It is not known exactly when the Hariwake koi were first bred, but we do know that the subvariety was created by crossing Kohaku (white koi with red patterns) and Platinum Ogon (pure white metallic koi) to create the metallic Kohaku, which is called the Hariwake koi. We also know that the Platinum Ogon variety was first bred in 1947 by a breeder named Sawata Aoki and we know that Hariwake koi were bred with Shusui (Doitsu blue koi with red patterns along the sides) to create the Doitsu Kujaku variety in the early 1960s. Therefore, we can conclude that the Hariwake must have been first bred sometime between 1947 and the early 1960s. The most commonly accepted time frame is the 1950s.
The first Hariwake koi were essentially metallic Kohaku with a striking crimson pattern, but over the decades, breeders began to develop varieties of Hariwake by breeding koi with orange or yellow patterns instead of the crimson Kohaku. The result was koi with beni (orange red) or ki (yellow) patterns. The most popular of these varieties was the lemon yellow version which quickly became the Lemon Hariwake koi variety. Since Hariwake koi are close cousins of Kohaku koi and have similar patterns, the guidelines for the patterns are the same. There are tancho, maruten, step-step and there are also character patterns, there are butterfly fin types and scaleless (doitsu) types.
Since this is a metallic fish with metallic white and yellow coloring, we need to consider the quality of the sheen and luster of the fish’s skin. Overall, the most important thing is that the amount of sheen and quality of sheen are consistent throughout the body. There should be no obvious areas of the pattern that do not have reflective sheen and, ideally, no areas that are noticeably more reflective than others. The sheen itself should be beautiful and shimmering with careful consideration given to the white base. The metallic white coloring should appear almost mirror-like and, on the best koi, resembles pure snow that has just caught the rays of the sun on a winter morning.
So, for all hobbyists, if you already have a red and white type of pond at home, make sure you also have a Hariwake type of koi because the beautiful color combination of white and metallic yellow is very pleasing to the eye.
