The Taisho Sanke, or simply known as the Sanke, is the second to appear after the Kohaku was first seen in the late 1800s but was only bred in the early 1900s. This class of koi is known for it being the first tri-colored koi fish with a display of snow white skin, and red and black marks. The compelling black marks on the koi are what make the Sanke koi fish quite popular.

High quality Sanke or those that are highly prized and are champion classes have clear snow white skin - as white as that of Mt. Fuji, the red colors do not bleed into the sumi or the black marks and black patches do not appear on the head of a prized Sanke koi fish. The Sanke's beauty comes from the purity of its colors and the depth of the red and black patterns. The edges of the red marks are sharply clear against the white skin. The sumi bears blackness as deep as lacquer.

For a Sanke koi fish, the symmetry of the patterns of colors are not very important as that of Kohaku and Showa, but the effect of the colors on the koi fish must look at least balanced or distributed evenly and not just on one side of the koi fish. This is why the Sanke koi fish is highly appreciated - the beauty is marketed by the overall pattern of the colors.

A young Sanke koi fish may resemble a Kohaku, simple red and white patterns and the black marks do not appear for some time. The potential of a Sanke at an exhibition cannot be determined as well, until they reach 2 years old.

Although the Sanke and the Showa can be mixed at times, the difference lies in their base background. The Sanke was born with white skin like the Kohaku whilst on the other hand; the Showa is born with an almost black skin. The evidence lies in the fins, because the Sanke has a dominant white fin as opposed to the Showa' black fins.

Whichever a breeder or a koi owner would like to keep, it wouldn't really matter. The Kohaku, Sanke and the Showa are 3 of the main types of koi, but are only 3 of the 14 classifications. All of these kinds of koi fish are beautiful, fun to watch and a keeper in the pond.