| Word(Pronunciation) |
Meaning |
Kage(kah' geh)
|
Shade, shadow, shadow pattern that appear
where Sumi is unexpected, often seen as a dark center
on a white scale, as in Kage Shiro Utsuri. |
Kage Showa
(kah' geh show' wah) |
Shadowed Showa. This variety was developed
from the same bloodline as Koromo Showa. Its primary
feature is the Asagi like netting pattern that appears
on the white skin. (Refer to page 52, Kokugyo Vol.1).
Scales in the Shiroji would have a shadow to them. This
does not indicate poor quality Sumi, but is an enhancement
to the pattern. |
Kage Zumi
(kah' geh zoo' mee) |
Shadow Sumi. Kage Zumi is an area of
Sumi that has strarted to emerge, but has not yet completely
come to the surface of the skin, and is thus seen as
a blue shadow. If the Sumi were still beneath the surface
of the skin, it would be Shita Zumi. |
Kaku Tan
(kah' coo than) |
Square Hi on the head. Used only for
Nishikigoi that have a Hi pattern on the body. Recently,
Maruten (round Hi on the head) is used instead of Kaku
Tan. |
Kaku Zumi
(kah' coo zoo' mee) |
Square Sumi. Round Sumi is called Maru
Zumi. Kaku Zumi appears in bloodlines such as Torazo
Sanke or Jinbei Sanke. This is a term used to describe
Taisho Sanshoku (Sanke), but it can be used to describe
the Sumi of Showa. |
Kamisori Giwa
(kah' mee sow ree gee' wah) |
Razor-cut Kiwa. Term used to describe
the shape of the Kiwa at the trailing edge of the Hi
plates. It means that the Kiwa is sharp and straight
like a razor-cut, and cuts across the scales rather than
following the shape of the scales. It is one of the ideal
Kiwa shapes. Another ideal Kiwa is Maruzome. |
Kanoko
(kah' no coh) |
Fawn. Hi dotting the cetner of Shiroji
scales, which makes the Koi appear dappled like a fawn.
All Koi with this characteristic are called Kanoko, and
it can apply to any non-metallic variety with Hi. |
Karasu or Karasugoi
(kah' rah sue) |
"The crow" or black Nishikigoi
with no white. |
Karasu no nurebairo
(kah' rah sue no new ray bye row) |
Color of crow's wet feather. Shiniest
Black. A crow (Karasu) is completely black. Nurebairo
means "wet feather." When the crow gets wet,
the feathers shine with a uniquely beautiful black. Karasu
no nurebairo is an expression of the highest praise for
Sumi coloration. |
Kasane Zumi
(kah' sah neh zoo' mee) |
Piled-up Sumi. Kasane literally means "to
pile up." Sumi that is riding over or overlapping
the Hi. Also called Nose (Nose means "to ride")
Zumi. Often simply called Kasane. Sumi on the Hi plate
is not deeply rooted to the ground (as is Sumi in the
Shiroji), and is thus not stable and can move as the
Koi grows. Kasane Zumi of Taisho Sanshoku (Sanke) can
disappear. |
Kashira
(kah' she rah) |
The most excellent Nishikigoi in the
group. |
Kata Moyo
(kah tah' moy' oh) |
A one-sided pattern. The term is used
to describe an unbalanced Hi pattern, where the center
of balance seems to lean towards the left or the right.
