Information on Tancho Koi carp

The Tancho with it’s red spot on the head is a much sought after fish. There are very few good quality high grade fish available.

There are different varieties the Kohaku, Sanke and Showa, all have one distinguishing feature a red mark on the head.

Tancho Kohaku

The Hi should be deep red and the rest of the fish pure white. There should be no other Hi on the body.

Tancho Sanke

The hi Markings should only be on the head and the rest of the body black and white.

Tancho Showa

The body has the pattern of black and white similar to the shiro utsuri with the red hi marking on the head.

The Hi marking should be on the centre of the head and should not cover the eyes. Traditionally a perfect round spot was deemed the most desirable but hobbyists are now looking for other shapes such as a diamond, heart, oval etc.

Tancho For Sale

For information on other Koi Varieties please see our Full Guide