How did the dark brown carp transform into highly coloured Koi varieties?
Colour mutations in carp were first noticed in the early 1800s. These mainly involved red, white and light yellow Koi (the latter developing into the first single – coloured Kawarimono) and later the tortoiseshell – patterned Koi. These were all mutations from the black Common Carp, known as Magoi. By the middle of the 1800s, cross-breeding of red and white carp produced what could be described as the first Kohaku. Early Koi varieties such as Asagi, Higoi and Bekko, were cross-bred until later the same century, fixing many of the varieties we know today. Certain varieties slowly reached high standards over several generations and in this way lineages became established. Around the same period, in central Europe a Carp mutation arose, the Carp only having a few large glossy scales along the dorsal line – the “mirror carp”, or having no scales at all – the “leather carp”. These fish which became known as “doitsu” from their mid european origins, were originally bred for food. Some of the
