Maesawa Beef
前沢牛 Iwate
English name: Maesawa Beef — based on the English name in the GI register, “MAESAWA BEEF”.
GI registered No.28
Requirements for Maesawa Beef: breed — Japanese Black; where raised — raised longest in, and finished in, Maesawa, Oshu City, Iwate; grade — meat quality grade 4 or higher; yield grade A or B. Not specified: age.
Definition — what qualifies
| Breed | Japanese Black With a calf registration certificate from the Wagyu Registry Association Sources: [G0028] |
|---|---|
| Where it must be raised | Raised longest in, and finished in, Maesawa, Oshu City, Iwate Sources: [G0028] |
| Age / fattening period |
Not set (no such requirement in the source) |
| Grading | Meat quality grade 4 or higher; yield grade A or B Sources: [G0028] |
| Other conditions | Not set (no such requirement in the source) |
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 →
Compared with other brands
This guide lists 75 beef brands that require Japanese Black cattle. 61 beef brands set a meat quality grade. 24 of them, including Maesawa Beef, require grade 4 or higher or something stricter. 72 beef brands set no age or fattening condition, and Maesawa Beef is one of them.
This guide lists 3 brands from Iwate (also Iwate Beef and Iwate Tankaku Wagyu). By prefecture →
Compare this brand side by side with others → ・ Find brands by their rules →
Counts cover only the brands in this guide.
Geographical Indication (GI)
- Registration no.
- No.28
- Registered
- 2017-03-03
- English name in the GI register
- MAESAWA BEEF
- Registered producer group
- JA Iwate Furusato
This definition is taken from the production method in the specification registered with Japan's Ministry of Agriculture.
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
Managed by
- Managed by
- JA Iwate Furusato
- Official site
- https://www.jafurusato.or.jp/
Other brands from Iwate
- Iwate BeefBeef brands
- Iwate Tankaku 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
- [G0028] 地理的表示 登録番号第28号「前沢牛」明細書 — Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (GI) ・ Primary source ・ Accessed 2026-09-18