What's in a Name?

The Kohaku, Sanke, and Showa varieties of Koi are collectively the Gosanke. In this case, the “go” does not mean f ive, but refers to three noble Japanese families. Gosanke have the highest quality of skin and colour of all Koi. For this reason, grand champions are usually these varieties. A Kohaku is a white Koi with red pattern markings while Sanke and Showa are three-coloured Koi—red, black, and white. Showa and Sanke appeal to all types of hobbyist, especially those who want to show their Koi and compete for top awards. It is not easy to raise a Koi with three colours of high quality. For those that can achieve this feat, there is the possibility of having a grand champion.

Hobbyists and even benching teams sometimes have difficulty in deciding whether a Koi is a Sanke or a Showa. People often say that a Sanke is a white Koi with red and black pattern markings and a Showa is a black Koi with red and white pattern markings. It is true that breeders keep the all black Showa fry at the first cull. However, this does not help to distinguish larger Koi exhibiting all three colours.

The Great & Enlightened Three

In his book, Dr. Takeo Kuroki referred to Mr Eziburo Hoshino as being the first to breed Sanke. Peter Waddington credits Mr. Kawakami (Torazo) as being the first to breed Sanke in 1915. The Sanke variety has its origins in the reign of the Japanese Emperor Yoshihito. The period of his reign (1912 – 1926) was the Taisho era. Taisho means “great righteousness”. Sanshoku means three colours and the proper name for a Sanke is Taisho Sanshoku or Taisho Sanke, commonly abbreviated to Sanke.

The proper name for a Showa is Showa Sanshoku and this variety originated a little later in the Showa era of Emperor Hirohito, (1926– 1989). Showa means enlightenment and harmony. Jukichi Hoshino bred the first Showa in 1927 using a Ki Utsuri as one of the parents. These early Showas were of poor quality and it was not until Tomiji Kobayashi crossed Showas with Kohakus in the 1960s that the high quality Showas we recognise today
appeared.

The Markings And Makings Of Sanke

Ideally, a Sanke should have a good white ground colour with a red pattern. In a young Sanke, the red may be orange, like a young Kohaku, but it
should turn crimson with time. Ideally, the red pattern elements should be like those of a Kohaku—large, with two, three, or four steps of even hue and extending onto the head but not covering the eyes. The fins should be white. An additional point of appreciation is a few, black, delicate stripes in the pectoral fins, known as Tejima. The black pattern elements should arrange in a stepping stonelike fashion above the lateral line, similar to that of the Bekko variety. It is preferable that the black is on the white rather than the red and a black pattern element on the shoulder is particularly desirable. There should be no black on the head.

While black on the head of a Sanke is not desirable, it does not appear to be such a big demerit as it used to be. High quality Sankes with some black on the head have won prizes at Japanese shows and have been featured in the Zen Nippon Airinkai (ZNA) magazine Nichirin. Some Sankes that have lost their entire red colour have competed well at shows in the Bekko variety. This is because the black of a Sanke is of very high
quality. It is shiny and lacquer-like Image 1.

Simple Showa Explanation

The red of a Showa is different to that of a Kohaku or Sanke. Young, Showa fry are black. Their red starts to emerge as an almost greenish colour which turns a mustard colour and then into a dark orange. This dark orange lightens and a deep crimson colour can develop in a few years. As with all the Gosanke, the white of a Showa should be snow white. Originally, the Showa variety did not have much white but modern Showa exhibit with much more. A Showa with less than 20% white is a traditional Showa and a modern type with more white is a Kindai.

The black on a Showa should rise up from below the lateral line, like mountain peaks, in the manner of the Utsurimono variety. There should be black, red, and white on the head. A distinctive head marking dividing the head called Menware is particularly desirable. Instead of delicate Tejima stripes, the pectoral fins of a Showa should have a tight ball of black at the base of the fin, known as Motoguro. The quality of the black on a Showa is different to that of a Sanke. The black of a Showa is more matte and lacks the brilliant shine of a Sanke (Image 2).

Breeding Programmes

Breeders are always striving for perfection and improvement of their Koi’s quality. In order to improve the quality of the black in the Showa
variety, the Sanke variety has been used in breeding programmes. This introduction has improved the quality of the black in the Showa variety but
has produced some Koi with features of both Sanke and Showa. The result of breeding programmes involving the Sanke and Showa varieties has produced mix Sanke and Showa varieties produce some in between Koi. The purists would cull these indeterminate Koi but there is a market for unusual Koi and breeders are businessmen.

What Would You Call It

This interesting Koi in Image 4 has black below the lateral line and on the head (Showa features), but the black is of high quality and the fins have stripes rather than Motoguro (which is a Sanke feature). Although Koi like this can have great appeal, they can cause problems for benching at shows. As Showa are predominately-black fish, they can have black on any part of the body. One place they can have black pigment is inside the mouth. You will sometimes see people holding Koi and examining the inside of the mouth looking for black pigment. Since the presence of black
pigmentation is random, its absence does not mean the Koi is a Sanke. Its presence however, indicates the Koi is a Showa.

Judges or experienced benchers will look at the overall nature and impression the Koi exhibits when distinguishing a Sanke from a Showa.
For hobbyists that do not show their Koi the distinction between Sanke and Showa is academic. Although, it can be the source of an interesting debate while sitting by the pond with friends and a few beverages. In general, a Koi that is difficult to bench is not a good example of its
type and is unlikely to take top awards.

A well-known breeder in Japan bred the interesting Koi (in Image 4). This breeder had no doubts that it was a Sanke. In which variety would you place this Koi? The Koi in Image 4 has a very interesting feature. The red in some areas is dappled. The Japanese refer to this as Kanoko. Kanoko is not a variety but a description meaning spotted, like a young deer. Exhibitors bench Koi that are Kanoko as Kawarimono. Because of its overall high quality, this Koi would be competitive in the Kawarimono variety.

Dr. James Ian Phillips lives in Johannesburg, South Africa; he is a member of
Zen Nippon Airinkai as well as the South African Koi Keepers Society. He currently
serves as an SAKKS certified Koi judge. Reach him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it