Kujaku – Kawakami Koi Farm
Kujaku ('peacock') is a metallic koi with red-orange patterning over a platinum body netted in black pine-cone (matsuba) scales. It is one of the most colorful metallics.
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 and is one of the best-known metallic varieties.
Color and pattern
A platinum-white base with an even matsuba net over the scales, and a red-orange pattern laid over the top. The head should be clean and bright, the net sharp, and the hi pattern clear. It is one of the most popular metallic koi worldwide.
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
- Sharp, even netting
- Clear red-orange pattern
- A clean, bright head
- Strong luster
