Niku Meikannikumeikan.jp Japan's regional beef, jidori chicken and pork brands — what each one legally is, with sources
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Same body, different brands: how 31 Japanese meat brands from 13 bodies differ

A single council or agricultural cooperative sometimes issues several brands with different conditions. In this guide, 13 bodies issue 31 brands between them. Their conditions are set side by side below, body by body. There are also 12 pairs where one brand is part of another, or comes from another brand's cattle.

Brands by issuing body

The managing body is the one shown on each brand page, and each condition sentence is the same as the opening sentence of that brand page.

Iwate Beef Promotion Council (2)

  • Iwate Beef: Requirements for Iwate Beef: breed — Japanese Black; where raised — raised longest in, and finished in, Iwate Prefecture; grade — quality grade 3 or higher and yield grade B or higher. Also: shipped through a member organisation of the council. Not specified: age.
  • Iwate Tankaku Wagyu: Requirements for Iwate Tankaku Wagyu: breed — Japanese Shorthorn; where raised — raised longest in, and finished in, Iwate Prefecture; grade — meat quality grade 2 or higher. Not specified: age.

JA Zen-Noh Tochigi (2)

  • Tochigi Kirifuri Kogen Beef: Requirements for Tochigi Kirifuri Kogen Beef: breed — Crossbred (Japanese Black × Holstein). Also: designated producers feed a designated feed developed by Higashi-Nihon Kumiai Shiryo. Not specified: where raised, age, grade.
  • Tochigi Yume Pork: Requirements for Tochigi Yume Pork: where raised — designated farms in Tochigi Prefecture; feed — A designated feed developed by Higashi-Nihon Kumiai Shiryo, with more barley/wheat than usual. Not specified: breed, age at shipment, grade.

Gunma Meat Quality Improvement Council (3)

  • Joshu Beef: 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.
  • Joshu Mugibuta: Requirements for Joshu Mugibuta: breed — Three-way cross (Landrace × Large Yorkshire × Duroc); where raised — maebashi, Tomioka, Fujioka, Shibukawa, Shinto, Higashiagatsuma, Ueno, Yoshioka and Kanra; feed — A dedicated finishing feed with no animal-derived ingredients and a high share of barley/wheat in the grain. Also: A unified brand name for planned production by contract farms, made up of five component brands: Akagi Pork, Agatsuma Mugibuta, Joshu Mugi Sodachi, Akagi Kogen Buta and Gunma Mugibuta. Not specified: age at shipment, grade.
  • Joshu Wagyu: Requirements for Joshu Wagyu: breed — Japanese Black; grade — meat quality grade 2 or higher. Also: slaughtered at Gunma Prefecture Meat Wholesale Market. Not specified: where raised, age.

Niigata Wagyu Promotion Council (2)

  • Niigata Wagyu: Requirements for Niigata Wagyu: breed — Japanese Black (steers, heifers (never calved)); where raised — fattened in Niigata and raised longest in Niigata; grade — meat quality grade 3 or higher; yield grade A or B. Also: movement history verifiable in the national cattle traceability system. Not specified: age.
  • Murakami Beef: Requirements for Murakami Beef: breed — Japanese Black (steers, heifers (never calved)); where raised — fattened in Murakami, Sekikawa or Tainai (and, as Niigata Wagyu, fattened in Niigata with Niigata as the longest place of rearing); grade — meat quality grade 4 or higher; yield grade A or B. Also: movement history verifiable in the national cattle traceability system (a Niigata Wagyu requirement). Not specified: age.

Chita Beef Cattle Group (2)

  • Chita Beef Hibiki: Requirements for Chita Beef Hibiki: breed — Crossbred (Japanese Black × Holstein); where raised — fattened within the area for at least a year; age — 22 months of age or older. Not specified: grade.
  • Chita Wagyu Homare: Requirements for Chita Wagyu Homare: breed — Japanese Black; where raised — fattened within the area for at least a year; age — 24 months of age or older; grade — meat quality grade 3 or higher.

Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association (2)

  • Kobe Beef: Requirements for Kobe Beef: breed — Japanese Black (heifers (never calved), steers); where raised — fattened in Hyogo Prefecture; age — 28 months of age or older; 60 months or younger; grade — meat quality grade 4 or higher; yield grade A or B; BMS No. 6 or higher. Also: carcass weight: heifers 270–499.9 kg, steers 300–499.9 kg; Slaughtered at the same six meat centers in Hyogo as Tajima Beef.
  • Tajima Beef: Requirements for Tajima Beef: breed — Japanese Black (females, steers); where raised — fattened in Hyogo Prefecture; age — 28 months of age or older; 60 months or younger; grade — meat quality grade 2 or higher; yield grade A or B. Also: slaughtered at one of six meat centers in Hyogo (Kobe, Kakogawa, Himeji, Nishinomiya, Sanda, Tajima).

Tottori Beef Sales Council (4)

  • Tottori F1: Requirements for Tottori F1: breed — Crossbred (Japanese Black × Holstein); where raised — fattened in Tottori Prefecture; grade — meat quality grade 2 or higher. Not specified: age.
  • Tottori Gyu: Requirements for Tottori Gyu: breed — Holstein; where raised — fattened in Tottori Prefecture; grade — meat quality grade 2 or higher. Not specified: age.
  • Tottori Wagyu: Requirements for Tottori Wagyu: breed — Japanese Black; where raised — fattened in Tottori Prefecture; grade — meat quality grade 3 or higher. Not specified: age.
  • Tottori Wagyu Olein 55: Requirements for Tottori Wagyu Olein 55: breed — Japanese Black; where raised — raised longest in Tottori Prefecture; grade — meat quality grade 4 or higher; BMS No. 6 or higher. Also: oleic acid 55% or higher, measured on the carcass; Excludes BCS 5+, BFS 4+, yield grade C, and carcasses with defects. Not specified: age.