This is not used when the pattern is one-sided on the
first half or the second half. |
Kata Zumi
(kah tah' zoo me) |
Sumi patch or patches on the shoulders. |
Kawagoi
(kah wah goy) |
Leather Koi. Kawa means "leather." A
subset of Doitsu Koi that have skin that looks like a
leather jacket. All Kawagoi are Doitsugoi, but not all
Doitsugoi are Kawagoi. |
Kawarimono
(kah wah ree mow no) |
Nishikigoi which can not be identified
as any of the named varieties. Mono means "class" and
the class in which Kawarigoi are entered in a show is
called Kawarimono. This class contains Nishikigoi which
were accidentally created in the process of breeding
other varieties. Some examples would be Kigoi, a plain
yellow scaled Koi and Beni Kikokuryu, which is a new
variety. Many of these Koi can be very beautiful. |
| Kego(keh' goy) |
Fry. Koi babies (fry) that have just
been born. At first, they are so thin they are nearly
invisible, and they do not look like Koi. Depending on
body color, they are called Akako (red fry), Kuroko (black
fry) or Shiroko (white fry). |
| Keitou(keh' tow) |
Bloodline. Generations of Nishikigoi
that have been produced by a single breeder to develop
specific traits that are handed down to successive generations.
Some examples are: Sensuke Kohaku and Jinbei Sanke. The
breeder name is usually given as part of the bloodline.
A single bloodline is profound enough to make a topic
for an entire book. |
| Ki(key) |
Yellow. |
| Kigoi(key goy') |
Yello Koi. |
| Kikei(key kay) |
Deformed Nishikigoi. |
Kikokuryu
(key coh coo' drue) |
Metallic Kumonryu |
Kikusui
(kee coo' swee) |
Doitsu Platinum Koi with a Hi pattern,
means "a Chrysanthemum in water", is the same
as a Doitsu Hariwake with red markings or a metallic
Doitsu Kohaku |
| Kin (keen) |
Color of gold, metallic, like the shiny
skin of a Yamabuki Ogon, "gold" has a range
of colors as seen in Hariwake - from yellow to red. |
Kindai Showa Sanshoku
(keen dye show' wah san' syow coo) |
Modern Showa. Kindai means "modern." The
term describes a Showa that has a lot of Shiroji. When
Showa was first developed, they were mostly covered with
Hi and Sumi, and had very little Shiroji. Those original
Showa are now called Hi Showa or Mukashi (old days) Showa.
Kindai Showa are an improvement that were developed from
the original Showa to have more Shiroji, which gives
them a more balanced appearance. |
Kin Gin Rin
(keen'
geen'
reen') |
Glittering or diamond scales, Kin or
gold over red, Gin or silver over white and black, several
types of Kin Gin Rin used to be recognized but one variety
is now considered the standard, commonly shortened to
Ginrin. |
Kin Ki Utsuri
(keen' key ooht' sue ree) |
Metallic black Koi with gold markings
where the gold can range in color from yellow to red. |
Kin Showa
(keen' sho' wa) |
Metallic Showa. |
Kirekomi
(key' ray koh mee) |
Cut-in. Shiroji which cuts into Hi plates
from the belly. It is this Shiroji that forms stepped
patterns, complex patterns, and Inazuma patterns. The
position of the Kirekomi is important. It appears to
spread as the Koi gains weight. A Hi pattern without
Kirekomi would be called Ipponhi. |
| Kiwa (key wa') |
Sharpness of all the edges of the pattern. |
| Kohaku(coh' ha coo) |
White Koi with red patches. |
| Koi-dangi(Koi' dan' gee) |
Japanese for enthusiasts "talking
about Koi". |
Koishi(Koi' she)
Koishokunin
|
A workman who possesses excellent techniques and know-how in and whose true vocation is the production of Nishikigoi |
Kokenami
(coh kes' nah mee) |
Scalation. Disorderly scales in scaled
Nishikigoi is a fault. Scalation is especially important
in the Doitsu variety that have fewer scales and in Mujimono
(single colored Koi). |
Kokesuki
(coh kes' sue key) |
Lighter area in the Hi plate due to an
injury or loss of a scale. Refers to a scale in a Hi
plate or Sum patch. This term describes scales that are
not saturated with color, so that the background shows
through. The scale appears thinner than the surrounding
area and looks transparent. The color appears scattered
and lacks uniformity. This is considered a fault. If
the Koi has good deep red, it might recover. But in general,
it is difficult for Kokesuki to fill in. Kokesuki refers
to scales that fade or lose color and result in Hi Mura
(inconsistent color). |
Kokkaku
(coh kah' coo) |
Bone structure. Body conformation, quality,
pattern are the three important factors in Nishikigoi's
beauty. The foundation of good body conformation is the
bone structure.
|
Koromo
(ko' row mow) |
Kohaku with net pattern only on the Hi
plates, Aigoromo has blue net, Sumigoromo has black net. |
Kokugyo
(coh' coo-g yoh) |
Kokugyo means "national fish".
