Tancho 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 its 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. 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. It is also quite common for young Tancho to lose their red due to stress or adverse water conditions. Once gone, the red will never return. 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 confirmation 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 confirmation 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 therefor indistinct in a younger koi, but needs to be deep and strong in a mature koi. BACK TO TOP  |
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