Koi carp: a symbol of the samurai that can be fed from a pacifier (5 photos)

“This fish, swimming up the waterfall, can become a dragon,” is the Japanese belief. Koi carp is not only a beautiful garden decoration, but also a symbol of samurai valor and dedication!





Sorry, I just have to ask! (With)

The history of the appearance of koi, as befits a legendary character: is complex and confusing. Although from the outside it may seem that everything is quite simple. The Japanese once bred fish for food. But some of them have developed mutations that decorate their scales with bright colors and markings. Smart people immediately noticed these and decided to put the beauties together in order to further try to breed fish, not only in the name of saturation, but also for eye candy. As we see, everything worked out for those ancient farmers.



First we fed you, now you feed us. Everything is correct!

But if we look at the koi family tree in more detail, much more interesting things will emerge. For example, that the real homeland of carp is not Japan, but China! Japanese farmers, traveling around the Celestial Empire, checked out the delicious fish and brought them home. Carp, being a picky fish, has taken root in the Land of the Rising Sun. However, it is unknown when the future koi moved.





Very often, carp are absolutely not afraid of hands. Therefore, in establishments where there are koi, you can see this kind of interactive activity: visitors are allowed to feed the fish directly from the nipple!

But it didn’t take long for koi to become everyone’s favorite - the famous color of the fish appeared only in the 19th century! Until this time, there were only a few waterfowl with mutations in color. And then some genius decided to cross them. And the result exceeded all expectations. Over the course of a couple of decades, the koi captured the hearts of the Japanese. And in the 20th century, carp were loved all over the world.



Here it is - the fish of my dreams, here it is, here it is! Koi! Guys, hey!

And they have taken root all over the world. For two reasons. Firstly, breeding work to create new colors is still going on. Despite the fact that today there are more than 100 breeds that differ from each other in size, color, shape of fins and pattern. So it won’t be difficult to find a fish that suits your (visual!) taste.



Which Pokemon will you choose?

Secondly, koi are incredibly hardy. No wonder the samurai liked this fish so much! If most fish die from temperature changes of more than 3-5 degrees, then koi feel great in the range from 15 to 25 °C! In wild reservoirs, carp will also not get lost. Yes, its color attracts the eye not only of humans, but also of predators. But if Koi survives, within a couple of generations his descendants will be dressed in modest camouflage.