Utsurimono — Shiro, Hi & Ki Utsuri (写りもの (Utsurimono))

Black-based two-colour varieties where a second colour wraps through the black like a reflection — utsuri means reflection.

Pattern diagram (schematic — checked against the JAS definition, not a photograph)
Utsurimono — Shiro, Hi & Ki Utsuri: Black ground with white (Shiro Utsuri), red (Hi Utsuri) or yellow (Ki Utsuri) wrapping markings.

Pattern (JAS-aligned)	Black ground with white (Shiro Utsuri), red (Hi Utsuri) or yellow (Ki Utsuri) wrapping markings.
Colours	Black plus one colour. The second colour wraps the body and often reaches the head.
How to tell it	Checkerboard impression: bold black and one bright colour alternating around the body, with black on the head.

The variety in Japanese koi culture

Utsurimono are grouped in the JAS framework as black-based varieties paired with a single contrasting colour. Shiro Utsuri — black and white — is by far the most shown and loved, a living checkerboard whose balance is judged around the whole body including the head. Hi Utsuri (black and red) and the rarer Ki Utsuri (black and yellow) follow the same logic. The family is a useful counterpoint to the Gosanke: here black is not an accent but the canvas, and the art lies in how cleanly the second colour cuts through it.

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.