Tancho (丹頂 (Tanchō))
A single red circle on the head — named for the red-crowned crane — on an otherwise unmarked body.
Tancho: One round red marking centred on the head; the rest of the body carries no red.
| Pattern (JAS-aligned) | One round red marking centred on the head; the rest of the body carries no red. |
|---|---|
| Colours | Most often white with one red spot (Tancho Kohaku); Tancho Sanke and Tancho Showa add black. |
| How to tell it | One red disc on the head and nowhere else on the body. Any red beyond the head means it is not a Tancho in the strict sense. |
The variety in Japanese koi culture
Tancho is less a breeding line than a prized pattern form recognised across Kohaku, Sanke and Showa: the solitary red disc echoes the crane — tancho — sacred in Japanese imagery, which is why a perfectly round, centred, deep-red disc is treasured out of proportion to its simplicity. The JAS definitions treat the Tancho forms within their base varieties, and this guide follows that approach while giving the form its own page because searches for it are so frequent. Symmetry, roundness and the cleanliness of the surrounding white decide almost everything here.
Keeping notes on this page are limited to generally published principles about the variety in Japan. This page gives no diagnosis, no treatment and no prescription for an individual pond or fish. For a fish that looks unwell, contact a veterinarian or your local fisheries office.
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.