A beautiful Doitsu Showa bred by the Dutchies

Even the tail tube is fiercely red

Japan, to me, remains the undisputed cradle of Nishikigoi. But this doesn’t mean there aren’t bred any beautiful Nishikigoi a little closer towards home. Well, I came across this one Koi, which was so beautiful, that no matter how busy I was, I poured myself a drink and sat down quietly just to observe this particular fish. It is from the Dutch stables that this magnificent Doitsu Showa broke free from ugliness to show its vivid colouring to all of us who appreciate the quality of nishikigoi…

It’s a teasing battle of colouring that makes this fish, which was bred by Jos Aben, stand out. The most intriguing feature on this fish is the battle between the black and red. It seems as if both colours struggle to prevail in the same layer of the skin, divided by a thin white line, it holds balance on a very nice body.

Jos Aben brands the Koi he breeds 'Yoshikigoi'

This phenomenon is something I actually only knew from the almost extinct Benikoki from a former breeder named Kinsuen. (‘Benikoki’ should not be confused with ‘Benikiko’, which is an often used abbreviation for Beni Kikokuryu, a metallic Beni Kumonryu). This Doitsu Showa however is distinctive from this variety due to its lack of Doitsu Matsuba scales along its dorsal fin. The Benikoki does have these for it derives from a Kujaku. Furthermore this Dutch Doitsu Showa has a very nice menware pattern, which is something very much appreciated on all Showa and Utsuri varieties. Last but certainly not least is something that surprised me a lot. The deepness of the red is, even on its tail tube, of the same intensity. It is often on the tail section where the quality of the hi declines first. On Doitsu Showa this ‘kiwa’ is often coloured more orange..

Even the tailtube shows a deep red coloration

Because I am intrigued by this fish and because I am wondering what kind of oyagoi Jos did use, I asked him to send me some information. I will share this knowledge with you soon, right here, on KoiQuestion.