Koi Waterlife was founded in 1992 and was based on the principle of selling Japanese Koi the Japanese way.

By this we mean not just selling Koi but building relationships with our customers to give our business longevity. This is the way of the Japanese Koi industry. The Nishikigoi industry is based on relationships, as are most businesses in Japan.

It was with this in mind that we decided to try and deal with breeders on a one-to-one basis from the beginning and now over 20 years later these relationships have turned from business to friendship.

We felt it would be refreshing to bring this Japanese philosophy to the UK and after more than a decade of supplying high quality Koi, it was obviously the right decision. Not only has this helped us provide our customers with unrivalled attention to detail and fantastic Koi, it also gave us exclusive access to some of the finest Koi available. We visit Japan three or four times a year and journey far and wide in search of true high quality Koi. We start our search in the south in  Hiroshima and Nagoya then travelling to Isawa and finally Niigata. By travelling so extensively and taking in many farms, including such famous names as Oishi, Omosako,Momotaro, Murayama, Sakuma, Sakai, Miyatora and Dainichi, we gain access to many Koi that would otherwise  never have been seen.

Once the Koi arrive at our premises they are fully rested until they are in perfect condition, ready for their final journey to the customers pond. We visit Japan so frequently not only to enable us to select the best high quality Koi, but also to ensure that the Koi are in perfect health before they are sent to the UK.

We have now sold Koi to many people around the world (including Japanese breeders) and it is from them that we have gained all our knowledge and as Sunichi Ogawa said to us a long time ago ‘the more I teach you the better the koi you buy and therefore the more I sell’ From the only man to have won the All Japan Koi Show Twice with the same Koi, there must be some truth in what he says.

Drew Simons