What makes a Japanese pork brand? We counted the rules of 38 brands

How many brands set each condition

• Breed25 / 38
• Where it must be raised22 / 38
• Age at shipment3 / 38
• Feed29 / 38
• Grading8 / 38

Brands that require a grade

Pork carcasses are graded by the Japan Meat Grading Association into five grades: Gokujō, Jō, Chū, Nami and Tōgai. Some brands require grading without naming a minimum grade. Pork grading (pork carcass standard) →

• Hitachi no Kagayaki — Under the production and distribution manual, member distributors check meat quality and only pork at or above the set grade qualifies (the grade is not published)
• Noto Pork — Graded by the Japan Meat Grading Association (no minimum grade is set)
• Fukui Pork — “Jō” (上) or higher under the pork carcass standard
• Mino Healthy Pork — Graded Gokujō, Jō or Chū in the Japan Meat Grading Association's carcass grading
• Kyoto Pork — Japan Meat Grading standard: “Jō”, “Chū” or “Nami” (上・中・並)
• Okayama Kurobuta Pork — Graded by a Japan Meat Grading Association grader (no minimum grade is set)
• Kome no Megumi Pork — Graded “Chū” (中) or higher by the Japan Meat Grading Association
• Miyazaki Brand Pork — Graded “Chū” (中) or higher by the Japan Meat Grading Association

Brands that set an age at shipment

• Kyoto Pork — Shipped at 180 days of age or older
• Kyo no Mochibuta Pork — Fattened for at least 180 days from birth
• Kagoshima Kurobuta — Shipped at roughly 230 to 270 days of age (the council lists this as one of its production standards)

Brands with a single condition

For these brands, the source sets only one of the five conditions (not counting other conditions).

• Hachimantai Pork — Where it must be raised
• Tsumari Pork — Where it must be raised
• Shinshu Pork — Where it must be raised
• Wakakusu Pork — Where it must be raised
• Kumamoto no Rindo Pork — Feed
• Agu Pork — Breed
• Okinawa Agu Brand Pork — Breed

No pork in the GI register

Unlike beef and chicken, the Ministry of Agriculture's Geographical Indication register lists no Japanese pork (register as of 10 July 2026, checked 12 October 2026). Pork brands are therefore defined by councils, prefectures and agricultural cooperatives, or by regional collective trademarks. Hachimantai Pork was described as the only pork regional collective trademark in Japan when it was registered.

Sources: 地理的表示 登録産品一覧 — Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (GI) ・ Accessed 2026-10-12、「八幡平ポーク」が地域団体商標に登録されました — Akita Federation of Small Business Associations ・ Accessed 2026-10-06

How we counted

"Sets a condition" means the brand's source states it as a requirement. Descriptive phrases such as "about seven months" are not counted. We counted five items — breed, where raised, age at shipment, feed and grade — and left "other conditions" out.