Originally posted by Webmaster:
Picture submitted by Kenny.





Please help kenny to identify the above two koi

"Tancho is the name of the Japanese crane which has a red spot on its head. Because the Tancho bird is so big and so distinctive, the same is expected of the fish called the "Tancho". Tancho Koi first got its name by appearing as a sub-variety or a type of Kohaku. The Kohaku is a two colored fish, being red and white. So certainly there is a Tancho Kohaku. This is a fish which only has a round red mark on its head with the rest of its body being white. Other varieties of Tancho are recognized. The Bekko, which is a group of fish which has small Sumi or black spots on a uniform base color, may also have Tancho with Shiro Bekko are called "Tancho Sanke." "Shiro", by the way, refers to white.

In Tancho Sanke, there should not be any black marking on the head. The black markings, or Sumi, should be as black as coal and should be clear, distinct, and interesting. There should be a few black marks on the pectoral fins to indicate the quality of the genetic lines. Fishes which have these black marks are considered fixed strains.

Tancho Showa, the modern Tancho, must have the characteristic round red Hi spot on the head together withe a body form and color markings of the Shiro Utsuri. Shiro Utsuri are black fishes with white markings. Of course, white markings on black is also one way to interpret shiro Utsuri. However, consider a black and white fish with a red Hi and you have the Tancho Sanke. Tancho Sanke is merely a three colored fish the red Hi being on the head, the white body and black markings strewn delicately and tastefully around the body.

Utsuri Mono is a wide ranging group of Nishikigoi. Basically they are a black fish. The black fish is colored with a second color. The second color can either be yellow, red, or white. Other colors have been appearing now and again, but the strain has not been fixed.

Ki Utsuri is a black fish with yellow or orange coloring. The yellow or orange coloring must have a lightning pattern or a pattern which is interesting. The black pattern, of course, is the base color so it is not judged, only the yellow pattern. The black must be as black as coal. The yellow or orange color should be uniform and attractive.

HI UTSURI is red and black. All of the fins must be prominently marked with black, as in all Utsuri Mono, and the red should be as intense and fiery as possible.

The Shiro Utsuri is a black and white fish. Actually it is white on black where most of the color is black. Again, all of the fins must be prominently marked with black and the whites must be snow-white. When there is more white than black, the fish is called a Bekko.

Bekko is a group of Koi whose basic color is white, yellow, oranges, or red and which has spots, blotches, or patterns of black. It differs from Utsuri because the black marking are much smaller and more dispersed.

AKA BEKKO are black spots basically on a red fish. Shiro Bekko has black spots on a white fish. There are many, many other combinations. Basically all of them are defective Sanke fish. As you konw, Taisho Sanke and Showa Sanke are three-colored fish usually white, red, and black. In Bekko, one of the colors is missing.