Koi Varieties
Kohaku sanke and showa are definitely the focal varieties of koi.
Koi varieties. With careful breeding and selection many more varieties were produced and today there are over 25 major varieties with countless variants and crosses. The aoki family of japan is credited to the first breeder of the ogon koi fish. They have been considered a visual commodity among koi hobbyist ever since the 1940s.
You can tell from the fact that grand champions of koi shows always come from gosanke group utsurimono this includes shiro utsuri hi utsuri ki utsuri and even showa. Koi varieties continue to evolve and improve. The kin matsuba was the first breed between a matsuba koi and platinum ogon.
Less than 200 years ago all koi came from the common carp grown as a food source in and amongst the rice paddies. The ogon koi is also one of the earliest in the koi varieties chart. Use this koi variety guide to identify your favorite varieties or learn a little more about each variety.
Trying to keep all of the varieties and variations of koi straight can be enough to make your head spin. In the world of koi it refers to kohaku taisho sanshoku and showa sanshoku.