Ishigaki Beef
石垣牛 Okinawa
English name: Ishigaki Beef — no official English name found, so romanised by this site.
Requirements for Ishigaki Beef: breed — Japanese Black (steers, heifers (never calved)); where raised — produced in the Yaeyama district and fattened there for about 20 months or more; age — age at shipment: steers 24–35 months, heifers 24–40 months; grade — meat quality grade 3 or higher; yield grade A or B. Also: registration, birth confirmation and production history certificates required.
Definition — what qualifies
| Breed | Japanese Black Sex / type: steers, heifers (never calved) Sources: [B042] |
|---|---|
| Where it must be raised | Produced in the Yaeyama district and fattened there for about 20 months or more Sources: [B042] |
| Age / fattening period | Age at shipment: steers 24–35 months, heifers 24–40 months Sources: [B042] |
| Grading | Meat quality grade 3 or higher; yield grade A or B Sources: [B042] |
| Other conditions |
Registration, birth confirmation and production history certificates required [B042] |
Grades follow the Japan Meat Grading Association: yield grade (A–C), meat quality grade (1–5), and marbling as BMS No. (1–12). How Japanese beef is graded →
Premium tiers
- Tokusen
Yield A/B, quality 5 or 4
- Meisan
Yield A/B, quality 3
Compared with other brands
This guide lists 75 beef brands that require Japanese Black cattle. 61 beef brands set a meat quality grade. 49 of them, including Ishigaki Beef, require grade 3 or higher or something stricter. 17 beef brands set a minimum age, ranging from 18 to 33 months. 24 months ranks 10th from the longest (2 others also use 24).
This guide lists 3 brands from Okinawa (also Agu Pork and Okinawa Agu Brand Pork). By prefecture →
Compare this brand side by side with others → ・ Find brands by their rules →
Counts cover only the brands in this guide.
Guides
- Does Kobe beef have to be A5? We counted the grading rules of 100 Japanese beef brands
- Heifers, steers, or anything? The sex rules of 100 Japanese beef brands
- Where must Japanese brand beef be raised? We counted the region rules of 100 brands
- How old is Japanese brand beef? We counted the age rules of 100 brands
- What counts as wagyu? Four breeds, born and raised in Japan — and how 100 beef brands break down
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Managed by
- Managed by
- JA Okinawa
- Official site
- https://www.ishigakigyu.com/
Other brands from Okinawa
- Agu PorkPork brands
- Okinawa Agu Brand PorkPork brands
About the names
Brand names are proper nouns. English names follow the brand association's official English page first, then the English name in the GI register, and otherwise romanised Japanese plus "Beef", "Wagyu" or "Pork". We never call a non-Wagyu brand Wagyu.
Sources
Sources are in Japanese
- [B042] 石垣牛の定義 — Ishigaki City ・ Primary source ・ Accessed 2026-09-18