Quick Answer Yamabuki Ogon is a solid metallic gold koi variety, first bred by Sawata Aoki in 1946 and considered the foundation of all modern metallic koi. Named after the bright yellow Yamabuki flower, they genuinely grow larger than most koi varieties — up to 24-36 inches — thanks to a notably hefty appetite, so
Quick Answer Platinum Ogon (Purachina) is a solid metallic white/silver koi variety in the Hikari Muji judging class, prized for its mirror-like, pattern-free sheen. It’s genuinely the silver counterpart to the gold Yamabuki Ogon — both developed from the same Ogon lineage. They grow up to 28 inches and need the same spacious, well-filtered pond
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Quick Answer Kujaku (“peacock”) koi were developed in the early 1960s by breeder Toshio Hirasawa of Maruju Koi Farm, crossing Hikari Muji (metallic) koi with Asagi koi. The result is a metallic white or silver base with an Asagi-style net-like (reticulated) pattern, overlaid with red, orange, or gold markings — genuinely resembling peacock plumage, hence
Quick Answer Kikusui (“floating chrysanthemum”) is a metallic, scaleless (Doitsu) koi variety bred from Platinum Ogon and Hariwake lineages, known for its shimmering platinum-white body with vibrant orange patterns. They need the same core care as other koi — roughly 250 gallons per adult fish, pH 7.0-8.5, water temperature 59-77°F — and can live 20-30
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Quick Answer Kumonryu (“Nine Crested Dragon”) is a scaleless Doitsu koi variety developed in Japan’s Niigata Prefecture, with black sumi patterns that genuinely shift and change on a living fish — influenced by water temperature, diet, and stress. It was recognized as an official variety at the All Japan Combined Nishikigoi show in 1994. Photo
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Quick Answer Hariwake is a metallic koi variety with a platinum-white base and bold patches of yellow (Lemon Hariwake) or orange/gold (Platinum Hariwake). They’re friendly, hardy, beginner-friendly fish that grow up to 24 inches, thriving in water temperatures 59-77°F with a balanced, carotenoid-rich diet to keep their colors vibrant. Introduction Imagine your pond glistening with
Quick Answer Shusui is the scaleless (Doitsu) counterpart to Asagi — a blue-grey koi with a single row of large mirror scales along its back instead of full scaling, with red (hi) or yellow (ki) markings along its sides. It was the first Doitsu koi variety ever bred, created in the early 1900s by crossing
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Quick Answer Asagi is one of the oldest koi varieties, with a net-like pattern of pale-edged blue scales across its back and red (motoaka) at the fins, cheeks, and belly. It’s considered a direct descendant of the Asagi Magoi — the wild black carp regarded as the ancestor of all modern ornamental koi — with
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Quick Answer Ki Utsuri is the oldest and rarest of the three Utsurimono koi varieties, pairing a deep black (sumi) base with bright yellow (ki) markings. It was the first Utsuri type developed, but its yellow pigment is notoriously hard to breed consistently — which is why it’s rarer today than the later Hi Utsuri
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Quick Answer Hi Utsuri is a Japanese koi variety with a jet-black (sumi) base overlaid with bold red (hi) markings. It’s part of the Utsurimono family alongside Shiro Utsuri (white) and Ki Utsuri (yellow), and is prized for sharp kiwa (the edge where red meets black) and clean, unbroken sumi that wraps the body rather
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