This was originally named after a famous shrine in Minaminigoro village and was, at first, used to raise Yamabuka Ogons but the owner then of the Koi farm (Mr. Minoru Mano) started to ask around to other breeders and farms as to what their favourite Koi varieties would mean to them – and the reply ALWAYS came back as ‘KOHAKU’ so this is what he decided to really concentrate on.

Hasegawa koi are famous throughout the world, thanks to the work of one man – Mitsuo Hasegawa. His dedication to producing beautiful koi has earned him an enviable reputation throughout the koi keeping world. Hasegawa Koi Farm is very different to most of the other koi farms around Niigata.

Hirasawa Yoshiyuki, also known as ‘Marusei’ or ‘Seitaro’, is probably the second biggest producer of Koi in the world –second only to Hiroshima Sakai (Hiroji). This man started out some 20 years ago and vowed to his two sons that he would become the finest Nishikigoi breeder in the world if they agreed to work for him in later years. The later years are now here and both his sons are still working for him! It is said that he (Yoshiyuki) has over 500 mud ponds and I do not disbelieve this statement. I do know that he would be able to supply Nishikigoi in all grades, all sizes and all varieties at prices ranging from the very cheap to the extremely expensive.

Hoshikin Koi Farm used to be called Shiotani Koi Farm because it is located in the area called Shiotani; because his name was HOSHIno, KINsaku, everybody called him Mr. "Hoshikin." As a result, his Koi were called Hoshikin Kohaku and finally became a recognized bloodline.

Igarashi Kazuto is well known to most koi hobbyist’s around the world. Some time or other you will have seen a stunning koi bred by this guy. He has a superb eye for breeding show koi, patterns and bodies which will make you drool. Breeding from a Sensuke Kohaku for his Kohaku, along with Matsunosuke for his Sanke, also producing some great showa from various bloodlines.

Sekiguchi Koi Farm is known for having created the Sekiguchi Showa and Pearl Ginrin, but at the same time they are a talented breeder of Showa Sanshoku and have won various awards. Masayuki Sekiguchi, the 3rd generation of the farm, currently takes the lead in producing large and beautiful Showa Sanshoku.

Tsuyoshi Kawakami has always bred some spectacular Koi over the years and many famous Koi as well. His main breeding line is Sanke and you can always tell the Torazo Koi by the Sumi on his Sankes. Torazo Koi has a Sumi that is always deep and well placed, making the big examples very impressive.