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Matsusaka, Kobe, Omi, Yonezawa: what each famous wagyu name actually requires

There is no official list of Japan's "top three wagyu"; which brands make the list depends on who is writing it. Here are the four names that come up most often, with the conditions each must meet to carry its name, taken from the primary sources. Sex, how the place of origin is defined, age and grading: each brand regulates a different combination of these.

At a glance

	Set	Not set
Sex	Matsusaka Ushi Kobe Beef Yonezawa Gyu	Omi Beef
How the place is defined	Matsusaka Ushi Kobe Beef Omi Beef Yonezawa Gyu	—
Age	Kobe Beef Yonezawa Gyu	Matsusaka Ushi Omi Beef
Grading	Kobe Beef Yonezawa Gyu	Matsusaka Ushi Omi Beef

Sex

Matsusaka Ushi	heifers (never calved)
Kobe Beef	heifers (never calved), steers
Omi Beef	No condition on sex
Yonezawa Gyu	heifers (never calved)

How the place is defined

Matsusaka Ushi	Brought into the Matsusaka production area (22 former municipalities) by 12 months of age and fattened longest and last there
Kobe Beef	Fattened in Hyogo Prefecture
Omi Beef	Raised longest in, and finished in, Shiga Prefecture
Yonezawa Gyu	Raised longest in, and finished in, Okitama region (Yonezawa, Nan'yo, Nagai, Takahata, Kawanishi, Iide, Shirataka, Oguni)

Age

Matsusaka Ushi	Not set (no such requirement in the source)
Kobe Beef	28 months of age or older; 60 months or younger
Omi Beef	Not set (no such requirement in the source)
Yonezawa Gyu	33 months of age or older

Grading

Matsusaka Ushi	Not set (no such requirement in the source)
Kobe Beef	Meat quality grade 4 or higher; yield grade A or B; BMS No. 6 or higher
Omi Beef	Not set (no such requirement in the source)
Yonezawa Gyu	Meat quality grade 3 or higher

Other conditions

Matsusaka Ushi	Registered in the Matsusaka Ushi individual identification system
Kobe Beef	Carcass weight: heifers 270–499.9 kg, steers 300–499.9 kg Slaughtered at the same six meat centers in Hyogo as Tajima Beef
Omi Beef	Fattened according to the Omi Beef feeding manual; rice straw as the main roughage from mid-fattening
Yonezawa Gyu	Not set (no such requirement in the source)

Matsusaka has two definitions

What is registered as a Geographical Indication is "Tokusan Matsusaka Ushi", a separate definition from the Matsusaka Ushi above (defined by Matsusaka City). Its conditions are:

Japanese Black females born in Hyogo, brought in by 12 months of age
Fattened for at least 900 days (to 38 months of age or older)
Slaughtered at Mie Prefecture Matsusaka Meat Corporation or Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market (Meat)

Tokusan Matsusaka Ushi →

Kobe beef and Tajima beef

Kobe beef comes from Tajima cattle, and Tajima beef is itself a registered Geographical Indication. Their grading conditions compare as follows:

Kobe Beef	Meat quality grade 4 or higher; yield grade A or B; BMS No. 6 or higher
Tajima Beef	Meat quality grade 2 or higher; yield grade A or B

Where to try them Ad

Matsusaka Ushi

Kobe Beef

Omi Beef

Yonezawa Gyu

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Sources

松阪牛の定義 — Matsusaka City ・ Primary source ・ Accessed 2026-09-18
地理的表示登録番号第3号「神戸ビーフ」明細書 — Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (GI) ・ Primary source ・ Accessed 2026-09-18
地理的表示登録番号第56号「近江牛」明細書 — Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (GI) ・ Primary source ・ Accessed 2026-09-18
地理的表示登録番号第26号「米沢牛」明細書 — Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (GI) ・ Primary source ・ Accessed 2026-09-18
地理的表示登録番号第25号「特産松阪牛」明細書 — Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (GI) ・ Primary source ・ Accessed 2026-09-18
地理的表示登録番号第2号「但馬牛」明細書 — Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (GI) ・ Primary source ・ Accessed 2026-09-18

Compare brands from this guide side by side → ・ Find brands by their rules →

The sources for each brand's conditions are listed on its brand page.