Major groups to learn next
| Group | Identification cue | Quality cue |
|---|---|---|
| Shusui | Doitsu Asagi relative with mirror scales along the back. | Neat dorsal scale line, clean head, controlled red on sides. |
| Goromo / Koromo | Kohaku-like red pattern with blue/dark edging over the red. | Clean white ground and reticulation that enhances rather than dirties the beni. |
| Goshiki | Five-color impression, often red pattern over darker reticulated ground. | Clear red pattern, balanced dark ground, no muddy confusion. |
| Kujaku | Metallic koi with reticulation and orange/red pattern. | Strong metallic sheen plus orderly reticulation. |
| Chagoi / Soragoi / Ochiba | Single-color or autumn-leaf pond favorites. | Body, scale neatness, calm behavior, and even color. |
| Gin Rin / Doitsu | Cross-cutting scale traits, not always standalone varieties. | Even sparkle for Gin Rin; neat scale rows for Doitsu. |
- Shusui
- The Doitsu relative of Asagi, known for mirror scales along the back and red side accents.
- Goromo / Koromo
- Kohaku-like pattern with blue or dark edging over the red markings, including Ai Goromo and Budo Goromo.
- Goshiki
- A five-color impression that can combine Kohaku-like red with darker reticulated ground.
- Kujaku
- A metallic koi with reticulation and orange or red pattern, often grouped under Hikari-moyo.
- Kawarimono
- A broad show and appreciation class for many less-common varieties. It contains recognizable families rather than one shared color or pattern.
- Gin Rin
- A sparkling scale effect that can appear across many varieties.
- Doitsu
- A scale type with few or no regular scales, often showing larger mirror scales along the dorsal line.
- Butterfly Koi / Longfin
- A long-fin form popular in aquarium viewing. See the dedicated tank-care guide for water volume, filtration, and fin protection.
Kawarimono family map
Zen Nippon Airinkai organizes Kawarimono into practical families. This helps avoid treating every unusual koi as an unrelated “miscellaneous” fish.
| Family | Named varieties | What the grouping tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Karasugoi family | Karasugoi, Hajiro, Hageshiro, Yotsushiro, Matsukawabake, Kumonryu, Suminagashi | Black-based relatives that must be separated by white placement, scale type, and pattern character. |
| Matsuba family | Aka Matsuba, Ki Matsuba, Shiro Matsuba, Doitsu Matsuba | The dark scale centers form a pinecone-like effect over the ground color. |
| Kage Utsuri family | Shiro Kage Utsuri, Hi Kage Utsuri, Kage Showa | Kage means a shadow-like dark effect; the underlying Utsuri or Showa identity still matters. |
| Kanoko | Kanoko Kohaku, Kanoko Sanke, Kanoko Showa | Kanoko describes the dappled red pattern while the base Kohaku, Sanke, or Showa identity is retained. |
| Single-color | Kigoi, Aka Muji, Aka Hajiro, Karashigoi, Chagoi, Soragoi | Body shape, skin quality, and even color matter more than a complex pattern. |
| Ochiba family | Ochiba Shigure, Koyo | Autumnal brown or yellow patterning distinguishes these fish from plain single-color koi. |
| Recent named combinations | Ginrin Koromo Showa; Ginrin Kanoko Karashi (“Golden Corn”) | These names combine an underlying color-pattern identity with a reflective Ginrin scale trait; they should not be read as simple single-color varieties. |
Golden Corn and Ginrin Koromo Showa
The All Japan Nishikigoi Promotion Association recognizes Ginrin-kanoko-karashi, commonly called Golden Corn. Its mustard-colored body carries reflective golden or silver scales and a reddish, dotted Kanoko pattern on selected scales. Some examples also show mustard-colored markings together with the red dotted pattern.
Ginrin-koromo-showa combines golden or silver reflective scales with Koromo-showa characteristics. In both names, Ginrin identifies the reflective scale effect; it does not replace the underlying pattern identity.
Do not identify Golden Corn from yellow color alone. The Ginrin reflection and the red Kanoko-style dots are part of the official description, and a whole-fish view is preferable to a close crop.
References
The family structure follows the Zen Nippon Airinkai Kawarimono guide. Golden Corn and Ginrin Koromo Showa names and appearance descriptions follow the All Japan Nishikigoi Promotion Association Kawarigoi definitions.
This page is now a map into the expanded non-Gosanke library. Each linked page includes a whole-fish image, a study diagram, and practical identification notes.