Goshiki is a type of koi that is included in the Kawarimono variety. From its name, Goshiki 五色, consists of 2 words, namely ‘Go’ 五 in Japanese which means ‘five’ and ‘Shiki’ 色 which means ‘color’. So Go shiki is a koi that has a combination of 5 colors, namely: Blue, Dark Blue, Red, Black and White.
Goshiki was first known in Japan in 1918. Go shiki can be obtained from cross breeding between Asagi and Aka Sanke or Aka Bekko. However, according to Shuji Fujita in his book ‘Nishikigoi Mondo’, Go shiki is the result of a mutation from Narumi Asagi who later became known as Go shiki Asagi. Masanaga Kataoka created the Goshiki genealogy as shown in the picture:
Overall, Go-shiki’s appearance is purplish, with bright red forming a Kohaku-like pattern. Goshiki’s color will appear best when it is at a warm temperature and will fade at a lower temperature.
To assess the quality of Go-shiki, the main thing is to observe the quality of the color. Good Goshiki has a bright (flaming) red color and looks contrasting compared to other colors. The blue color, which resembles the pattern on Asagi, also appears clearly with a neat arrangement of scales, while the black color (sumi) looks thick, although minor.After considering the intensity of the color, the next important thing in assessing Go-shiki is the shape of the pattern, especially the color red (hi). The red color pattern on Go-shiki follows the Kohaku pattern. An overall balanced red color pattern is very necessary to support the quality of Go-shiki.
Types of GoshikiSince it was first cultivated, the character of the pattern and color of Goshiki has undergone several changes as written by Takeo Kuroki in his book ‘Modern Nishikigoi’ that around the 80’s, there was Go shiki which he called ‘New Go shiki’ and ‘Kindai Go shiki’ . Until now, Go-shiki continues to be cultivated intensively by koi breeders, especially in the Niigata region of Japan, including Maruju Koi Farm, Kanno Koi Farm, Hiroi Koi Farm, Koda Koi Farm, AO Aokiya, Otsuka Koi Farm, Hosokai Koi Farm, Kawakami Koi Farm, also Kondo Koi Farm and Minuma Koi Farm. Each koi farm produces Go-shiki and has its own characteristics, resulting in various types of Go-shiki patterns and colors.
