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MEET TANCHO
A vision of simplicity, this sleek white koi is known for its trademark red pigmentation on the head. Striking and subtle, the Tancho is a vision of the Japanese flag – a white backdrop with a red centered sun.
Tancho koi are also named after the Japanese Crane, or Red Crowned Crane, because of their shared red-spotted head.
Tancho are gorgeous snowy white koi with a large red marking on their heads. The position of the red marking is very important and should be well proportioned on just the head. The round red needs to cover as much area as possibly between its eye and nose. But without covering the eye or the nose. The edge must be sharp and the coloration must be deep red. The Hi should not spread to the shoulders or back and the body and the white body should be free of any imperfections.
Tancho do not form a single, independent kind of Nishikigoi; they all can be bred from Kohaku, Taisho Sankshoku or Showa Sanshoku. Their red patch happen to show up only in the head region. Tancho, therefore, can not be produced in bulk even if you so wish.
The essential point for appreciation is the red patch in the head region, of course. The red head patch sitting right at the center of the head region is the best. The white skin is also important as it is the milky white color that sets the red head patch off to advantage.
The most picturesque Tancho is the Tancho Kohaku. This koi is a snow white hue with crimson red pigmentation, or hi, on the head. The spot is crucial to a Tancho koi because of its prominence. While traditionally required to be perfectly round, other symmetrical shapes of hi are also now considered under the Tancho umbrella. So long as they are vertically symmetrical, the red hi can vary from circular to oval and even diamond to heart-shaped. The red hi must be of a dominating size. It cannot be speckled; one spot is required for Tancho qualifications. And a hi cannot be accompanied by red lips, which would qualify the koi as Kuchibeni.
A perfect Tancho koi is very expensive because of its rarity; this variety cannot be bred. Tancho are typically the offspring of two Tancho adults or two Kohaku adults. Even when a Tancho hatches, chances are very slim that the red will meet the standards of the perfect Tancho. Many times, the koi fry produced by the mating adults will be classified as a Shiro Muji, which is a nonmetallic white-scaled koi absent or any hi.
While the hi is the most characteristic part of this koi, it is not in all cases permanent. To the owner’s dismay, hi can disappear from stress and poor aquatic conditions. This red pigmentation does not return once it fades away.
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