Ko Shamo Chickens

- Imran, 15 November 2021

questionable ideas? - Nicholas, 19 January 2019

ko shamo are no relation to the bigger o shamo, ko are bred for ornamental purposes only. Only have to ask the leading authority on the japanese breeds, julia keeling aka shamolady. maybe denis you should do your homework on the breed yourself, as there is no history of them being used in the pit. There are no such breed as bantam shamo it is often an excuse/term for badly bred birds of mixed origin.

Questionable ideas - Denis, 18 December 2018

So, the other commentators should probably do a little more research. First, the basic meaning of "bantam" is any chicken that is in a certain size range and does not necessarily mean a miniature version of a large breed. "Ko" is Japanese for "little", so, yes, Ko Shamo are bantams, in this case they are considered a "true bantam," which means they don't have a true large counterpart, as they are not intended to be a bantam version of a Shamo, else they would not be regarded as distinct from the bantam Shamo developed in the West. Secondly, I can assure you that every breed of Shamo that was exported out of Japan was used for fighting at some point in that breed's history. That point in time may be centuries ago, but that's why they were developed. Horst W. Schumdde traveled all over the world researching his book "Oriental Gamefowl" and his entry on the Ko Shamo makes it clear they were used as true gamefowl and the pure ones are truly game, as the cockerels need to be separated at an early age. While I cannot disagree that their fighting history is long in their past; but, I find nothing to back up the statement that they were developed exclusively for show, such as with a breed like the Modern Games. Finally, to say that they are unrelated to Shamo is incorrect. All of the oriental games were developed from an early version of Asil/Maylays, and they were bred in different directions as the spread east, first to Thailand (Siam), then on to Japan, where the various games and long-tailed breeds were developed by Japanese breeders from the Thai birds that were imported. Being a grower of Japanese maples, it is clear that the Japanese have been masters at spotting different mutations and traits, then having the vision to be masters at selective breeding to get multiple varieties out of any species they put their mind to working with and the Shamos are a great example of that. Now, what Ko Shamo are not (and I suspect that is what was trying to be conveyed) a bantam version of the Shamo as it is known in the US or UK. While that Shamo and the Ko Shamo were developed from the same original stock of games that traders brought back to Japan, many different breeds of Shamo-type birds were developed independently from one another from that original importation. It was not a case where the Shamo was developed first and then the Ko Shamo and other small Shamo were developed from the larger breed. So it is best to think of Shamo and Ko Shamo cousins rather than the later being derived from the former.

fantastic birds. - Nick, 9 March 2016

ko shamo are an ornamental breed that have originated and been developed by the japanese, they are birds of which height has no limit but have 3 equal parts, they however have an ideal weight of about 1kg they are an ideal keeper when space is limited as they do very well, Make no mistake they are not related to the bigger o shamo they are their own breed and should not be called bantams, there is no history of these birds ever being used in the pit and have only been breed towards the show pen, but they should posess the look of a fighter and be strong and fierce and have a very confident manor.these make perfect pets and their character will stand them out from other breeds, the downside is that quality birds in the uk are very hard to come by.

- Nicnut, 11 September 2015

Ko shamo are a small japanese breed, they are no relation to the larger o shamo. Ko shamo are an ornamental breed only and have never been used for cock fighting, they do well in small pens and as space is a premium in japan these birds fit the bill. they are no more aggressive than your average yard bantam and can often be kept together. Very hard to find quality birds in the uk they come in all the game colours but should always be selected for type over colour.