• This year’s most expensive tuna sold at 14,000,000 JPY or roughly $117,220 US dollars.
• The bluefin tuna weighed about 200 kg (about 440 pounds).
• The price per kilogram was about 70,000 JPY or roughly $585 US dollars.
• The tuna came from Ohma in Aomori prefecture and was caught on January 3rd.
• The tuna was bought by the sushi chain, Sushi Zanmai. Kimura Shacho (president) commented that 3 days of aging makes it for perfect eating for today.
• Sushi Zanmai has bought the winning tuna the last four years in a row.
• The 2013 year’s record tuna sold for 155,400,000 JPY or roughly $1.76 million US Dollars.
• This year’s tuna came in at about 3 times last year’s record-winning price.
• This is the last opening tuna auction to be held at Tsukiji Market. Next year the tuna auction will be held at the new market, Toyosu Market. The name Tsukiji will stay at the current location. The current Tsukiji Market’s outer market will remain and can keep the famous brand name that is named after the area.

Graph of the winning tuna price over the last ten years.

Kimura Shacho (president) of Sushi Zanmai. Proud owner of the best tuna at Tsukiji’s last opening tuna auction. Each year he brings the winning tuna to his main shop in the outer market. The shop is just behind him in this photo, with the winning tuna waiting to be cut into.

Japanese:

初競り　はつせり first auction

黒鮪　くろまぐろ bluefin tuna

大間　おおま　Ohma port