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KAWARIMONO
General
Description
'Kawarigoi'
or
'Kawarimono'
is the term applied to a koi that can not be classified into
any of the standard koi types. Since this is a
'catch-all' category, a lot of established koi varieties fall
under it.
An
article by
Douglas Dahl
entitled
'Koi Classification and Judging Criteria'
has given a good description of what this large koi category
covers. Quoting the article:
"Included are
all of the Karasugoi or crow carp
family that are black with various
white markings on the body and fins. Depending on how much
white you have Hajiro (black with
white only on the tail and pectoral fin tips),
Hageshiro (black with white on
tail and pectoral fin tips and on the head),
Yotsushiro (Hageshiro
with all white head), Kumonryu (Doitsu
koi with killer whale pattern) and
Matsukawabake (koi that changes from black to gray
depending on water temperature forming a net black
pattern).
There is a
very new koi that has been put into
Kawarimono due to lack of a better place because it is
metallic and does not belong in
Kawarimono. This is the
Bene(red)
Kumonryu called
Kikokuryu. It is a metallic
Kumonryu with a red pattern. It
probably should be moved to Hikarimoyo
because the black looks metallic so it has black, white and
red metallic colors.
Next in favor
is Goshiki meaning 5 colors that
are white with a red Kohaku pattern and two shades of blue and
black netting not only on the red but also on the white.
Cool water makes the colors darken. It is important for
Goshiki to have a clean red and
white head with no sumi
markings.
The next
favorite is the Chagoi or
brown/green tea colored carp. These koi grow fast and very
large and become the favorite in the pond by their gluttony.
Also in solid colors are the Kigoi
(yellow koi), Soragoi (gray blue
koi), Midorigoi (green koi),
Benigoi (red koi),
Aka Hijiro
( red koi with white fin tips) and
Shiro Muji
(white koi).
Next is a
very recent cross between Chagoi
and Kohaku or Asagi called
Ochiba
Shigure.
This koi reminds people of autumn
leaves because the hi shows up as a bright mustard pattern on
a gray body with black netting over the whole body. The
Doitsu version of
Ochiba
Shigure has been called “antique” due to the colors.
The next
group is the Kanoko group.
Kanoko means “fawn” describing a
dappled Kohaku red pattern that looks
like cherry blossoms. This group includes
Kanoko Kohaku,
Kanoko Sanke
and Kanoko Showa.
The next
group are the Kage (robed)group.
They include Kage
Shiro Utsuri,
Kage Hi
Utsuri, and Kage Showa.
The last
group are the non-metallic
Matsuba koi. They are
Aka (red)
Matsuba, Ki
Matsuba and
Shiro Matsuba. There are
also Doitsu versions of all of the
above."
Appreciation
Criteria
Color
Due to the large number of koi varieties under the category of
'Kawarigoi', this page can not describe the color criteria
specific to each of them. However, the color criteria
discussed in other pages for mainstream koi varieties
generally apply to kawarigoi as well. Thus, colors must
be deep and solid, with no signs of fading, blurring,
spotting, or unwanted tinting anywhere. The shade, hue,
and quality of the colors must be consistent throughout the
koi.
Pattern
Due to the large number of koi varieties under the category of
'Kawarigoi', this page can not describe the pattern criteria
specific to each of them. However, the pattern criteria
discussed in other pages for mainstream koi varieties
generally apply to kawarigoi with pattern markings as well.
For example, markings on the body must be artistically
balanced.
This means that they must not be confined to one side or one
end of the koi only. As in any other koi, the markings
on a kawarigoi must enhance the total beauty package of the
koi.
Body
Please see separate article on
The Ideal Koi Body.
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