Bluefin Fish Sells for Unprecedented Sum of $3.2m at Tokyo Auction
A bulky Pacific bluefin tuna created waves at the Toyosu fish market this Monday, garnering a record-breaking bid of 510.3 million yen ($3.2 million; £2.4m) during the market's first auction of the calendar year.
The successful offer for the 535-pound fish was submitted by the company of a well-known sushi restaurant group, which runs locations domestically and internationally.
"The first tuna heralds fortune," commented the company president, a notable bidder at the annual first sale.
Dubbed the King of Tuna, this entrepreneur is noted for making record bids for premium bluefin tuna at these auspicious new year auctions.
Bidding Shock and Record-Setting Past
Following the auction, the successful bidder admitted to the press that he was "astonished at the final price," noting, "I expected we would be able to buy it a little for less, but the price soared before you knew it."
This most recent purchase exceeds his previous historic purchases:
- He bid 56.5 million yen away in 2012.
- He bid 155 million yen the following year.
- In 2019, he acquired a tuna for 333.6 million yen ($2.1 million).
Even after previously saying that he thought he "overdid it," he has now managed to surpass his own record another time.
An Annual Spectacle of Exorbitant Bids
The inaugural auction at the Tokyo fish market is notoriously characterized by sky-high prices. In the prior year, the first tuna was acquired for 207 million yen by a separate culinary group, which stated the fish would be featured at its restaurants across Japan.
The high-energy activity at the fish market during these pre-sunrise auctions has become a major spectacle in Tokyo. Monday's auction, which started around 05:00 local time, was no exception.
Immediate Consumption
The record-priced tuna was shortly thereafter sliced up for patrons at the winner's sushi restaurants immediately after the auction ended.
"I feel like I've begun the year in a good way after tasting something so auspicious as the year begins," said one happy customer.
