First Tosai Release of the Season – Izumiya Kohaku and Showa
Last week, we focused on Kohaku nisai — and promised that the tosai were coming next.
This week, they arrive as our first tosai release of the season.
We’ve started cataloguing a selection of Izumiya tosai, including both Kohaku and Showa, which will go live on the website this Friday at 8pm.
The Start of the Season
The first tosai release always marks a shift.
As water temperatures begin to rise and ponds come back to life, this is the point where many customers start thinking about:
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adding new koi
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growing fish on through the warmer months
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and shaping how their pond will look for the season ahead
Tosai fit naturally into this moment.
Why Tosai Still Matter
It’s easy to focus on larger, more finished koi — where everything is already visible.
Tosai offer something different. They give you the opportunity to grow koi on yourself and watch development happen over time.
At this stage, you’re not just buying what the koi is — you’re buying what it could become.
Why Izumiya Tosai?
The tosai in this week’s release are from Izumiya, a breeder known for producing koi with strong underlying quality. And the tosai in this week's release show off strong back bones, wide mouths and excellent colour for their stage in development.
Kohaku and Showa – Building Balance Early
This week’s selection includes both Kohaku and Showa, which work naturally together in a pond.
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Kohaku bring structure and simplicity
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Showa introduce contrast and visual energy
Starting to build that balance early — even at tosai stage — makes a noticeable difference as your pond develops over time.
Read our in depth koi variety guides to research these varieties which includes buying tips:
£75 Tosai – A Practical Way to Build Your Pond
All of the Izumiya tosai in this release are priced at £75 each.
At this level, tosai become a practical tool:
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You can buy more than one
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You can explore different varieties
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You can shape the overall feel of your pond; with both Kohaku and Showa offering excellent opportunity to add structure and drama respectively.
Also This Week – A Few Standout Pieces
Alongside the tosai, we’ll also be releasing a small number of hand-selected Japanese koi from our recent Japan trip.
This includes:
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Some very high-quality Showa
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A few additional standout koi
These are more developed fish — ready to make an immediate impact.
Friday Night Release – 8pm
All koi will be released online at:
🕗 Friday, 8pm
When the release goes live, view the new koi by visiting the individual koi for sale page (link sorts the page so the newest koi are listed first).
Here are a couple of teaser videos, ahead of preview bowl videos:
The first tosai of the season don’t tend to hang around for long.
If you’ve been waiting to start your grow-on for the year — this is the moment.
Adam
