Hitachi no Kagayaki
常陸の輝き Ibaraki
English name: Hitachi no Kagayaki — no official English name found, so romanised by this site.
Requirements for Hitachi no Kagayaki: breed — Three-way cross (Landrace × Large Yorkshire × Duroc); feed — A dedicated feed developed by the prefecture, producers and a feed maker, fed for at least 55 days before shipment in the late fattening period; grade — 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). Also: at least once a year, meat analysis and tasting confirm, among other things, that average intramuscular fat in the loin is about 4.0% or more. Not specified: where raised, age at shipment.
Definition — what qualifies
| Breed | Three-way cross (Landrace × Large Yorkshire × Duroc) A three-way cross: Landrace × Large Yorkshire sows mated with “Rose D-1”, a Duroc line selected by the Ibaraki Livestock Research Center Sources: [P059] |
|---|---|
| Where it must be raised |
Not set (no such requirement in the source) |
| Age at shipment |
Not set (no such requirement in the source) |
| Feed | A dedicated feed developed by the prefecture, producers and a feed maker, fed for at least 55 days before shipment in the late fattening period Sources: [P059] |
| Grading | 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) Sources: [P059] |
| Other conditions |
At least once a year, meat analysis and tasting confirm, among other things, that average intramuscular fat in the loin is about 4.0% or more [P059] |
Pork is graded under the Japan Meat Grading Association’s pork carcass standard, in five grades: Gokujō (極上), Jō (上), Chū (中), Nami (並) and Tōgai (等外, substandard). The same standard applies regardless of breed, age or sex. Pork grading (pork carcass standard) →
The council defines the brand by pedigree, dedicated feed and quality, and says only pork that meets all of them is sold as Hitachi no Kagayaki. The page does not say which grade the “set grade” is. The 4.0% intramuscular fat is written as “roughly, on average”, not a per-pig condition.
Compared with other brands
25 pork brands set a breed condition and 13 do not. 29 of the 38 pork brands set a feed condition. Only 8 of the 38 pork brands set a grade condition. Hitachi no Kagayaki sets breed, feed and grade conditions.
This guide lists 4 brands from Ibaraki (also Okukuji Shamo Chicken, Hitachiwagyu Beef and Rose Pork). By prefecture →
Compare this brand side by side with others → ・ Find brands by their rules →
Counts cover only the brands in this guide.
Guides
Managed by
- Managed by
- Hitachi no Kagayaki Promotion Council
- Official site
- https://ibaraki.lin.gr.jp/hitachinokagayaki/
Other brands from Ibaraki
- Okukuji Shamo ChickenJidori and branded chicken
- Hitachiwagyu BeefBeef brands
- Rose PorkPork 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
- [P059] 『常陸の輝き』とは（定義） — Hitachi no Kagayaki Promotion Council ・ Primary source ・ Accessed 2026-10-06