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Mihara, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan · since 1890

Sakai Fish Farm

The house

Sakai Fish Farm was founded around 1890 in Mihara, Hiroshima Prefecture by Ichiroji Sakai, who initially bred Magoi (black food carp). Successive generations — his son Tadamichi and then Koji Sakai — introduced colored, patterned Nishikigoi and eventually redirected the operation entirely toward ornamental koi breeding, specializing in the Gosanke varieties: Kohaku, Sanke, and Showa. The farm, now in its fifth generation under Kentaro Sakai (since 1996), is among the most decorated Nishikigoi houses in Japan and operates roughly 80 mud ponds across 22.5 hectares plus greenhouse facilities. Note: 'Sakai' is a common surname within the Japanese koi industry, and this Hiroshima operation is distinct from other unrelated businesses also using the Sakai name.

US show wins by Sakai Fish Farm fish

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

Notable

  • Grand Champion, All Japan Nishikigoi Show — 13 times through 2024 (2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024)
  • Bred 'S Legend,' a 101cm Kohaku that won Grand Champion in 2017 and again in 2019 and reportedly sold for approximately 203 million yen (roughly $1.8 million USD)
  • 2023 Grand Champion won with a Sanke, the farm's first Sanke victory in about two decades

Sakai Fish Farm koi in stock at US dealers

All 27 →

US dealers importing from Sakai Fish Farm

ChampKoi

Unclaimed

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

ChampKoi (Champion Nishikigoi) is a San Jose, California online koi dealer founded in 1998 by hobbyist-turned-importer Tom Lai. It sells premium Japanese koi hand-selected directly from named Niigata- and Hiroshima-area breeder farms, ships nationwide overnight, and publishes individual breeder profiles so buyers can see which farm produced each fish before purchase.

  • Kohaku Koi
  • Showa Koi
  • Sanke Koi
  • Asagi Koi
  • +5 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

Mystic Koi & Water Gardens

Unclaimed

Upland, CA Ships nationwide $ $$ $$$

Mystic Koi & Water Gardens is a family-owned shop in Upland, California that has operated since 1996 as, by its own description, the largest Southern California specialty retailer of imported Japanese koi and water-gardening supplies. The three-quarter-acre property carries an unusually wide range of named varieties sourced from Japanese breeders including Sekiguchi, Omosako, and Sakai Fish Farm, alongside plants, filtration, and pond-care products.

  • Kohaku Koi
  • Sanke Koi
  • Showa Koi
  • Shiro Utsuri
  • +16 more
Sources for this profile (2)