Yamagata Beef
山形牛 Yamagata
English name: Yamagata Beef — no official English name found, so romanised by this site.
Requirements for Yamagata Beef: breed — Japanese Black (heifers (never calved), steers); where raised — raised longest in, and finished in, Yamagata Prefecture; grade — quality grade 4 or higher (grade 3 also accepted when the other conditions are met). Not specified: age.
Definition — what qualifies
| Breed | Japanese Black Sex / type: heifers (never calved), steers Sources: [B008] |
|---|---|
| Where it must be raised | Raised longest in, and finished in, Yamagata Prefecture Sources: [B008] |
| Age / fattening period |
Not set (no such requirement in the source) |
| Grading | Quality grade 4 or higher (grade 3 also accepted when the other conditions are met) Sources: [B008] |
| 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. 49 of them, including Yamagata Beef, require grade 3 or higher or something stricter. 72 beef brands set no age or fattening condition, and Yamagata Beef is one of them.
This guide lists 4 brands from Yamagata (also Shonai Green Pork Boomin, Yamagata Jidori and Yonezawa Gyu). 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
Managed by
- Managed by
- Yamagata Beef Cattle Association
- Official site
- https://www.yamagata-gyu.org/yamagatagyu
Other brands from Yamagata
- Shonai Green Pork BoominPork brands
- Yamagata JidoriJidori and branded chicken
- Yonezawa GyuBeef 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
- [B008] 山形牛の定義 — Yamagata Beef Cattle Association ・ Primary source ・ Accessed 2026-09-18