Nishikigoi Varieties — The JAS-Aligned Guide
Sixteen pages on the varieties and types — Gosanke first, then Tancho, Asagi, Utsuri, Bekko, Goshiki, Ogon, Shusui, Kujaku, Kawarimono, the Doitsu and Ginrin types, single colours, and the Sanke-vs-Showa key — with names and definitions checked against the JAS standard.
The full list sits in the frame below — it scrolls inside the frame so the rest of the page stays close.
The foundation variety — a white body with red markings — and the most celebrated nishikigoi in Japan and at shows worldwide.Taisho Sanke (Taisho Sanshoku)
White with red and black — the second of the Gosanke, named for the Taisho era in which it was established.Showa Sanshoku (Showa)
Black-based three-colour — the boldest of the Gosanke, named for the Showa era, and the variety of the 55th All Japan champion.Tancho
A single red circle on the head — named for the red-crowned crane — on an otherwise unmarked body.Asagi
One of the oldest varieties — blue net-like scales above the lateral line with red on the belly, cheeks and fins.Utsurimono — Shiro, Hi & Ki Utsuri
Black-based two-colour varieties where a second colour wraps through the black like a reflection — utsuri means reflection.Bekko
Tortoiseshell pattern — black spots on a single-colour ground of white, red or yellow.Goshiki
Five colours in one fish — a Kohaku pattern laid over an Asagi-like blue-grey ground.Ogon & Platinum — Hikarimono
Single-colour metallic koi — gold, platinum and their kin — whose shine is the whole pattern.Shusui
The Doitsu (scaleless) form of Asagi — a line of large blue scales along the back with red flanks.Kujaku
The peacock — a metallic Kohaku pattern overlaid with black netting across the scales.Kawarimono
The open category — varieties that fit no other class, from Karasugoi blacks to Ochiba's autumn leaves.Doitsu — The Scaleless Type
Not a colour variety but a scale type — German mirror-carp ancestry that leaves the skin bare or with single rows of large scales.Ginrin — The Sparkling Scale Type
Diamond-dust scales — a scale type, not a colour, where each scale carries a sparkling, reflective edge.Chagoi, Soragoi & Single Colours
Calm single-colour koi — tea-brown Chagoi, grey-blue Soragoi and their kin — loved less for pattern than for presence and tameness.Telling Varieties Apart — Sanke vs Showa & More
The one-page key: how to separate the look-alike varieties — Sanke from Showa, Bekko from Sanke, Utsuri from both, and the type words Doitsu and Ginrin.
Sources: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA — summary in our own words, credit only); All Japan Nishikigoi Promotion Association official; Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and Finance Ministry trade statistics as published; Japanese Agricultural Standard (JAS) for nishikigoi variety names and definitions (2022); Niigata Prefecture, Ojiya City, Nagaoka City (Yamakoshi) and Nishikigoi no Sato official; Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) visitor statistics; USDA APHIS and Australian DAFF official import guidance. Checked 6 November 2026.