The term also can be used for the title given to Koi
that wins Best in Size at the All Japan Combined
Nishikigoi Show. The prize is named the Kokugyo prize.
Literally, it is the best prize
for that section of Koi. Many Koi hobbyists aim for this
prize. The same
award at the ZNA All Japan Nishikigoi Show is called
the Rin'oh prize. |
Koromo Sanshoku
(coh' row mow san' syow coo) |
Nishikigoi that has Ai on the Hi plates
of a Taisho Sanshoku (Sanke). Very rare variety. |
Kubiwa Zumi
(coo' bee wah zoo' mee) |
Collar Sumi. Kubiwa means "collar" or "necklace." Sumi
that goes around the neck, connecting one gill area to
the other. Term describes the shape of certain Sumi that
occurs in the Utsurimono family (including Showa and
all Utsuri). The name originated because this Sumi resembled
the collar of a dog. |
Kuchibeni
(coo' chee ben ee) |
Lipstick. Hi on the lips. Because it
looks like lipstick, it can be very charming. |
Kuchi Zumi
(coo' chee zoo mi) |
Sumi on the mouth.. Sumi around the mouth
seen in Utsurimono such as Showa. It is rare, but Taisho
Sanshoku (Sanke) could have Kuchi Zumi. |
Kujyaku
(coo-j ya coo) |
Means peacock, Kohaku pattern over Gin
Matsuba, metallic Goshiki. |
Kumonryu
(ku mohn' drue) |
Flying Dragon. In an old Japanese legend,
Koi became dragons that flew in the sky. A dragon that
flies is called a Kumonryu. The Sumi pattern on this
Koi variety changes over time. Because the change of
the Sumi moving over the body resembled the flying dragon,
the Koi variety was named Kumonryu. |
Kuragake
(coo rah' gah key) |
Saddle. Term used to describe a pattern
that crosses over the backbone and covers both sides
of the body in the shape of horse's saddle. It is one
of the most stable patterns. It is usually used to describe
a Hi pattern, but it could also describe a Sumi pattern. |
Kuroboshi
(coo row' bow she) |
A relatively large black spot. In Showa,
this is the beginning of the Sumi development. This spot
has emerged. It is more coalesced and darker than Kage
Zumi (shadow over an area). |
Kurogoi
(coo row' goy) |
Black food carp, origin of Nishikigoi |
Kurogoshiki
(coo row' go she key) |
Kuro means "black." Term describes
a Goshiki with a black body ground-color. It is not a
variety name. The body ground-color depends on water
temperature. It gets whiter in warm water and darker
in cold water. The contrast of the finished black ground
and the fluorescent-colored Hi plates is so wonderful
that they became very popular. |
Kuroko
(coo row' koh) |
Black fry. Only Kuroko will be selected
in culling Kumonryu and Utsurimono like Showa. |
Kurome
(coo row' meh) |
Black eyes. Black rimmed eyes are seen
in Taisho Sanshoku (Sanke) and Showa. If the eyes have
a white rim (Gin Me or silver eye), it is usually a Kohaku. |
Kutsubera
(coo t-sue beh ra) |
Shoehorn. Used to describe the shape
of Hi on the head. The pattern consists of a round area
of Hi on the mouth and a trapzoid of Hi on the forehead.
A typical Hi pattern on the head; Maruten is another
typical Hi pattern of the head. |
| Kyobai(kyow bye) |
Auction. |
