Description
The ryukin is a hardy and attractive variety of goldfish with a pointed head and has a pronounced hump on the back behind the head. It may be long-finned or short-finned with either a triple or quadruple tail. The dorsal fin is high while the caudal fin is often twice as long as the body. The caudal fin may also have three or four lobes.
Ryukins come in deep-red, red-and-white, white, iron and calico coloration.
The ryukin is a fine aquarium fish that can reach up to 8 inches (21 centimeters) in length.
History and origins
The ryukin has been so named because it was said to have arrived in Japan through the Ryukyu Islands which lies between Taiwan and Japan. There were historical references that the existence of ryukins dates back to 1833, but it is said to have arrived in Japan in the 1770s. Early Japanese literature refers to the ryukin as the onaga (longtail) or the nagasaki goldfish.
In English texts, they are also referred to as the Japanese ribbontail, the fringetail, the fantail or the veiltail.
Variants
- Yamagata kingyo (yamagata goldfish) or sabao (mackerel tail) or tamasaba - a hardy single-tailed variety of the ryukin that has been developed in the Yamagata Prefecture of Northern Japan.
- Tetsu onaga (iron-colored longtail) - a rare iron-colored variety of the ryukin.
