J I K I N   

Origin - Japan
Difficulty - Beginner
Availability - Rare
Price - Moderate to Expensive
Adult Size - 7 to 9 inches
Scales - Metallic only (Nacreous for variants)

History & Background

Jinkin with an acceptable color pattern Also known as the "Peacock Tail", The Jikin is a top-view Japanese goldfish originally bred from the Wakin, and intended for ponds.

Unlike the Wakin, there are very exacting standards for the color patterns of Jikin, and so they are rare and expensive. Since the color pattern is so difficult to achieve, breeders often "cheat" by manually renmoving red scales that dont fit the pattern. In Japan this is not considered "cheating", since all that matters is what the final product looks like. It is sort of like a fish version of cosmetic surgery. The removed scales will not grow back, so the new pattern will be permanent.

But because the process is so tedious and time consuming (only a few scales can be removed at a time, then the fish has to recover), fish that stray too far from the desired pattern are discarded. Back to Top

Special Care

The Jikin, like the Wakin from which it was derrived, is fairly hardy and requires no special care. It can survive in any environment that the Common Goldfish can survive in.

Jikin are also intended as pond fish just as koi are. They can be kept in aquariums as well however.

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Ideal Characteristics

An example of a Chinese Jikin Unlike other fancy varieties, the ideal Jikin body is not completely egg-shaped, but somewhere between that of a Fantail and a Common Goldfish. It is similar to the Wakin, but more egg-shaped.

Unlike other fancy varieties, the Jikin's tail is completely split, so it actually has two complete tails. The Caudal should be almost vertical, like a Peacock's tail. The Caudal fin is so deeply forked that it looks like a clover in rear profile. It should stick out to the side like butterfly wings.

All fins should be divided except the dorsal. The Jikin color pattern is very precise. True Jikin should be comnpletely white, with red only on their caudal fins, dorsal, pectoral fins, anal fins, and lips (red is acceptable on the gill covers as well). Ideally, the red should completely saturate the caudal and anal/pectoral/pelvic fins, but few fish will match that standard. So partial coloration of those areas is often acceptable. Back to Top

Known Variants

There is a varient (the so-called "Chinese Jinkin") that is red or mottled red/white. It conforms to the same standards as the regular Jinkin as far as body and fins, but is more relaxed on the color requirements. There are supposedly some calico varieties as well.

There is another variant of the standard Jikin called the Edojinkin that is identical except that it has nacreous scales.

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