Camellia Koi Club

Tancho

Reserve Grand Champion Dealer Division (Majestic Koi) 2007 CKC Koi Show

The following article was written by Joel Burkard/Pan Intercorp and previously published in PONDSCAPES magazine. All rights reserved Joel Burkard/Pan Intercorp 1995 The sacred crane of Japan (Grus Japonensis) is a spectacular white waterfowl with a blood red crest and is called a Tancho. Legend has it that these birds live for a thousand years and are agents of good fortune and longevity. It is with these birds in mind that the name "Tancho" was originally bestowed on a Kohaku that was completely white with the exception of a round red "crest" on the center of it's head. This Tancho Kohaku is well loved by the Japanese people as it reminds them of their national flag, a red sun on a white field.

There are several other kinds of Tancho including Tancho Sanke, Tancho Showa, and even Tancho Goshiki, but the Tancho Kohaku remains the most sought after. It is important to note that Tancho occur by chance, and that this is not a "breedable" trait. There is as much chance of obtaining a Tancho by breeding any two Kohaku as there is by breeding two Tancho. When purchasing a Tancho, look for a koi that has strong red on the head only. Try to select a koi with a symmetrical "crest". This can be diamond shaped, egg shaped, octagonal, heart shaped or circular. The better the shape and intensity of the "crest", the more you can expect to pay. As in selecting any koi, body conformation is the most important point to pay attention to. Don't allow yourself to be distracted by a striking pattern or color if the body conformation is not acceptable, as this is the first point that a koi will be judged on. The intensity of the white and luster of the skin are also important points, but these are things that can be improved on by selective feeding and rearing conditions. When selecting a Tancho Sanke or Tancho Showa, one must keep in mind that the sumi [black] is likely to be undeveloped and therefore indistinct in a younger koi, but needs to be deep and strong in a mature koi. Traditional Tancho From http://www.wsbol.com/pdfs/Koi_Selecting_and_Judging_Standards_003.pdf: “A Tancho is a white based fish with Hi only on the head. Then there are three combinations depending on if there is sumi at all and how it is placed. The white fish with red on the head and no other color is called Tancho Kohaku. The white Koi with red on the head and a Bekko pattern of black on the back is called Tancho Sanke, not Tancho Bekko. A white Koi with red on the head and Utsuri black on it is called a Tancho Showa. Again a three color fish like Showa. Now for elegance the rounder that spot the better. There are other tancho shapes. Square are called Kakutan and cross-shaped are called Juji. However, these are just for fun. Round is where it is at. White again should be snow white. Fins on these should be either clear for a Tancho Kohaku, clear or striped for a Tancho Sanke. Or motoguru for a Tancho Showa. On Tancho Kohaku since there is no color on the back of the fish, the body becomes very important. It must be perfect and have good scalation without any scars. To have the most impact for show it should be female. White on Tancho bodies tend to easily show stress and get red streaks when moved to different water. This is why I prefer to show Tancho Showa and then Tancho Sanke, so you have a third color to hide any body defects or stress. Tancho Sanke and Tancho Showa are the most liked in shows because of the added dimension of a third color. Black adds more power. All the rules of Bekko or Utsuri apply when it comes to the sumi on these fish. Take a good Tancho Kohaku and add a good Bekko pattern or a good Utsuri pattern to it, and you have good Tancho Sanke and Showa. Again for the most bold and powerful impact, you can not beat a good Tancho Showa. Tancho Kohaku can be imposing if the body is huge but the other two types of Tancho are preferred if all is equal. Black needs to be finished though, as the third color, which make these more challenging.” Modern Tancho Judging From AKCA’s Judging and Buying Koi book, p. 102: “The Tancho has become less restrictive over the years, as we have learned from our Japanese colleagues to whom we look for setting the standards. That is, we used to insist that the Tancho hi [red] be perfectly centered upon the head, not touching the shoulder, nose, or eyes. Being round or oval was important. Only a red Tancho was the expected. Now the quality of the color, especially the shiro [white] , is most stressed. A red Tancho on dirty white is a real demotion. A koi of good luster and color will win despite having a red eye or irregularly shaped Tancho hi, providing no competitors have better quality.” “We must be careful not to select Tancho Sanke or Showa over Tancho Kohaku just because they are more exciting with the three colors versus two colors. A striking Tancho Kohaku with clean, bright, clear shiro and a perfect hi Tancho placement with sharp kiwa [edge of pattern] is difficult to beat.”

Other Tancho Photos from Past CKC Shows: