Prices Soar Every Year, This Time '4.73 Billion Won'... "Winning the Bid Brings Good Luck All Year"

A Japanese sushi chain has set a Guinness World Record for the "most expensive tuna sold at auction," winning a single tuna for 4.73 billion won.

According to Japanese media outlets such as the Mainichi Shimbun on April 25, Kiyoshi Kimura, President of Kiyomura Co., Ltd., which operates the Sushi Zanmai chain, stated at the Guinness certificate award ceremony held at the flagship store on April 20, "We will continue to offer the highest quality tuna in the future."

Kiyoshi Kimura, President of Sushi Zanmai, won the bid for a 243kg tuna at the first tuna auction of the year held on January 5 at the Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo for 510.3 million yen (approximately 4.73 billion won). Photo by EPA Yonhap News

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The company won the bid for a 243kg tuna at the first tuna auction of the year held on January 5 at the Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo, paying 510.3 million yen (approximately 4.73 billion won).

This bluefin tuna was caught off the northeastern coast of Aomori Prefecture, Japan. Kiyomura prepared the tuna at the Tsukiji flagship store in Tokyo and served it to customers at Sushi Zanmai outlets nationwide. According to Guinness World Records, "Although this tuna was recognized as the most expensive in the world, the sushi made from it was sold at regular prices after the auction."

This is the second time Kiyomura has been awarded a Guinness World Record. The company first made it into the Guinness World Records in 2013, when it won the first auction of the year by purchasing a bluefin tuna for 155.4 million yen (approximately 1.44 billion won).

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, this year's winning bid is the highest since related statistics began in 1999. The highest price at the first tuna auction of the year was only 36 million yen (3.3 billion won) in 2023, but surged to 114 million yen (approximately 1.06 billion won) in 2024 and 270 million yen (about 2.5 billion won) in 2025, increasing sharply every year.

Spending large sums at the first auction of the year is a Japanese tradition. In Japan, there is a "hatsu" culture that regards the first event of the year, such as the first sunrise or the first shrine visit, as auspicious. Accordingly, winning the first tuna auction is believed to bring good luck for the year and lead to business success. Additionally, since the first auction is heavily covered by the media every year, companies benefit from significant marketing effects. Thus, even if they pay a high price at auction, the promotional benefits are considered to be worth it for the companies.

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