The Koi Pond

Tucked away in the northwest corner of the back garden is a beautiful little Koi Pond with flowing double waterfalls. Koi, are ornamental domesticated varieties of the common carp originated from China and widely spread in Japan. They are very closely related to goldfish, and in fact the style of breeding and ornamentation has become very similar, probably through the efforts of Japanese breeders to emulate goldfish, but they are not goldfish. Koi and tattoos of Koi are traditionally considered lucky.

The word "koi" comes from Japanese. The original Japanese word koi simply means "carp," including both the dull grey fish and the brightly colored varieties. A homonym of koi means 'love, affection' and koi are therefore symbols of love and friendship in Japan.

Koi breeding became popular in the 19th century in the Niigata prefecture of Japan. Farmers working the rice fields would notice that some carp would be more brightly colored than others, capture them, and raise them (when normally the brighter colors would doom the fish to be more likely eaten by birds and other predators). By the 20th century, a number of color patterns had been established, most notably the red-and-white Kohaku. The outside world did not become aware of the degree of development until 1914, when the Niigata Koi were exhibited in the annual exposition in Tokyo. Some of them were also presented to Crown Prince Hirohito. At that point, interest in Koi exploded throughout Japan. The hobby of keeping Koi spread worldwide after plastic bags and shipping of Koi became both fast and safe for the fish. These factors enabled Koi to be shipped worldwide with low mortality rates. Koi are now commonly sold in most pet stores, with higher-quality fish available from specialist dealers.

OUR KOI: ANDERMAN • SUSHI • ROSEBUD • TIGER SHARK • ZEBRA • MORPHEUS • HAPPYNESS • JIGGY (JIGSAW) • TRINITY

Some of the background information from Wikipedia