It is often said that Tategoi are only the very best in the breeding and everyone is always thinking about the most expensive Koi. However, that is only partially true.
Tategoi means actualy: Not yet on sale.
In other words: For example, One Nisai that cost 150 to 200 Euro was the year before a Tosai Tategoi. If he would sell it as a Tosai he very often won’t get more than 25 Euro. But the Breeder expected that when he would grow it for one more season it could have this value increase from 25 to 150-200 Euro. So he will not sell the fish as Tosai. He will keep these and many other in that price range for one more season to grow on.
Just look at this simple calculation example.
For example, 1000 of those Koi that cost as a Tosai 25 Euro cost is a total amount of 25000 Euro. The same 1000 fish a year later as Nisai with an average of 150 Euro is 150,000 Euro. A 125.000 Euro loss for the breeder. So they are not sold as Tosai and at that time as Tategoi ranked.
However, there are many price (quality) classes in Tategoi. From … to …..
The Tosai from 25 Euro the breeder wants to keep is just one example of this. If you want to buy this kind of fish anyway and I mean so the same 25 Euro koi as a Tosai, then one must be prepared to pay more so that the amount get close to the 150 a 200 Euro the breeder gets as a Nisai. Only if it is interesting enough for the breeder he will he will sell the Koi as a Tosai.
If we talk about the very best Koi we don’t say Tategoi but Kashira.
The Kashira are the best and most expensive fish. In other words the very best from the breeding! The following quality after Kashira is Tategoi, Followed by Tateshita. Then the next quality level is Handpick koi. But in Handpick can also be Tategoi or even Kashira.
But handpick mostly means selected Koi from one basin. After the handpick quality we have High quality and finally standard quality
Price level and quality
Another thing that might be important to rate is the quality and price range for a future Koi. Often it is expected that if a Tosai cost 1000 euro it has to be a perfect Koi. But this you have to see in the same way as with a Tosai of 25 Euro, That comes to Europe for 75 Euro. This Tosai has the potential to become a Koi between 150 and 250 Euro. Sometimes a bit more and sometimes a bit less. So if you’re going to look at Nisai in that price range you also know approximately what you can expect of these Tosai. If you have a Tosai of 500 euros then this may grow out to a 1000 Euro Koi. Here again the same issue. Sometimes a bit more and sometimes a bit less. What matters is that all price ranges should be reviewed according to the potential development of the Koi.
Many believe it means koi that will get better (and of higher quality) and because of that command a high price. And they are right. Yes it does mean getting better. That is why the breeder keeps them to get more money out of them. To sell them now for 25 or 50 Euro or he waits another season and sell them for 3 times that money means they will get better according to his opinion. If he would only get 10 % or 20% more in one more season he will sell them as Tosai.
It is exactly the same with more expensive Tategoi from 500 Euro or 5000 Euro. He will keep them because he thinks they will get better and he will get more money out of it in one or two seasons. But the very high quality Tategoi are just a handfull. That means most of the money the breeder gets is from the Koi that are less expensive. From the less expensive ones there are a lot more. So it is easier to have a large group of them. That is why many breeders keep them. Look how many for example Sakai keeps for the market to sell as a Nisai.
They also need a lot of them because everybody want more of the lesser quality then the top quality. So he needs to keep them, because most dealers sell much more of that quality then the top quality.
Simple reason is that most people cannot afford the top or the higher quality.
