The Kohaku is a white Koi wit red patterns. It is still and always will be, the most beloved Koi in Japan. The quality requirements for a good Kohaku are very high. Skin quality must be optimal and the edges of the red pigmentation (Kiwa-Sashi) must be as sharps as possible. The first Kohaku appeared about 1880 and were yellow-white fish with multiple small orange-red markings that we now describe as spots. These spots were bred over about 10 years to the first real patterned Kohaku. Several classes of Kohaku have been developed, each with its own name. Some of the most common variants are:
- Nidan Kohaku: a two-step Kohaku where the red preferably starts on the head.
- Sandan Kohaku: a three-step Kohaku where the first red drawing starts quite far forward on the fish.
- Yondan Kohaku: a four-step
- Maruten Kohaku: Kohaku where the first drawing on the head is smaller than that of the Nidan and Sandan Kohaku.
Other Kohaku variants include Inazuma (Zigzag pattern), Ippon-Hi Kohaku, Kuchibeni Kohaku, Menkaburi ( hatpattern) Read much more about the stunning Kohaku
