Pursuing the “Koi that screams Aokiya”
Derived Varieties of Goshiki Are Being Born One After Another

AO. Aokiya have remained dedicated to producing “Kuro Goshiki,” characterized by a black base body, which has now become the mainstream. In recent years, as other producers have risen to prominence, the farm has shifted its course toward “making Goshiki in the Aokiya style,” without being bound by the evaluations of koi shows. Following this trend, the “Doitsu Goshiki,” which has been refined through many years of improvement, has become a variety that can be called the farm’s true masterpiece.
For 30 years, they have pursued “koi that anyone can recognize as Aokiya’s koi” with a unique sensibility. As a result of accumulating trial and error and improvements, these efforts have created a wide lineup of derived varieties. We asked Mr. Motoyoshi Aoki about the history of Goshiki improvement and the background behind the birth of new Goshiki-based varieties.

AO. Aokiya / Mr. Motoyoshi Aoki

Introducing Marushu Goshiki for the Improvement of Beni Kiki Kokuryu

The Birth of Doitsu Goshiki via Doitsu Kohaku

― In recent years, you have frequently exhibited Doitsu Goshiki at events like the “Yume Koi Ten” at koi shows. The Doitsu Goshiki (Photo ①) introduced as an “Unique” in our July 2023 issue became a hot topic at the venue. It is said that it started by crossing a female Goshiki with a male Doitsu Kohaku. Aokiya have long been dedicated to making Kuro Goshiki, where the base body becomes black. Does the Doitsu Goshiki also inherit that lineage?

① / Doitsu Goshiki – Left: Photographed May 2022, Right: Photographed April 2023 – 3-year-old male, 50 cm
Exhibited at the 10th International Junior Koi Show Yume Koi Ten

Aoki: That’s right. Goshiki itself started about 30 years ago when I sourced tosai from Mr. Abe (Marushu Koi Farm / Nagaoka) to improve Beni Kiki Kokuryu. I raised them as parents, and that is how our Kuro Goshiki came to be. Actually, during that process, I was also challenging myself to turn Goshiki into Doitsu Goshiki, so Doitsu Goshiki has an unexpectedly long history. Regarding koi shows, we won the Tsubaki Prize (Photo ②) at the 2012 Young Koi Show and the Sakura Prize (Photo ③) at the 2015 All Japan Show.