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Saki Hikari Koi
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158 Milner Avenue, Roosevelt Park, Johannesburg |
Shop hours: 9am - 5pm Mon - Fri, 09:30 - 15:30
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Kohaku Sanke Showa Chagoi Goshiki Asagi |
Ogon Shiro Utsuri Hi Utsuri Shusui Ochiba Shigure Kumonryo |
Bekko Kujaku Soragoi Goromo Pictorial Japan Japanese Terminology |
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Kohaku
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Kohaku KoiThe Kohaku is a much treasured and prized Koi and is one of the oldest varieties. It is a white koi with red (hi) markings. Ideally the white should be snow white and the red (hi) should be of an even colour - often it is more orange than red. In fact the actual shade of red whether it be a deep orange or a deep fire engine red is not nearly as important as the consistency of the red across the body of the Koi. On young Kohaku you will often see that the red (hi) on the head is brighter than that on the scales/body of the Koi. This is because the hi on the skin is always easier to see than on the body - and what will happen is that as the Koi matures the hi will become the same on the body as on the head as it thickens with the Koi's age. Kohaku are our personal favourite. Simplicity leads to a stunning Koi, and, there is less to go wrong. Which makes showing such a Koi a thorny issue- if you do decide to ever show your Kohaku, it needs to be of a very high standard indeed... Kohaku should, as with all Koi, exhibit clear lines of definition between white (shiroji) and red (hi). The clearer the line, the better. The red (hi) needs to be seen as if it were painted on a snow white background in an interesting and attractive pattern. Patterns incidentally are less important that one might think. A pleasing pattern to the eye is what is valued - but this can be juts about anything. Symmetry is not a requirement and as you get into your Koi keeping you will learn just how rare any type of symmetry is in Koi. Chiefly with Kohaku there should be some red on the head that extends further forward than the eyes. It can extend down to but preferably not into the eye itself. The red should also not extend lower than the lateral line of the Koi. A white stop before the end of the tail of the Koi is also desirable. Called the 'odome' in Japan this white break between the body of the Koi and the tail is appreciated. In the meantime, below is a picture of a stunner - note the clean crisp lines of how well the red (hi) is clearly defined. There is no smudging between the red and the white, which is also very important and much appreciated.
An ideal Kohaku, such as this one, should not have any red (hi) in the pectoral fins, or in any of the fins themselves for that matter. Hi at the base of the pectoral fin (motoguru) in a young Koi - in our opinion anyway - is a good thing as it tends to be a good indicator of a top quality hi. It just goes to show that sometimes you can't have everything when it comes to Koi and that no Koi is ever perfect...
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