topponds STOP PRESS!

Thanks to everyone who visited our Tosai viewing event, special thanks to Alan Jones (Wales), David & Anita Ramsden, Steve Lyndsey & Cheeky Chops Williams, Ronnie & Moira Ellis, Mary & Tony and Extra special thanks to our old friend Bob. Great to see so many genuine Koi nuts simply enjoying talking Koi. We plan more events during 2011 so stay tuned 

The Koi produced by Scott Purdin and Bill McGurk in 2010 are special by any measure, and the reaction to these Koi from our customers has been impressive. Bringing Tosai into the UK in the winter is not for the faint hearted and its only because of our special relationship with Purdin Koi Farm that we were able to pull it off. We currently have around 200 serious Tosai including some amazing Goshiki. We hatched the term Experimental Goshiki to describe them simply because they are so unusual. But some of the development we have seen is impressive to say the least check out the photo below.

Same Goshiki photo taken in the UK December 2010

One of the reasons Koi keepers are not being attracted into the hobby, and existing ones leaving is boredom. Japanese producers are guilty of fat cat syndrome. They are well aware that they dominate the market and that their Koi will sell. The result is they have become complacent and the exciting developments made especially in the 1990s have been replaced by seriously compliant but uninspiring Koi. When was the last time you saw a Japanese Koi and went WOW!!!!

By contrast Purdin are not just hungry for success we are pushing every envelope we can find and, to the limit. This is beginning to produce some serious results. During the last few years Koi procured have been sitting in Japan and waiting to be shipped to the USA, and, during the last few years following stringent testing and close liaison with the USDA we now have some of the very finest Oyagoi anywhere in the world. These include Koi from Dainichi, Matsunosuke, Omosako and Isa. Added to the existing, formidible Purdin gene pool the collective resource is up there with the worlds top Koi producers. 

More notable perhaps is that for the first time the notion of only good Koi are Made in Japan is not only being challenged, its being assaulted and serious Koi produced delivered. Furthermore not only are these Koi high quality they have a fresh and exciting look and feel about them. The Tosai we have at Topponds and the 500 that we have in the USA that will arrive in Spring 2011 demonstrate this. As we always say however - Talk is Cheap, so come and check them out and make your own mind up.