"The Koi Family" Original Koi Fish Oil Painting by k Madison Moore

The Koi Family

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Details: 24 x 28 inches Original Kio Fish Oil Painting
Gallery wrapped linen canvas hardwood panel
Wired and Ready to hang
Valid Certificate of Appraisal inclusive
Impasto ( Thick paint ) areas to created dimension
Enhanced in Pale Metallic Gold

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Registered Original Art Copyright MkM 2008 k. Madison Moore





Koi

Koi (鯉?) (IPA: /kɔɪ/), or more specifically nishikigoi (錦鯉?) (IPA: [niɕikigoi], literally
10 External links and further readings

Origins

The common carp is widely believed to have originated from the Caspian Sea with natural habitat surrounding the North, Baltic, Mediterranean, Black, Azov, Caspian and Aral Sea basins. The common carp, as a food fish with the ability to survive and adapt to many different climates and waterways, was bartered and spread to many different areas, including North America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Wild populations of the common carp now exist in those four continents and South America.
Natural color mutations of these carp would have occurred across all populations. However, earliest records of carp with distinct colors have been found in Japan. Depictions of carp or 'koi' with different color variations have been found on 18th century Japanese drawings and paintings. The ornamental cultivation of carp originated in the Niigata region of Japan during the Japanese Edo Period.

Etymology

The word "koi" comes from the Japanese, simply meaning "carp." It includes both the dull grey fish and the brightly colored varieties. A homophone of koi means "love, affection" and koi are therefore symbols of love and friendship in Japan: a good example is the short story Koi-san by Mukoda Kuniko.

History

Koi breeding originated in the 18th century in the Niigata prefecture of Japan. Farmers working the rice fields would notice that some carp were more brightly colored than others, capture them, and raise them. By the 20th century, a number of color patterns had been established, most notably the red-and-white Kohaku. The outside world did not become aware of the degree of development until 1914, when the Niigata koi were exhibited in the annual exposition in Tokyo. At that point, interest in koi exploded throughout Japan. The hobby of keeping koi spread worldwide after plastic bags and shipping of koi became both fast and safe for the fish. These factors enabled koi to be shipped worldwide with low mortality rates. Koi are now commonly sold in most pet stores, with higher-quality fish available from specialist dealers.
Koi varieties are distinguished by coloration, patterning, and scalation. Ghost koi, developed in the 1980s are metallic hybrids of wild carp and Ogon koi and are not considered true Nishikigoi. Butterfly koi, Longfin koi, or Dragon Carp were also developed in the 1980s and are notable for their long and flowing fins. They are actually hybrids with Asian carp and, like Ghost koi, are not considered true Nishikigoi.

Varieties

Koi varieties
Koi have many different colors. Some of the major colors are white, black, red, yellow, blue, and cream.
While possible variations are limitless, breeders have identified and named a number of specific categories. The most popular category is Gosanke. The Gosanke category is made up of the Kohaku, Taisho Sanshoku, and Showa Sanshoku varieties. The Japanese breeders have many generations of knowledge and experience when it comes to breeding and raising Nishikigoi. They know which ones will be worth hundreds of dollars and which ones will be worth thousands of dollars.
The major named varieties include:
Kohaku - a white-skinned Koi, with a red pattern
Taisho Sanshoku (Sanke) - a white-skinned Koi with a red and black pattern
Showa Sanshoku (Showa) - a black-skinned Koi with a red and white pattern
Tancho - Any koi with the only red being in a circle on its forehead. The fish can be a Tancho Showa, Tancho Sanke, or even Tancho Goshiki
Asagi - a Koi with light blue scales on its top and red scales on its bottom
Shusui - the partially scaled version of an Asagi
Bekko - a white, red, or yellow-skinned Koi with a black pattern
Utsurimono - a black Koi with a red, white, or yellow pattern
Goshiki - a mostly black Koi with red, white, brown, and blue accents
Ogon - a Koi that is one solid color, can be regular or metallic; known colors - red, orange, platinum, yellow and cream
Kin Gin Rin - a Koi with shiny scales. The name translates into English as "Gold Silver Scales" There are also Gin Rin versions of almost any other type of koi.
Kawarimono (kawarigoi) - Miscellaneous types of Koi
Doitsu-goi - German Carp
Koromo - Koi with areas of blue-edged scales aligned neatly
Hikari-Moyomono - Koi with colored patterns over a metallic base, and koi in two metallic colors
Ghost koi - "Hybrid" of Ogon and wild carp. Not Nishikigoi.
Butterfly koi - Long-finned version of all others. Not Nishikigoi.
Jinmengyo - Due to its facial resemblances to marsupials (features: prominent brows and nose) or even species-centric point of view of human observers, it is a subject of many blogs



A Painting A Day Objets d' Art by k. Madison Moore