Illustrated guide

Koi varieties

Koi are told apart by their colours, their patterns and their scales. Japan recognises more than a hundred varieties; here are the fifteen that live in Remansia, how to recognise them and a story or two about each.

Where they come from

Their Japanese name, nishikigoi, means “brocaded carp”. Coloured koi appeared in the 19th century in the mountains of Niigata, Japan, where rice farmers kept carp as food for the winter. Now and then one was born with red or white patches; by crossing them, generation after generation, the varieties we know today came about.

Today they are bred all over the world, they are the heart of many Japanese gardens and, well looked after, they can live for several decades.

Words worth knowing

Hi 緋: The red of the markings.
Sumi 墨: The black, like ink.
Shiroji 白地: The white ground.
Ki 黄: Yellow.
Doitsu ドイツ: Koi with few or no scales. It means “Germany”, after the German mirror carp they inherited that skin from.
Hikari 光: Koi with a metallic sheen.
Gosanke 御三家: The big three: Kohaku, Sanke and Showa.

Gosanke: the big three

Kohaku, Sanke and Showa are the most popular varieties and the ones that win most shows. All three combine white and red; the last two add black.

Kohaku 紅白

How to recognise it: A clean white body with red markings. A deep red with crisp edges is prized, and a patch that covers part of the head.
Did you know?: It was the first variety to be established, in the late 19th century. Breeders say that “koi begin and end with Kohaku”.
In Remansia: The classic koi, and usually one of the first to arrive.

Sanke 大正三色

Also: Taisho Sanshoku

How to recognise it: A Kohaku with small black markings on the white. The black rarely reaches the head.
Did you know?: Its full name, Taisho Sanshoku, means “three colours of the Taisho era”, the period (1912–1926) when it was first shown.
In Remansia: Red and white with strokes of black.

Showa 昭和三色

Also: Showa Sanshoku

How to recognise it: The same three colours, but on a black base: the black wraps around the body, reaches the head and often darkens the base of the pectoral fins.
Did you know?: It was first bred in 1927, at the start of the Showa era, by crossing a Ki Utsuri with a Kohaku.
In Remansia: Black, with large red and white patches.

Tancho and the metallic koi

A koi with a single mark, and three that shine like metal: gold, platinum and the peacock.

Tancho 丹頂

How to recognise it: White, with a single red circle on the head and no other red on the body.
Did you know?: It is named after the red-crowned crane (tancho), a symbol of Japan, and many see the Japanese flag in it. There are Tancho Kohaku, Tancho Sanke and Tancho Showa.
In Remansia: One of the rarest visitors: it seldom arrives.

Ogon 黄金

How to recognise it: A single colour, golden and metallic, from head to tail.
Did you know?: Its name means “gold”. It was achieved in Japan in the 1940s, after years of breeding in search of that shine.
In Remansia: It gleams in the sun.

Platinum プラチナ黄金

Also: Platinum Ogon

How to recognise it: White and metallic, like platinum, without a single mark.
Did you know?: It is the white version of the Ogon. Single-coloured metallic koi are called hikari muji.
In Remansia: Pearly, like the moon on the water.

Kujaku 孔雀

How to recognise it: Metallic with a white base, red or orange markings and a dark net that outlines every scale.
Did you know?: Kujaku means “peacock”: it is one of the showiest of the metallic koi.
In Remansia: Netted scales on a pearly body.

Utsurimono: the reflections

Black koi with large patches of a second colour. Utsuri is usually translated as “reflection”.

Ki Utsuri 黄写り

How to recognise it: Black with yellow patches.
Did you know?: It is one of the oldest Utsuri and today one of the hardest to find. Crossed with the Kohaku, it gave rise to the Showa.
In Remansia: Yellow like the evening sun.

Hi Utsuri 緋写り

How to recognise it: Black with red patches, often leaning towards orange.
Did you know?: As in the Showa, its black tends to settle over the years, so a young Hi Utsuri can change quite a lot.
In Remansia: The summer koi: it only arrives in that season.

Between blue and tea

Three koi in softer tones: the old Asagi, the five-coloured Goshiki and the Chagoi, famous for its character.

Asagi 浅黄

How to recognise it: A blue-grey back where each scale has a paler edge, forming a net; cheeks, belly and fins in red or orange.
Did you know?: It is one of the oldest varieties and the root of many others. Its scaleless version, the Shusui, was created in 1910 by crossing it with German mirror carp.
In Remansia: A blue-grey back and orange fins.

Goshiki 五色

How to recognise it: A netted base between grey and dark blue, with red markings like a Kohaku’s. Depending on the water it looks paler or almost black.
Did you know?: Its name means “five colours”: white, red, black, light blue and dark blue. It came from crossing Asagi with Kohaku.
In Remansia: Five colours blended into a dark, elegant tone.

Chagoi 茶鯉

How to recognise it: Brown or tea-coloured, in a single tone, with clearly marked scales.
Did you know?: It is famous for its trust: it is often the first to eat from your hand, and it grows large. Some keepers add one to the pond so the others lose their shyness.
In Remansia: The boldest: always first to come.

Koi for each season

In Remansia, four varieties only appear in their season: Sakura Kohaku in spring, Hi Utsuri in summer, Ochiba in autumn and Kumonryu in winter. Their names speak of nature too.

Sakura Kohaku

How to recognise it: A Kohaku whose red is scattered in many small patches instead of a few large ones.
Did you know?: Sakura is the cherry tree: the name is given to this fine pattern because it looks like petals fallen on the water.
In Remansia: The spring koi.

Ochiba 落葉時雨

Also: Ochiba Shigure

How to recognise it: Blue-grey with chestnut or copper markings, and the net of scales clearly visible.
Did you know?: Its name evokes the fine autumn rain on fallen leaves. It comes from crossing a grey koi (Soragoi) with a Chagoi, and like the Chagoi it is usually very trusting.
In Remansia: The autumn koi.

Kumonryu 九紋竜

How to recognise it: Black and white, almost scaleless (doitsu), with markings that look like ink.
Did you know?: It is famous for changing: depending on the water temperature and the season, its black grows or recedes, and it can go from almost white to almost black. Its name refers to a nine-patterned dragon.
In Remansia: The winter koi: a dragon in the clouds.

Butterfly fins

How to recognise it: Koi with very long fins and tail that ripple as they swim. They can wear the colours of any variety.
Did you know?: They were developed in the 1980s by crossing koi with long-finned carp from Indonesia. In Japan they are called hirenaga.
In Remansia: Some koi arrive with butterfly fins, and their fry may inherit them.

Common questions

How many koi varieties are there?

More than a hundred. They are grouped into around fifteen families by colour, pattern and scales, and many are variations of the ones in this guide.

What is the most famous koi variety?

The Kohaku, white and red. Together with the Sanke and the Showa it makes up the Gosanke, the three most prized.

What is the difference between Sanke and Showa?

Both have white, red and black. The Sanke is a white koi with red and black markings; the Showa is a black koi with red and white markings, whose black wraps around the body and reaches the head.

Do koi change colour?

Yes. Their colours and patterns can change with age, water quality, temperature or food. The Kumonryu is the most striking case.

How long do koi live?

With good care, several decades: living past twenty is common.

Meet them in Remansia

Remansia is a relaxing game where you look after a little koi pond. These fifteen varieties arrive little by little, some only in their season, and the grown ones have fry that blend their colours.

Discover Remansia