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Description
Utsurimono Japanese Koi Carp Cyprinus CarpioUtsurimono Japanese Koi Carp Cyprinus Carpio Shiro Utsuri (SHEE roh OOT soo ree) koi have a sumi (black) body with a shiro (white) pattern over the top. The pattern of a Shiro Utsuri koi is often described as a checkerboard with its alternating sections of sumi and shiro. The variety is quite a simple variety compared to, say, a Goshiki but its simplicity is often one of the main attractions. The sumi and shiro provide a beautiful and dramatic
Utsurimono Japanese Koi Carp Cyprinus CarpioShiro Utsuri (SHEE-roh OOT-soo-ree) koi have a sumi (black) body with a shiro (white) pattern over the top. The pattern of a Shiro Utsuri koi is often described as a checkerboard with its alternating sections of sumi and shiro. The variety is quite a simple variety compared to, say, a Goshiki but its simplicity is often one of the main attractions. The sumi and shiro provide a beautiful and dramatic contrast that always stands out and is often visible from quite a distance!
The first Shiro Utsuri koi were bred in the late 1920s, but it is unknown exactly how they were bred and what they were bred from. The most common theory involves the Shiro Bekko koi variety which is a white koi with black patterns as this is the reverse of a Shiro Utsuri koi, which is a black koi with white patterns. However, this is just a theory, and the truth is, and likely always will be, completely unknown! All we do know is that the Shiro Utsuri was first shown to the koi keeping hobby in 1931 and very quickly became a very popular variety with a massively high demand for the variety.
Due to this popularity of the Shiro Utsuri koi and its relative easiness to breed in comparison to the Ki Utsuri and the Hi Utsuri, many breeders have invested a lot of time and effort into refining and improving the Shiro Utsuri variety. Ever since the first generations of Shiro Utsuri koi, breeders have been working to develop and perfect the Shiro Utsuri by improving the quality of the pattern and the colours. Unlike the Hi Utsuri and the Ki Utsuri, a Shiro Utsuri koi can be bred from two Shiro Utsuri parents (breeding two Hi Utsuri or two Ki Utsuri koi results in very poor quality, muddy-looking koi without any of the beautiful Utsuri patterns). Therefore, selective breeding can be used to improve the general quality of this variety. This process involves taking the two nicest parent koi and breeding them to create fry who are generally of equal quality to the parent koi. Some of these fry will be of worse quality than the parents and others will be of higher quality than the parents and these higher quality koi are then chosen to be bred together to create the next generation. This results in each generation being generally higher quality than the previous, thus slowly improving the variety.
These improvements have meant that Shiro Utsuri have become a very competitive koi, often receiving titles and awards at koi shows ever since 1991 when the variety was first entered. In Japan, koi shows are often held indoors, and this means that Shiro Utsuri koi do particularly well because the artificial lighting really makes the contrast of the sumi and shiro colours stand out. However, the Shiro Utsuri were never considered for the biggest prizes or the championship titles because they had one major disadvantage compared to the Gosanke koi and that was size. The Shiro Utsuri is quite a small variety compared to Gosanke and Chagoi koi, with the koi often reaching no more than 90cm in length.
By selectively breeding for size as well as quality, the Omosako koi farm was able to produce the first Shiro Utsuri over 100cm. In fact, this koi then went on to win the championship title at the All-Japan Koi Show in 2013 and became the first Champion Shiro Utsuri. Since then, Omosako have had a very strong presence at koi shows with Shiro Utsuri and are considered to be the best breeder of Shiro Utsuri koi in the world.
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4.4 ★★★★★
Based on 14 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
Worth it if your dog destroys plush toys & likes to chew
Color: Cyan NylonFish
My dog is a very big chewer and destroyer of toys. This toy is perfect for her. It is durable and keeps her engaged chewing for a while. I have a 55lb dog, considered a large dog, and it’s a great size for her. She’s unable to break it apart. The ends do tend to get a little sharp after extended use
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Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2026
★★★★★ 5
My Boston loves this fish toy
Color: Cyan NylonFish
Very durable. It takes a couple of months of intense chewing to make holes in this toy. My Boston has incredible mouth strength so he destroys most toys in minutes unless they are rocks. I have replaced this fish 2 times in the last year. I keep an eye on the wear and replace it when he makes a hole in it. Worthwhile purchase but monitor the dogs chewing.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Great sturdy toy
Color: Cyan NylonFish
Great toy.
1 yr old puppy LOVES it! However, not good for TILE FLOORS. It's so strong and sturdy but bangs all over the tile! Enough to crack tiles 😬
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Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2025
★★★★★ 4
American Bully Trial - Honest Review
Color: Cyan NylonFish
I have never gotten a toy that lasted more than an hour when it comes to my baby girl. She is an aggressive chewer and loves anything that squeaks. This definitely helped to keep her entertained and use her teeth. I can confidently say that this toy may last a long time but she has already ripped a piece from it. I didn’t expect anything less since she always knows how to test new toys lol. I would definitely recommend though and will be getting more for her once this one is gone. Thank you!
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Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2024
★★★★★ 3
Hard, heavy, sharp
Color: Cyan NylonFish
This is very durable, but it is also very heavy (our dog likes to throw her toys) and after some chewing, the head and tail are very sharp
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Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2026