Koi History

The many beautiful koi varieties we know today are in fact, all decendants of the black fish known as Magoi. Although early records of koi ( Common Carp) date back some 2,500 years, their farm cultivations is far more recent. Colour mutations first appeared some 200 years ago and by the end of the 19th centurymany of the varieties we know today had been established. However, it was not until the 20th century that koi-keeping as a hobby began to flourish. The development of road and rail links and even more so the revolution of air travel made the transportation of koi available to all which in turn made these beautiful fish a huge world wide attraction, especially in the USA and the UK. Although Japan is the world leader in koi breeding and rearing, other countries are now producing koi for their own markets. Israli koi are very popular here in the UK still a beautifull fish many koi collecters refuse to have Israli koi and will only stock with Japanese bred koi. With that in mind it is contrary to common belief that koi are not indigenous to Japan. They actually originate from eastern Asia in the Black, Azov, Caspian and Aral seas and from China, where the earliest written record of these fish can be found. Koi were introduced into Japan with the invading Chinese and the first account of them being kept in Japan apparently by an Emperor, dates back to 200 AD. It was only until the 17th century when rice farmers introduced carp to there irrigation systems as a means to supplement their diet of rice. The location of these rice farmers, a small village known to be Yamakoshi go in the Niigata region of the North West coastline situated high in the mountains with extreme winters became the first source of the colour mutations due to the isolated village postion and the rice farmers breeding carp to suppliment there need for food. The Niigata region therefore became the established centerof the koi industry. Colour mutations were first noted between 1804 and 1830, these changes mainly involved red koi, white koi and light yellow koi ( later to be improved to be the first single colour koi known as Kawarimono ) and then later still, the tourtoiseshell patterned koi. Around 1830 - 1850 the cross breeding of the red and the whitecarp produced what could be described as the first Kohaku. Early koi varieties such as Asagi, Higoi and Bekko were cross bred until in the early 1880's when many of these varieties became fixed. The continued development of the breeding the Japanese devoted their time to is the reason today we have such beautiful koi and with the contiuned efforts and technological enhancments koi will still continue to be bred to, and if ever possible, produce the perfect shaped, patterned and desirable koi.