Chart · Legend · Plain list · Names · Source · References
Dr. Matsui’s genetic chart Japanese goldfish varieties
Dr. Yoshiichi Matsui’s chart of how the Japanese goldfish varieties developed: from the wild crucian carp, through the red crucian carp and the wakin, to the ryukin, the globe-eyes, the lionheads, the oranda, and the calico fish, with each step marked as a direct mutation or a cross between two varieties.
Edition note: this chart is redrawn from the 1972 edition of Dr. Yoshiichi Matsui’s Goldfish Guide (The Pet Library Ltd., © 1972, ISBN 0-87826-011-0). Other printings and versions of the chart circulating online differ in names, layout, and lines.
The chart
Hover or tap a box to light its line back to the crucian carp and show its names below. Its own offspring light up too. Tab moves between boxes, Enter pins one, and Esc clears.
Legend
“The red lines indicate crossing; the black lines, direct mutation.” — the chart’s own legend
On this page the chart’s black and red lines are redrawn in the site’s neon colors:
- Direct mutation (black on the chart): a solid cyan line with an arrowhead pointing at the new variety.
- Cross (red on the chart): dashed pink lines from the two parents meet at a junction point, and an arrowhead points from there to the offspring.
- Crucian carp: the wild fish the chart starts from.
- Variety from a mutation.
- Variety from a cross (dashed, rounded box, marked ×).
The box text is the chart’s own English name, then the Japanese name and its romaji where they are well established. Tap a box for the modern common name.
Plain list
The same chart as two lists, using the chart’s names first and the modern names after the dash.
Direct mutations (black lines)
- Crucian Carp (Funa) → Red Crucian Carp (Hibuna) ヒブナ hibuna
- Red Crucian Carp (Hibuna) → Common Goldfish of Japan (Wakin) 和金 wakin
- Common Goldfish of Japan (Wakin) → Peacock-tail Goldfish — Jikin 地金 jikin
- Common Goldfish of Japan (Wakin) → Japanese Ribbontail (Ryukin) 琉金 ryukin · Tosakin history (a ryukin is in its ancestry)
- Common Goldfish of Japan (Wakin) → Early Lionhead (Maruko) 丸子 maruko
- Common Goldfish of Japan (Wakin) → Red Metallic Globe-eye — Demekin (red telescope eye) 出目金 demekin
- Red Metallic Globe-eye → Celestial Telescope — Chotengan (celestial eye) 頂天眼 chotengan
- Red Metallic Globe-eye → Black Moor — Kuro demekin 黒出目金 kuro demekin
- Red Metallic Globe-eye → Calico Globe-eye — Sanshoku demekin (calico telescope) 三色出目金 sanshoku demekin
- Early Lionhead (Maruko) → Egg-formed Ranchu or Nankin — Nankin 南京 nankin
- Early Lionhead (Maruko) → Osaka Lionhead — Osaka ranchu 大阪らんちゅう Osaka ranchu · Tosakin history (the Osaka ranchu is a parent)
- Early Lionhead (Maruko) → Lionhead — Ranchu らんちゅう ranchu · Ranchu: names of parts
- Japanese Ribbontail (Ryukin) → Curly-tail Fantail — Tosakin 土佐錦魚 tosakin · Tosakin: names of parts
- Japanese Ribbontail (Ryukin) → Iron-colored Ribbontail
- Japanese Ribbontail (Ryukin) → Oranda — Oranda shishigashira オランダ獅子頭 oranda shishigashira · Oranda: variety page
Crosses (red lines)
- Crucian Carp (Funa) × Japanese Ribbontail (Ryukin) → Iron Fish — Tetsugyo 鉄魚 tetsugyo
- Common Goldfish of Japan (Wakin) × Japanese Ribbontail (Ryukin) → Long-bodied Ribbontail — Watonai 和唐内 watonai
- Common Goldfish of Japan (Wakin) × Lionhead → Wakin-Lionhead hybrid
- Lionhead × Oranda → Long-finned Lionhead — Shukin 秋錦 shukin
- Crucian Carp (Funa) × Calico Globe-eye → Shubunkin 朱文金 shubunkin
- Japanese Ribbontail (Ryukin) × Calico Globe-eye → Red and White Calico Fantail — probably the calico ryukin
- Calico Globe-eye × Oranda → Calico Oranda — Azuma nishiki 東錦 azuma nishiki · Oranda: the azuma nishiki (calico oranda)
Names
The chart’s English names are kept first, as printed. Modern common names and Japanese names are added only where they are well established. The long-bodied ribbontail and the long-finned lionhead are matched to the watonai and the shukin by their parents. The chart gives no modern name for the wakin-lionhead hybrid or the iron-colored ribbontail, so none is added.
| On the chart | Modern common name | Japanese |
|---|---|---|
| Crucian Carp (Funa) | — | 鮒 funa |
| Red Crucian Carp (Hibuna) | — | ヒブナ hibuna |
| Common Goldfish of Japan (Wakin) | — | 和金 wakin |
| Peacock-tail Goldfish | Jikin | 地金 jikin |
| Japanese Ribbontail (Ryukin) | — | 琉金 ryukin |
| Red Metallic Globe-eye | Demekin (red telescope eye) | 出目金 demekin |
| Celestial Telescope | Chotengan (celestial eye) | 頂天眼 chotengan |
| Black Moor | Kuro demekin | 黒出目金 kuro demekin |
| Calico Globe-eye | Sanshoku demekin (calico telescope) | 三色出目金 sanshoku demekin |
| Shubunkin | — | 朱文金 shubunkin |
| Early Lionhead (Maruko) | — | 丸子 maruko |
| Egg-formed Ranchu or Nankin | Nankin | 南京 nankin |
| Osaka Lionhead | Osaka ranchu | 大阪らんちゅう Osaka ranchu |
| Lionhead | Ranchu | らんちゅう ranchu |
| Long-finned Lionhead | Shukin | 秋錦 shukin |
| Wakin-Lionhead hybrid | — | — |
| Long-bodied Ribbontail | Watonai | 和唐内 watonai |
| Iron Fish | Tetsugyo | 鉄魚 tetsugyo |
| Curly-tail Fantail | Tosakin | 土佐錦魚 tosakin |
| Iron-colored Ribbontail | — | — |
| Oranda | Oranda shishigashira | オランダ獅子頭 oranda shishigashira |
| Calico Oranda | Azuma nishiki | 東錦 azuma nishiki |
| Red and White Calico Fantail | probably the calico ryukin | — |
Source
Redrawn after Dr. Matsui’s genetic chart in Goldfish Guide by Dr. Yoshiichi Matsui (The Pet Library Ltd., © 1972). The chart’s caption reads: “Dr Matsui’s Genetic Chart, showing how the different varieties of Japanese goldfish developed.” The book’s paintings are not reproduced here; the boxes and lines are the site’s own drawing. Japanese names were checked against Japanese goldfish references, such as the Yamatokoriyama City and Kotobank variety entries. See References.
Citation: Matsui, Yoshiichi (Dr.). Goldfish Guide. The Pet Library Ltd. (subsidiary of Sternco Industries Inc., Harrison, N.J.), © 1972. Printed in the Netherlands. ISBN 0-87826-011-0.