Ever wondered where your koi actually come from? Japan is the birthplace of koi, which are really ornamental carp that have bred selectively bred for their bright, vibrant colours and unique patterns. It is no wonder that koi are often referred to as ‘Living Jewels’.
There are many excellent koi breeders in Japan that are dedicated to producing the most beautiful koi possible. Some small koi farms are very specialized, and focus on breeding only one koi variety of koi, while many of the larger farms breed many different varieties.
Below you will find some information about some of the Koi Farms we have had the pleasure of ordering koi from in the past. This is not a complete list of all the breeders, however, we will regularly be adding more farms and updating the information.
Aoki Koi Farm is run by Haruo & Motoyoshi Aoki in the Katakai region. They have become well known in Japan and around the world for their varieties of Goshiki, Doitsu Goshiki, Kikusui, & more.
Chogoro Koi Farm is run by Nobuaki Hiroi in the Kawaguchi region. They have become world famous for their Platinum Ogon. They also breed Goshiki, Gin Matsuba and Kikokuryu.
Hasegawa Koi Farm is owned by Mitsuo Hasegawa in the Ojiya region. Although it is a smaller farm compared to many other in the region. But don’t let their size fool you, they produce excellent quality koi.
Kaneko Koi Farm is run by Haruo Aoki and Motoyoshi Aoki in the Nagaoka region. Established in the 1960’s, they have become well known around the world for their excellent quality Shiro Utsuri
Kawakami Koi Farm is an old koi farm, originally established in 1926 by Jirosuke Kawakami. It is still in the same family and has continued for 4 generations.
Marudo Koi Farm is now run by Hisashi Hirasawa in the Nagaoka region is one of the top breeders. Established more than 40 years ago, they have become well known within Japan and around the world.
Maruhide Koi Farm – is run by Hidemasa Hirasawa in Minaminigoro. Established about 20 years ago, they concentrate on mainly Doitsu Gosanke (Kohaku, Sanke & Showa)
Maruhiro Koi Farm – is run by Hironori Hirasawa in the Ojiya region. Hironori is the son of Seitaro Hirasawa (Marusei Koi Farm) so he has a wealth of knowledge about producing quality koi.
Marujyu Koi Farm is now owned by Shigeyoshi Tanaka. After having 99% of their stock destroyed during the earthquake in 2004, they began to focus on breeding high quality Go-Sanke and Goromo.
Marusak Koi Farm was established the late 1940’s, and is now run by Teruyuki Hiroi. They are well known for their Sanke, but are also now producing many varieties of metallic koi such as Kin Kikokuryu, Doitsu Kujaku and Kikokuryu
Marusei Koi Farm is one of the largest koi farms in the Niigata region. They have become well known their varieties of koi such as Go-Sanke, Kujaku, Hi-Utsuri, Chagoi, Shusui & Mizuho Ogon
Miyatora Koi Farm is run by Katsunori Miya in the Kawaguchi region. Established more than 100 years ago, they have become well known around the world for their varieties of Go Sanke
Oofuchi Koi Farm (aka Fukasawa Koi farm) is located in the Nagaoka region and is owned by Oofuchi Hideaki. This large farm produces many great varieties of koi
Otsuka Koi Farm was founded in 1962 by Yoshikazu Otsuka, but full-time Nishikigoi production was started in 1984. They have established a reputation as an excellent Asagi producer.
Oyaji Koi Farm is run by Hoshino Tsuyoshi in the Shiotani region. Established more than 20 years ago, they have become well known for breeding quality Go Sanke, Hikarimono, Shusui & Gin Matsuba
Sakazume Koi Farm is now run by Shinsaku Sakazume in the Yamakoshi region. They have become well known around the world for their Aigoromo, although they produce other quality koi.
Sekiguchi Koi Farm now is run by Masayuki Sekiguchi, the third generation and is renowned for their high quality Showa and their Pearl Ginrin varieties
Shinoda Koi Farm was established in 1952 in Ojiya city and is now run by run by Susumu Shinoda, the second generation operating this farm.
Suda Koi Farm is run by Atsushi Suda in the Niigata region. They are one of the few farms in Japan that breed longfin or butterfly koi and ship their koi around the world.
Takahashi koi farm was established in 1958 by Hanjyuro Takahashi. The farm is now mainly operated by his son Takehisa. They breed several varieties of koi such as Sanke, Kohaku, Asagi
Tsuna Koi Farm is a smaller farm located in the Kawaguchi region. They breed several varieties of koi, but are most well known for their Kin Ki Utsuri, Doitsu Sanke, Shusui, Kujaku and Platinum Ogons.
Yagoro koi farm is located in Takezawa region of Niigata prefecture and is run by owner Hoshino. Although the farm is a medium size, they produce many nice varieties.
Yamazaki Koi Farm ( Yamasan Yorijo) – is run by Manabu Yamazaki in the Kawaguchi region. Established in 1973 it is one of the largest koi farms in Japan covering almost 10 acres with 50 ponds.
Many of the koi farms in Japan are located in the mountainous region of Niigata prefecture, along the west coast of Honshu Island.
Click on the map below to take you to our Interactive Map of Japanese Koi Farms
