gentleman called Gosuke bought a Hachi Hi, a red-headed female, and bred it with his Sukura Kana, a cherry blossom patterned male. It is believed that the modern Kohaku was developed from the offspring of these Koi.



Kohaku fish picture



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Koi Fish picture

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