Ogon koi are some of the most interesting koi fish in the world. Without any sort of patterning or design, these koi still manage to be absolutely breathtaking.
Perhaps one of the lesser-known but still visually gorgeous koi in this classification has to be the mukashi koi.
As a beautiful bronze fish, these koi look absolutely amazing in any pond and can act as a perfect solid colored accent.
Let’s take a look at the history of the mukashi koi and see what makes them so incredibly special.
What is an Ogon Koi?
Ogon, as a word, means “golden” in Japanese. This refers to the most commonly spoken of variety of Ogon koi, the golden Ogon.
Informally and within koi breeding, Ogon is used to refer to an entire group of metallic, single-colored koi fish in the Hikarimuji classification, including the white ghost koi, golden koi, and platinum koi colorations.
These fish are all one color and reflect light, creating a hauntingly beautiful illusion as they glide through the tank.
Originally, these koi were created by breeding an ornamental koi carp with a wild mirror carp, creating a single colored, large metallic carp with long, trailing fins.
This crossbreeding has lead to some more traditional breeders disliking the sub-variety and claiming it is not a true ornamental koi carp.
Still, many love the bold, vibrant colorations and glittering scales of this sub-variety and purchase it for aesthetic purposes since it brings a stunning accent to any pond or aquascape.
The Ogon koi is also considered one of the healthiest varieties.
Since it is bred from wild mirror carp, it has a genetic inclination to immunity to certain disorders and parasites that plague ornamental koi frequently.
This resistance to most illnesses helps keep them healthy and ensures they have a long lifespan.
Ogon koi also grow larger since they are bred from wild koi lineages and still maintain the friendly nature of the ornamental koi, creating a gentle giant persona that is absolutely enchanting!
High-quality Ogon koi will appear as vibrant, metallic koi with a monocolored body and a lack of blemishes.
They will have a uniform body color and a bright, bold luster.
Additionally, there will be no discoloration on the head and the scales will be uniform and neatly arranged across the body.
They will also have transparently edged, long fins, and no scarring or discoloration across their bodies, too.
Ogon Koi Varieties
First and foremost, the mukashi Ogon is a solid bronze koi that is metallic and has some black accent colorations.
These koi are sometimes referred to as penny koi or bronze koi due to their unique coloration and can be quite expensive since they are uncommon in most breeding situations.
This is a lesser-known variety that is becoming more popular in recent years due to an increased interest in its unique color.
Purachina Ogon are also known as platinum Ogon or ghost koi.
These stunning fish are platinum or pure white in appearance and are incredibly vibrant and metallic.
These are highly sought out, especially in the rarer pale gold or cream varieties that are even more uncommon.
Yamabuki Ogon are pure gold or yellow Ogon koi.
These are the namesake of the sub-variety and are common but still highly sought out. There are even neon yellow options, though these are rarer.
Orenji Ogon are very similar to Yamabuki but favor a more oranged tone with white fins.
The white can extend back onto the base of the fin or be ombre printed with orange, creating a gradient-like effect.
Nezu Ogon are an older variety that appear as silver or grey in color.
They are very gorgeous and less common than other varieties but still definitely worth checking out since they appear similar to the original ghost koi varieties.
Kuro Ogon are one of the rarest types, appearing as a solid black metallic fish.
These koi are gorgeous and in dim lighting appear as little more than a glimmering streak as they swim across the depths of the pond.
Hi Ogon are covered entirely in Hi, or red tones.
These metallic red koi are rarely seen but highly sought out and can cost an extremely high price once found. Many collectors dream of getting their hands on a true Hi Ogon koi.
Matsuba Ogon
Through further breeding efforts, Matsuba Ogon koi were born.
These koi feature a thick stripe of pinecone textured scales down their backs, with the accent colorations being a darker tone of their base color.
These koi are beautiful and highly sought out and can appear as any common or uncommon Ogon koi coloration, thoug Hi, Kuro, Nezu, and Mukashi koi color sub-varieties are incredibly uncommon.
Aside from Matsuba Ogon, you can also find butterfly, Gin Rin, and Doitsu varieties of Ogon koi.
These options are all beautiful in their own right and offer a lot to a pond setup, especially the glittering Gin Rin and scaleless, silky Doitsu.
No matter which variety or sub-variety you end up choosing, the Ogon koi will be a beautiful addition to any pond!
Mukashi and More
Ogon koi are some of the most diverse koi options you can access, providing tons of different stunning, monocolored metallic fish to accent your pond decor and design.
They are perfect for any aquascape and since they are bred with wild mirror carp, they are typically healthier and less prone to illnesses than other koi varieties and sub-varieties.
It can be a bit tricky to find Mukashi koi and other similarly uncommon sub-varieties but if you manage to locate them, you are in for a treat.
These rare fish are beautiful and worth all of the effort, money, and time it takes to hunt them down.
Lucky owners are in for years of stunning enjoyment and are incredibly fortunate to have access to these gorgeous living gems.
Get out there and start looking. You never know exactly what you will end up finding!
No matter what, any Mukashi koi or Ogon koi, in general, will be a stunning, perfect addition to your aquascape, koi pond, or tank setup! Good luck!
Ps. If you have any good photos of a Mukashi Koi please let us know as I would love to include your quality photos here!
