What is a koi?
What Americans and Europeans call “Koi” and the Japanese call “Nishikigoi” are a variety of carp fish (cyprinus carpio). Carp originated in ancient Persia (Iran), but around two thousand years ago, carp became a farmable food source in China and other Asian cultures. Although Carp were primarily raised for food, oral and art history reveal that the Chinese were among the first cultures to appreciate the aesthetic qualities of carp. Carp were introduced to Japanese culture when the Chinese invaded Japan in 32 BC. However, the mixed-colored koi seen today were cultivated in Japan around 200 years ago. During the seventeenth century, carp were being raised in rice ponds in Niigata, Japan as a food source. Japanese farmers observed occasional mutations in color and other features in the carp. By the early nineteenth century, an appreciation for the unusual colors and traits had dramatically increased, motivating some carp farmers to deliberately fix some of the unusual colors and traits of
