Heifers, steers, or anything? The sex rules of 100 Japanese beef brands

The terms

A heifer is a female that has never calved; a steer is a castrated male. Brands that say only "females" do not limit it to heifers.

How the brands break down

• heifers (never calved)4 brands

  Yonezawa Gyu・Iga Beef・Matsusaka Ushi・Oki Beef

• females2 brands

  Shizuoka Sodachi・Tokusan Matsusaka Ushi

• heifers (never calved), steers16 brands

  Shiraoi Beef・Yamagata Beef・Hayama Beef・Niigata Wagyu・Murakami Beef・Shinshu Premium Beef・Kobe Beef・Kumano Beef・Shimane Wagyu・Jinseki Beef・Hiba Gyu・Hiroshima Beef・Kumamoto Akaushi・Kumamoto Kuroge Wagyu・Kagoshima Wagyu・Ishigaki Beef

• females, steers2 brands

  Hakkoda Beef・Tajima Beef

• males3 brands

  Shikaoi Beef・Shihoro Beef・Tokachi Wakaushi

• heifers (never calved), males2 brands

  Oita Bungo Beef・Oita Wagyu

• No condition on sex71 brands

  Biratori Wagyu・Furano Daichi Wagyu・Aomori Towadako Wagyu・Iwate Beef・Iwate Tankaku Wagyu・Maesawa Beef・Sendai Beef・Akita Beef・Akita Yuri Beef・Kazuno Beef・Mitsunashi Beef・Fukushima Beef・Hitachiwagyu Beef・Utsunomiya Beef・Tochigi Kirifuri Kogen Beef・Tochigi Wagyu・Nasu Wagyu・Joshu Beef・Joshu Wagyu・Yokohama Beef・Koshu Beef・Toyama Wagyu Sake Lees Finished Beef・Noto Beef・Wakasa Beef・Minami Shinshu Beef・Hida Beef・Enshu Yumesaki Beef・Atsumi Beef・Kuroshio Beef・Tahara Beef・Chita Beef Hibiki・Chita Wagyu Homare・Horai Beef・Mikawa Beef・Omi Beef・Kameoka Beef・Kyoto Beef・Kyo no Niku・Awaji Beef・Kakogawa Wagyu・Kurodasho Wagyu・Sanda Beef・Tambasasayama Beef・Kishu Waka Beef・Tohaku Wagyu・Tottori F1・Tottori Gyu・Tottori Wagyu・Tottori Wagyu Olein 55・Okuizumo Wagyu・Okayama Wagyu・Chiya Beef・Tsuyama Wagyu・Bichu Beef・Yamaguchi Wagyu Kirameki・Awa Beef・Tokushima Mitsuboshi Beef・Olive-fed Wagyu Beef・Sanuki Beef・Iyo Beef Kinu no Aji・Tosa Akaushi・Tosa Rouge Beef・Tosa Wagyu・Hakata Wagyu・Saga Beef・Nagasaki Wagyu・Amakusa Kuroushi・Takachiho Beef・Miyakonojo Wagyu・Miyazaki Beef・Miyazaki Herb Beef

A rule that differs by sex

Awaji Beef does not restrict sex as such, but it sets separate carcass-weight thresholds for steers and for heifers.

• Carcass weight: steers 330 kg+, heifers 280 kg+

Awaji Beef →

Males: the Holstein brands

The brands that call for males are those raising Holsteins, a dairy breed, for beef.

• Shikaoi Beef: Dairy breed (Only dairy bull calves born in Shikaoi (crossbreds included))
• Shihoro Beef: Holstein
• Tokachi Wakaushi: Holstein (Some infertile freemartin females are included)

How we counted

"No condition on sex" means we re-read each brand's source (the GI specification or the definition published by its council or prefecture) and found no mention of sex (checked 28 September 2026). Mentions of cows and bulls in descriptions of the parent stock are not conditions on the animal sold, so they are not counted. Some sources are introductory pages published by a prefecture or association, so a condition on sex in unpublished rules cannot be ruled out.