Koi fish have become the most expensive and sought after ornamental fish. The hobby of keeping koi did not start this way. Read all about the beautiful koi fish, its fascinating history, amazing koi fish facts, and how koi breeding and breeding became the hugely popular hobby it is today.
Today, koi fish are primarily kept in landscaped ponds and large aquariums for their sheer aesthetic appeal. However, this was not always the case. In their early days, koi were simply raised to eat.
Probably the most surprising fact about koi fish is that they did not originate in Japan. Its exact origin and date of introduction to Japan has been hotly debated by Koi historians.
THE ORIGINS OF KOI FISH
Several koi experts have said that koi originated from parts of Eastern Europe, East Asia, and China around 2,500 years ago. Koi actually means “carp” in Japanese and there are many varieties of carp, so that’s probably why there was a lot of confusion and non-specific details surrounding their early history.
However, the carp we know today as koi fish are actually Nishikigoi (“living jewels” or “brocaded” carp). This is the variety of carp that possesses those beautiful colors and patterns that we have come to love. Although the Koi may not have originated in Japan, it was the Japanese who took the Nishikigoi and perfected the art of breeding them to the stunning color mutations seen today.
THE HUMBLE BEGINNINGS OF KOI AND AN INTRODUCTION TO JAPAN
Chinese rice farmers originally raised Koi as fish food around the 17th century. They were brought to Japan, also to be used as fish feed, by Japanese rice farmers in Niigata Prefecture.
Around the 1820s and 1830s, the Japanese began to breed Koi for their aesthetic appeal. Some farmers brought the koi to their backyard ponds. This is how the koi began to become ornamental fish for ponds.
HOW THE KOI HAS DEVELOPED
The Bunka and Bunsei Era (1804-1829) saw the development of the Koi with the distinctive red marking on their cheeks. White koi were also introduced at this time, and when crossed with red-cheeked koi, they produced a white koi with a red abdomen.
The Tenpo Era (1830-1843) introduced the white Koi with red on the forehead, the red-headed koi, and the red-lipped koi.
In the Meija Era (1868-1912) carp from Germany were bred with nishikigoi, producing the fautsu. Koi breeders realized that different types of Koi bred together could create wonderful color mutations.
The Taisho Era (1912-1926) saw the development of white koi to levels of perfection with white koi patterned in red and black. Koi were exhibited at the 1915 Tokyo expo and it was then that the koi craze began to take off around the world.
One of the first Koi developed was the “Kohaku” with its white body and sharp red patterns.
In the early 20th century, black markings were introduced to the basic red and white Kohaku patterns to create the “Sanke” or “Sanshoku”.
In 1927, the “Showa” was created: a black koi with red and white markings.
In 1946, the metallic yellow ‘ogon’ or koi was developed. This led to other versions of metallic koi being produced.
From the 1920s to the 1980s, Koi development took an incredible leap. Koi not only became a great hobby, it became a lucrative business. More varieties were bred, some “single hits” were created that were never seen again, while others became firm favorites.
THE BIG THREE
The Kohaku (white body, red patterns), the Sanke (white body, red and black patterns), and the Showa (jet black base with white and red markings) are known as “Gosanke” or “three families”. In the US and Europe, they are often called “The Big Three”.
THE BASIC TYPES OF KOI AND GETTING STARTED
In general, there are 15 different types of Koi, differentiated by colors and size, in the standard classification. If you keep Koi as a hobby, a good place to start is to familiarize yourself with the 15 different types and think about the ones you like to look at the most.
Remember, just like snowflakes, no two Koi are exactly alike and that is one of the reasons why they are such fascinating fish.