Sanuki Beef & Olive-fed Wagyu Promotion Association (2)

  • Olive-fed Wagyu Beef: Requirements for Olive-fed Wagyu Beef: breed — Japanese Black. Also: fed the olive feed specified by the Sanuki Beef brand council; The feeding manual specifies 100 g a day for the 2 months before shipment (per the association's history article). Not specified: where raised, age, grade.
  • Sanuki Beef: Requirements for Sanuki Beef: breed — Japanese Black; where raised — raised in Kagawa Prefecture; grade — yield A/B with quality 5 or 4 (gold label) or 3 (silver label). Not specified: age.

JA Zen-Noh Ehime (2)

  • Iyo Beef Kinu no Aji: Requirements for Iyo Beef Kinu no Aji: breed — Japanese Black; grade — meat quality grade 2 or higher. Also: processed at a designated meat centre in the prefecture. Not specified: where raised, age.
  • Fureai Hime Pork: Requirements for Fureai Hime Pork: breed — Three-way cross (breeds not named); feed — A JA-group feed made for the brand, blended with wheat and Ehime mandarin components. Also: managed under the pig-farming manual “Yoton Monogatari”; Slaughtered at a meat centre with modern facilities. Not specified: where raised, age at shipment, grade.

Tosa Wagyu Brand Promotion Council (3)

  • Tosa Akaushi: Requirements for Tosa Akaushi: breed — Japanese Brown; where raised — produced in Kochi (the beef is sold as Kochi-produced Japanese Brown under the Tosa Wagyu name “Tosa Akaushi”). Not specified: age, grade.
  • Tosa Rouge Beef: Requirements for Tosa Rouge Beef: breed — Japanese Brown; age — at least 28 months of age guaranteed (29 months or older recommended); grade — carcasses graded A3 or A2 under the national carcass standard, re-assessed on the TRB scale (13 first-stage and 11 second-stage items) and judged R5 (better) or R4 (good). Also: only carcasses stamped with the TRB certification mark and the brand mark are sold under the name. Not specified: where raised.
  • Tosa Wagyu: Requirements for Tosa Wagyu: breed — Wagyu (breed not specified); where raised — fattened in Kochi Prefecture. Not specified: age, grade.

Kumamoto Prefecture Beef Consumption Promotion Council (2)

  • Kumamoto Akaushi: Requirements for Kumamoto Akaushi: breed — Japanese Brown (steers, heifers (never calved)); where raised — raised longest in, and finished in, Kumamoto Prefecture; age — fattened for at least 12 months; grade — quality grade 2 or higher (generally 4 or lower).
  • Kumamoto Kuroge Wagyu: Requirements for Kumamoto Kuroge Wagyu: breed — Japanese Black (steers, heifers (never calved)); where raised — raised longest in, and finished in, Kumamoto Prefecture; age — fattened for at least 12 months; grade — meat quality grade 3 or higher.

Oita Bungo Beef Distribution Promotion Council (2)

  • Oita Bungo Beef: Requirements for Oita Bungo Beef: breed — Japanese Black (heifers (never calved), males); where raised — raised longest in Oita Prefecture. Not specified: age, grade.
  • Oita Wagyu: Requirements for Oita Wagyu: breed — Japanese Black (heifers (never calved), males); grade — meat quality grade 4 or higher. Also: raised on designated farms fed rice, brewer's grains and similar. Not specified: where raised, age.

Kagoshima Prefecture Jidori Promotion Council (3)

  • Kuro Satsuma-dori: Requirements for Kuro Satsuma-dori: breed — Satsuma-dori cross; where raised — within Kagoshima Prefecture, produced only by members of the prefectural jidori council (no municipality is named); rearing period — reared for an average of at least 105 days; no floor figure is published. Also: the council states that the brand meets every part of the JAS definition of jidori: at least 50% native-breed blood, at least 75 days of rearing, floor housing from 28 days of age, and no more than 10 birds per m²; The producer must belong to the council, be able to ship at least 1,000 birds a year, keep no other breed after the chicks arrive, and not breed from the jidori. Not specified: housing.
  • Satsuma Jidori: Requirements for Satsuma Jidori: breed — Satsuma-dori cross; where raised — within Kagoshima Prefecture, produced only by members of the prefectural jidori council (no municipality is named); rearing period — 120 to 150 days. Also: the council states that the brand meets every part of the JAS definition of jidori: at least 50% native-breed blood, at least 75 days of rearing, floor housing from 28 days of age, and no more than 10 birds per m²; The producer must belong to the council, be able to ship at least 1,000 birds a year, keep no other breed after the chicks arrive, and not breed from the jidori. Not specified: housing.
  • Satsuma Wakashamo: Requirements for Satsuma Wakashamo: breed — Satsuma-dori cross; where raised — raised on designated farms within Kagoshima Prefecture; rearing period — at least 75 days from hatching; housing — floor housing for the whole period; from 28 days of age, 10 birds per m² or fewer. Also: feed is made at JA group feed mills and supplied to the farms; The council states that the brand meets every part of the JAS definition of jidori: at least 50% native-breed blood, at least 75 days of rearing, floor housing from 28 days of age, and no more than 10 birds per m²; The producer must belong to the council, be able to ship at least 1,000 birds a year, keep no other breed after the chicks arrive, and not breed from the jidori.

Brands that are part of another brand

Pairs where the source says one brand is the part of another brand that meets further conditions, or uses another brand's cattle as its source.

How we counted

We grouped brands in this guide that list the same managing body. Brands not in this guide are not included, even if the same body issues them.

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