from left - Taro Kodama of JKO, Mr. Mano of Izumiya Koi Farm, Mamoru Kodama of Miyoshiike

Taro is the son of Mamoru Kodama, one of the elite Japanese Koi dealers and the author of Kokugyo. Taro was born in Nagoya, and grew up around Tokyo, where he attended the university. He spent almost two years at the College of St. Rose in Albany, NY, where he first fell in love with US.

Although Taro loved being in the US, he went back to a job in Japan doing stocks and bonds after graduation. One year later, his father asked him to join the family business, “Miyoshiike.” He worked there for his father, and then offered to open up a distribution office in the US.

Taro came to California in December of 2000, and started building the business which became Japan Koi Online (JKO). Taro’s idea was to auction the Koi, rather than running a standard retail sales business. He built ponds and greenhouses which currently house over 40 tanks with about 1000 fish at any given time. His wife and new baby son moved to the CA in June of 2001, and JKO held its first auction that month.

JKO holds 2 auctions each week, with 40-50 Koi per auction, which means there are about 100 new Koi available every week! Koi from 10” – 24” are available in all price ranges. JKO and Miyoshiike combine their purchasing power to acquire excellent Koi for low prices. Having been a breeder himself, and having won numerous Grand Championships at the All Japan Nishikigoi Show, Mamoru is well respected by the breeders. That gives JKO and Miyoshiike an advantage when they are selecting and purchasing Koi.

Taro says; “There are no middlemen or export agent, and that helps to lower the cost. I would like to get people excited about buying top quality Japanese Koi. My goal is to surprise buyers with the most beautiful Koi for the most reasonable prices! This way, I have the biggest chance of gaining repeat customers.”

Taro and his father understand the vital importance of Koi health. Before any Koi are shipped to the U.S., they are quarantined for at least a month in Japan at Miyoshiike. When Koi arrive at JKO, each shipment is placed in its own tank. Pathogen free fish are then added to the tank, and the tank is cycled up to 73 degrees and kept there for 4 weeks of quarantine. The pathogen free fish act like miner’s canaries to instantly alert Taro to any problems. Near the end of the quarantine period, several ‘canaries’ from each tank are sent for KHV testing. Each of the 40 tanks has its own filtration system, and fish and water are never mixed from one tank to another. If any parasites, bacteria or viruses are present, they become immediately observable on the pathogen free fish which have no immune system.

Each incoming Koi will stay an average of 2-4 months at JKO before moving to their buyer’s pond. JKO’s business is about 95% auction sales, and 5% walk-in or special request sales. JKO currently employs 8 people. Taro loves living in CA – he says the climate is better than Tokyo, although he jokes that the traffic is much worse.

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