Hikari Moyo

Hikari Moyo is a group of metallic koi with color patterns on their bodies. Major varieties of Hikari Moyo include Sakura Ogon, Kikusui, Yamato Nishiki, Kujyaku, Lemon Hariwake and more. In Japanese, hikari means metallic and moyo means pattern.

Among the metallic koi, there are three groups: Hikari Muji, Hikari Moyo and Hikari Utsuri. Hikari Muji is easy to identify because they are metallic koi with no pattern. Hikari Moyo and Hikari Utsuri, on the other hand, are both patterned metallic koi. Some people may be confused withthe difference, and the easiest way to differentiate the two is that metallic versions of Showa, Shiro Utsuri and Hi Utsuri are all Hikari Utsuri. The rest are Hikari Moyo, such as the metallicversions of Kohaku and Sanke.

When appreciating the Hikari Moyo group, there are two characteristics that one must pay attention to: the sheen and the excellence of the base variety.

When you look at the names of koi varieties, what comes first is always more important than the following word. Let’s take Ginrin Kohaku, for example. Ginrin Kohaku are red and white koi(Kohaku) with diamond scales (Ginrin). When you have an excellent Kohaku pattern koi with poorGinrin and a koi with poor Kohaku-patterned koi but excellent Ginrin, a poor-patterned Kohaku wi th superior Ginrin will win. That is because the Ginrin feature is more important than the Kohaku feature. This is why we call the koi Ginrin Kohaku, not Kohaku Ginrin.

The same principle applies here, too. Remember that Hikari Moyo is a koi with two features: hikari (metallic) and moyo (pattern). The importance of the metallic feature outweighs the pattern of the base variety. Therefore, the degree of the sheen is the most important key factor in the appreciation of Hikari Utsuri.

Knowing this, how can we tell the quality of the sheen? The face and the pectoral fins are the places to look at. These two areas show the innate sheen quality of the koi the most. Please look for a clean and shiny face and pectoral fins.

Again, Hikari Moyo are the metallic version of other varieties such as Kohaku, Sanke and Goshiki, so it is important that you understand the appreciation of these base varieties. For example, Kohaku is a two-colored koi … therefore the balance of the two colors is important, especially the face and odome. As for Sanke, it would be ideal to have a Kohaku pattern and a few lacquer Sumi spots that support the Kohaku pattern.

The names of the varieties in Hikari Moyo may be a little confusing, especially when you think of the Doitsu version of them. Allow me to list some of the major varieties’ names and their definitions:

• Sakura Ogon: Metallic-scaled Kohaku
• Yamato Nishiki: Metallic-scaled Sanke. This variety is very hard to find nowadays. Only Marusaka Koi Farm provides quality Yamato Nishiki.
• Kujaku: Metallic-scaled Goshiki
• Kikusui: Metallic Doitsu Kohaku
• Heisei Nishiki: Doitsu metallic Yamato Nishiki