Japanese Koi Varieties: Compare & Shop

Choose a variety you enjoy, then judge the individual koi. The names below help you navigate the current selection; the fish's own photograph, video and recorded details should decide the purchase.

Gosanke: Kohaku, Sanke and Showa

Kohaku combines red markings with a white ground. Sanke and Showa add black to the red-and-white palette, with different pattern conventions. Look at the balance of the whole fish rather than searching for one isolated feature.

Asagi and Ochiba

Asagi is known for its blue-grey reticulated appearance with red colouring on the lower areas. Ochiba offers brown or bronze patterning against a grey base. Compare the specific colour, pattern and body in the listing rather than expecting every fish of a variety to look the same.

Utsuri and Chagoi

Utsuri includes contrasting black with white, red or yellow. Chagoi offers a quieter, largely single-colour appearance. Select the individual fish for its condition, appearance and suitability for your pond; variety alone does not guarantee a particular temperament or growth rate.

Ginrin, Doitsu and age terms

Ginrin describes reflective scales; Doitsu refers to reduced-scale forms. These terms can occur alongside a variety name. Tosai and Nisai are age classes, not quality grades. Compare the recorded age and size on each individual listing and ask about any uncertainty.

Browse Tosai · Browse Nisai · Read the buying checklist

For formal appreciation categories, see the Zen Nippon Airinkai variety reference. Our shop groupings are designed to help you find current stock and are not a substitute for show classification.

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