Female Ki Kujaku – Aokiya Koi Farm
Ki Kujaku is a Kujaku whose pattern is yellow-gold (ki) instead of red-orange, laid over a platinum body netted in black pine-cone (matsuba) scales.
Origin and history
It belongs to the Hikarimoyo, metallic koi with two or more colors in a pattern. This group was created from the 1960s onward by crossing Ogon (metallic) koi with patterned varieties. It is judged separately from the metallic Utsuri and Showa. Kujaku was developed in Niigata in the 1960s and 1970s.
Color and pattern
A platinum-white base with an even matsuba net over the scales, and a metallic yellow-gold pattern in place of the usual hi. The net should stay sharp and the yellow even and bright, with a clean head. The softer gold gives a warmer, more subtle look than a red Kujaku.
In your collection
Patterned metallic koi combine the visibility of an Ogon with the interest of a pattern. They look striking from above and from the side, and they hold their own in deeper water where non-metallic colors can fade from view. Judges look first at luster, then at how clearly the pattern reads through the sheen.
What collectors look for
- Even, bright yellow-gold
- Sharp, even netting
- A clean, bright head
- Strong luster
