Joshu Beef
上州牛 Gunma
English name: Joshu Beef — no official English name found, so romanised by this site.
Not Wagyu
Requirements for Joshu Beef: breed — Crossbred (Japanese Black × Holstein); where raised — born in Japan, finished in Gunma and raised longest there; grade — meat quality grade 2 or higher. Also: slaughtered at Gunma Prefecture Meat Wholesale Market. Not specified: age.
Definition — what qualifies
| Breed | Crossbred (Japanese Black × Holstein) Sources: [B011] |
|---|---|
| Where it must be raised | Born in Japan, finished in Gunma and raised longest there Sources: [B011] |
| Age / fattening period |
Not set (no such requirement in the source) |
| Grading | Meat quality grade 2 or higher Sources: [B011] |
| Other conditions |
Slaughtered at Gunma Prefecture Meat Wholesale Market [B011] |
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 →
Not Wagyu: a Japanese Black × Holstein cross.
Compared with other brands
This guide lists 7 beef brands that require Crossbred (Japanese Black × Holstein) cattle. 61 beef brands set a meat quality grade. The loosest condition is grade 2 or higher, used by 12 of them including Joshu Beef. 72 beef brands set no age or fattening condition, and Joshu Beef is one of them.
This guide lists 4 brands from Gunma (also Joshu Jidori, Joshu Mugibuta and Joshu Wagyu). 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
- Gunma Meat Quality Improvement Council
- Official site
- https://www.gunmanooniku.com/gyu.html
Other brands from Gunma
- Joshu JidoriJidori and branded chicken
- Joshu MugibutaPork brands
- Joshu WagyuBeef 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
- [B011] 上州和牛の定義 — Gunma Meat Quality Improvement Council ・ Primary source ・ Accessed 2026-09-18