Iwate Beef
いわて牛 Iwate
English name: Iwate Beef — no official English name found, so romanised by this site.
Requirements for Iwate Beef: breed — Japanese Black; where raised — raised longest in, and finished in, Iwate Prefecture; grade — quality grade 3 or higher and yield grade B or higher. Also: shipped through a member organisation of the council. Not specified: age.
Definition — what qualifies
| Breed | Japanese Black Sources: [B003] |
|---|---|
| Where it must be raised | Raised longest in, and finished in, Iwate Prefecture Sources: [B003] |
| Age / fattening period |
Not set (no such requirement in the source) |
| Grading | Quality grade 3 or higher and yield grade B or higher Sources: [B003] |
| Other conditions |
Shipped through a member organisation of the council [B003] |
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
- Iwate Beef Five Stars
A5 or B5
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 Iwate Beef, require grade 3 or higher or something stricter. 72 beef brands set no age or fattening condition, and Iwate Beef is one of them.
This guide lists 3 brands from Iwate (also Iwate Tankaku Wagyu and Maesawa Beef). By prefecture →
Compare this brand side by side with others → ・ Find brands by their rules →
Counts cover only the brands in this guide.
Guides
- Same body, different brands: how 31 Japanese meat brands from 13 bodies differ
- 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
Managed by
- Managed by
- Iwate Beef Promotion Council
- Official site
- https://iwategyu.jp/iwate_wagyu/feature/
Other brands from Iwate
- Iwate Tankaku WagyuBeef brands
- Maesawa BeefBeef 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
- [B003] いわて牛の定義 — Iwate Beef Promotion Council ・ Primary source ・ Accessed 2026-09-18