Sanke Pattern

Pattern

The red and black markings on the white body must be artistically balanced.  This means that a certain color must not be confined to one side or one end of the koi only. 

The red-over-white pattern may be continuous or 'stepped', but the over-all effect of white and red balancing each other should be the ultimate consideration.  Many people prefer stepped koi and understandably so, since this pattern ensures red and white alternating with each other. Sanke with a 'hi' pattern that runs continuously from head to tail is known as 'aka sanke'.  Aka sanke is less desired, since the predominantly red body makes it look heavy. 

A white area separating the tail and the red marking nearest the tail is known as a tail stop, and is considered desirable. A red mark on the lips of a koi (also known as 'kuchibeni') is a 'plus' if it enhances the over-all package of the koi.

A good sanke has a red pattern (but absolutely no black color) on the head. The head pattern must extend slightly beyond the eyes but should not reach the nose or lips, leaving a white area in the front end of the head.  A fully red head (referred to as 'menkaburi') that makes the koi look 'hooded' is considered negative.  Nonetheless, some koi look good despite having it, so don't let it prevent you from buying a koi that you like.

A round patch of red on the head is considered nice.  If this red patch is the only red marking on the sanke, then the koi is called a 'tancho sanke', a highly-prized koi variety among the Japanese since it looks like their national bird.  If there are other red markings on the body of the koi, then the round head patch makes it a 'maruten' sanke.

The sumi of a sanke must be distributed in the koi body such that they collectively add balance to the koi.  Their presence should enhance the 'kohaku pattern' and not degrade it.  Old-style sanke koi are heavily endowed with sumi.  Modern sanke exhibit a sparser distribution of sumi, but these should be clearly defined and solid black nonetheless.  Koi experts also prefer sumi spots that are positioned over the white body. Conversely, sumi spots over hi markings are less desirable to them.