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Ojiya, Niigata Prefecture, Japan

Dainichi

The house

Dainichi Koi Farm was established in the Higashiyama area of Ojiya, Niigata Prefecture in the late 1950s or early 1960s, when Minoru Mano began breeding koi under the Dainichi trade name; the business was incorporated in 1990. Mano devoted his breeding program to the Gosanke varieties, establishing what are now known as the Dainichi Kohaku, Dainichi Sanke, and Dainichi Showa bloodlines, which went on to influence many other breeders in the Niigata koi industry. After the 2004 Niigata earthquake damaged the original site, the farm relocated to a larger facility in Sanbusho, Ojiya City, now spanning more than 400,000 square meters of ponds and greenhouses. Dainichi is run today by Mano's sons, Futoshi, Shigeru, and Hiroshi Mano, who continue to focus breeding efforts on Kohaku, Sanke, and Showa.

US show wins by Dainichi fish

  • Adult Champion A, Music City Koi Show (First Annual) (2026) details →
  • Grand Champion, All-American Koi Show 2025 (2025) details →

Notable

  • Grand Champion, All Japan Nishikigoi Show — 1991, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2025, and 2026 (per kodamakoifarm.com)
  • Established the Dainichi Kohaku, Dainichi Sanke, and Dainichi Showa bloodlines widely referenced across the Niigata koi industry

Dainichi koi in stock at US dealers

All 18 →

US dealers importing from Dainichi

Artisan Koi Farm

Unclaimed

Stilwell, KS Ships nationwide $ $$ $$$

Artisan Koi Farm is a father-and-sons operation on an 8-acre property in Stilwell, Kansas, just south of the Kansas City metro, sourcing stock raised at well-known Japanese breeder farms including Kodama, Aokiya, Dainichi, and Fukazawa. The farm sells individual koi online with nationwide shipping and a 14-day health guarantee, and also welcomes local hobbyists for farm visits by appointment.

  • Showa Koi
  • Asagi Koi
  • Shusui Koi
  • Butterfly Koi
  • +1 more

Children of the Sun Koi (Cots Koi)

Unclaimed

La Center, WA Ships nationwide $$ $$$ show

Children of the Sun Koi, doing business as Cots Koi, is a Washington State importer founded in 2004 that sources exclusively from named Japanese breeders including Dainichi, Ikarashi, Maruyama, Izumiya, and Torazo Koi Farms rather than breeding its own stock. It carries Gosanke varieties, Shiro Utsuri, and Ginrin koi across a wide price range, with a live-arrival guarantee that applies to air-cargo shipments but not to UPS shipments. It is included in this Northeast/Midwest research batch even though it is West Coast-based, per the assigned task scope. Note: it competes in the same national import-focused segment as some larger East and West Coast dealers.

  • Kohaku Koi
  • Sanke Koi
  • Showa Koi
  • Shiro Utsuri
  • +1 more

Genki Koi

Unclaimed

San Jose, CA Ships nationwide $$ $$$ show

Genki Koi is a San Jose, California koi importer founded in 1997, run by owner Kevin who travels to Japan several times a year to hand-select fish from more than 50 Niigata and Hiroshima breeders including Dainichi and Isa. It sells a broad range of traditional and metallic varieties online with nationwide shipping.

  • Asagi Koi
  • Bekko Koi
  • Doitsu Koi
  • Gin Rin Koi
  • +8 more

Grand Koi

Unclaimed

Douglasville, GA Ships nationwide $$ $$$

Grand Koi is a Japanese koi importer based near Atlanta in Douglasville, Georgia, describing itself as one of the largest US stockers of imported koi and citing preferred-buyer relationships with Japanese breeders including Dainichi, Sakai, and Momotaro. The company screens, quarantines, and acclimates koi at its Georgia facility before shipping to customers across the continental United States.

  • Kohaku Koi
  • Showa Koi
  • Sanke Koi

Kodama Koi Farm

Unclaimed

Mililani, HI Ships nationwide $$ $$$ show

Kodama Koi Farm has been farming koi in Mililani, Hawaii since 1969 and operates as both a breeder and a major importer, running weekly online auctions of fish sourced directly from top Niigata breeders such as Dainichi, Isa, and Marudo. It ships nationwide by air cargo from Hawaii and runs an additional retail location, Kodama Koi Garden, in New York.

  • Kohaku Koi
  • Showa Koi
  • Sanke Koi
  • Shiro Utsuri
  • +9 more

Play It Koi

Unclaimed

Bothell, WA Ships nationwide $ $$

Play It Koi is a pond supply and koi retailer based in Bothell, Washington, founded in 2014, that imports hand-selected Japanese koi from breeders including Kodama and Dainichi and ships live fish nationwide via express overnight service, alongside a full line of pond equipment and appointment-only in-person visits.

  • Kohaku Koi
  • Showa Koi
  • Sanke Koi
  • Butterfly Koi
Sources for this profile (1)