Yamakoshi, Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, Japan
Yagenji Koi Farm is a mountain-based nishikigoi farm in Yamakoshi, Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, and one of the region's older breeding operations, with the Ishihara family producing koi for more than 80 years across four generations. Brothers Daisuke and Toshinori (Tokko) Ishihara took over the farm from their father, Yaiichi, in 2002. Two years later the farm was hit by the 2004 Chuetsu earthquake, which destroyed nearly all of its koi houses and killed more than 11,000 fish; the farm was fully repaired within about a year and a half. Yagenji breeds a wide range of varieties — Gosanke, Ginrin Gosanke, Kikusui, Asagi, Koromo, Karashi, Doitsu Karashi, Kujaku, and Goshiki — and is particularly well known for its Karashigoi (yellow koi), which regularly grow to over a meter with strong body conformation, as well as for high-quality Shiro Utsuri.
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.