The over one hundred varieties of brocade carp that exist today are all combinations of four basic types: goldfish; red-and-white carp; three-color Taisho carp, which are red and white with black spots; and three-color Showa carp, which have black patches instead of spots.
紅白系、大正三色、昭和三色，加上基本的黃金系統，成為現代錦鯉的四大原色。據日本錦鯉專家黑木健夫的分類，目前錦鯉的種類共有一百種，但萬變不離其宗，都是由這四種原色交叉配種而得。