Japan #1 Cattle Breeds

1-The Japanese Black (aka 黒毛和種 and Kuroge Washu in Japanese) is a derived breed with European blood. The coat color is dull brown to blackish. Despite their history of crossbreeding, the Japanese Black is still a Turano-Mongolian type with a compact well-developed body, short neck, and fine legs. Before continuing, please read the following language lesson for the use of the word ‘wagyu’: Nippon = Japan Nipponese = Japanese ushi = cow wa = of, in reference to (The word ‘wa’ is an abstract that cannot be directly translated into English; generally, ‘wa’ is a transition word used to connect phrases, words or ideas.) shu = species washu = of, in reference to species gyu = cattle wagyu = of, in reference to cattle (how the Japanese refer to their cattle in general) 'Wagyu’, as a singular breed name, is used only outside of Japan and refers to cattle that have originated from physical exports and sperm of the Japanese Black and Japanese Brown; they can be purebreds, but they are not full bloods. The history of the Japanese Black is as follows: 1868 - Importation begins of several West European breeds – Devon, Shorthorn, Jersey, Guernsey. This starts a haphazard upgrading of most Japanese cattle. 1871 - Emperor Meiji legalizes the profession of butcher/leather worker. 1882 - Emperor Meiji withdraws an act which had banned the consumption of meat. 1898 - A herdbook is established for cattle in the Tajima Province. 1900 - The government initiates planned crossbreeding of selected Japanese cattle with Devon, Shorthorn, and Swiss Brown bulls. The F1 and F2 offspring of the native Japanese cows are bred inter-se (i.e. with each other). [see Crossbreeding Example below] This type of crossing is then continued across the population with Simmental, Brown Swiss and Ayrshire also added into the mix. 1911 - Crossbreeding with Devon, Swiss Brown and Brown Swiss is discontinued in the Hyogo prefecture where the Tajima strain is located. 1912 - The crossbred cattle destined to be the Japanese Black are being called Nipponese Improved (aka Japanese Improved; Kairyo-Washu, Kairyō, 改良). 1918 - Government registration begins for Nipponese Improved cattle. 1919 - The Nipponese Improved is officially recognized. 1921 - A standard body type for the Nipponese Improved is achieved. 1944 - The breed name Nipponese Improved is discontinued and the Japanese Black is officially recognized. 1950 - Japanese Black males, which until this time were only used for work and bullfighting, are starting to be selected for their beef qualities. 1980 - The Japanese Black develops local subpopulations (i.e. production types) established within various prefectures (i.e. districts). The most consistent are: • Hyogo prefecture - carcass quality (strain: Tajima) • Tottori prefecture - larger body size (from crossing with Brown Swiss) • Shimane prefecture - carcass quality and larger body size (from crossing with Devon) 1999 - The Japanese Black accounts for 93% of all beef cattle in Japan. 2012 - All current Tajima cattle are found to be descendants of a single bull named ‘Tajiri’ (1939–1958); a National Wagyu Registry Association survey finds that 9% of Japanese Black breeding female cattle are descendants of ‘Tajiri’. Production Methods: A lot of fuss has been made in articles and reference books about beer and massage being used for the Japanese Black. As of 2017, the internet now provides many websites (with pictures) perpetuating this as being either a fun/promotional story or factual. Here are examples from two brands: Matsusaka beef “When a cow has no appetite, there are farmers who have them drink beer to improve appetite and massage them with soju [a Korean alcoholic drink] in order to soften meat quality.” (city..mie The cows are fed beer to increase their appetites and raised with intense care, sometimes even receiving individual massages.” (jnto.go.jp) Ozaki beef “The feed for the cattle is mixed every morning and evening during an extremely labour-intensive process lasting two hours. It comprises 15 kinds of feed, such as grass from the meadow, moist barley mash (a by-product of beer brewing), maize, barley, and so forth, with no preservatives or antibiotics whatsoever.” (wagyu-master.eu) Facts about the Tajima strain: • Tajima beef is distributed as: Tajima beef, Kobe beef. [Tajima used to be a province in what is now the Hyogo Prefecture in the Kansai Region. The Kansai Region is in southwestern