The History of Kohaku:
Red-and-white mutations of the ancestral black carp (Magoi) first appeared in the early 1800s among fish bred for food by rice farmers in Niigata prefecture. Farmers kept these back as pets and spawned them together.
'Kohahu-like' characteristics emerged in some of these offspring - red heads, gill covers and lips, or small patches of hi on the back and belly.
Kohaku Identification:
Kohaku are white koi with hi markings that should be of an even depth. The ground colour should be snow white.
Koi Definitions:
Hi - Red
Kuchibeni - Red Lips - literally 'lipstick'
Maruten - A self- contained head marking, with red elsewhere on the body
Tancho - Circular red spot on head and no other red on the body
Yondon - Four-step pattern
Gin-Rin - Koi with highly reflective gold or silver scales |