Honshu, the main island of Japan. Kobe is a the capital city in the Hyogo Prefecture. The Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association is located in Kobe. ‘Kobe’ became the primary name for beef from Tajima cattle because all Kansai beef is distributed through the city of Kobe.] • Tajima bulls are also used for: Matsusaka beef (Mie prefecture), Omi/Ohmi beef (Shiga prefecture). • Tajima bulls are also used for upgrading: Maezawa beef (Iwate prefecture), Sendai beef (Miyagi prefecture), Hida beef (Gifu prefecture), Saga beef (Saga prefecture). Remember: • Kobe Beef (and most Japanese beef) is the heavily-marbled beef of the Japanese Black. • ‘Kobe’ is not a cattle breed name in Japan. It is, however, used as a local breed name in the USA. • In Japan, the word ‘wagyu’ encompasses all the cattle breeds in Japan. 2- Japanese Brown The Japanese Brown (Japanese: 褐毛和種, Akage Washu or 赤牛, Aka Ushi) is a breed of small Japanese beef cattle. It is one of six native Japanese cattle breeds,and one of the four Japanese breeds known as wagyū, the others being the Japanese Black, the Japanese Polled and the Japanese Shorthorn. All wagyū cattle derive from cross-breeding in the early twentieth century of native Japanese cattle with imported stock, mostly from Europe. In the case of the Japanese Brown, the principal foreign influence was from the Korean Hanwoo and Swiss Simmental breeds.Japanese Brown 10th Wagyukyoshinkai Shinsa, Japanese Brown Japanese Brown (foreground) at a wagyū show in Sasebo, Nagasaki Conservation status FAO (2007): not at risk Other names Japanese: 褐毛和種 Akage Washu Akaushi Country of origin Japan Distribution Kōchi Prefecture, Shikoku Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu Use meat Traits Coat brown Horn status horned in both sexes Cattle Bos primigenius History Cattle were brought to Japan from China at the same time as the cultivation of rice, in about the second century AD, in the Yayoi period. Until about the time of the Meiji Restoration in 1868, they were used only as draught animals, in agriculture, forestry, mining and for transport, and as a source of fertiliser. Milk consumption was unknown, and – for cultural and religious reasons – meat was not eaten. Cattle were highly prized and valuable, too expensive for a poor farmer to buy. Japan was effectively isolated from the rest of the world from 1635 until 1854; there was no possibility of intromission of foreign genes to the cattle population during this time. Between 1868, the year of the Meiji Restoration, and 1887, some 2600 foreign cattle were imported. At first there was little interest in cross-breeding these with native stock, but from about 1900 it became widespread. It ceased abruptly in 1910, when it was realised that, while the cross-breeds might be larger and have better dairy qualities, their working capacity and meat quality was lower. From 1919, the various heterogeneous regional populations that resulted from this brief period of cross-breeding were registered and selected as "Improved Japanese Cattle". Four separate strains were characterised, based mainly on which type of foreign cattle had most influenced the hybrids, and were recognised as breeds in 1944. These were the four wagyū breeds, the Japanese Brown, the Japanese Black, the Japanese Polled and the Japanese Shorthorn. The Japanese Brown developed in southern Japan, in Kōchi Prefecture on Shikoku island, and in Kumamoto Prefecture on Kyushu island. The principal foreign influences on the breed were from the British Devon, Korean Hanwoo and Swiss Simmental cattle breeds.[4]:8 In 1960 the total breed population was reported to be over 525 000.[4]:23 In 1978 it was reported as 72 000, and in 2008 it was 18 672.[1] The Japanese Brown constitutes about 4.8% of the national beef herd.[6]:17 The conservation status of the Japanese Brown was listed by the FAO as "not at risk" in 2007.[7]:71 A small number were exported to the United States in 1994.[8] Characteristics Edit Japanese Brown cattle in Kōchi Prefecture are reddish-brown, while those in Kumamoto Prefecture are light brown; both sexes are horned. 3-The Japanese Poll (aka Japanese Polled; 無角和種 and Mukaku Washu in Japanese) began as a cross between Japanese Native cows and Aberdeen-Angus bulls. The Japanese Poll was officially recognized as a breed in 1944. 4-Kuchinoshima wild cattle (aka 口之島牛 and Kuchinoshima-Ushi and Kuchino-shima Gyu in Japanese) is one of the two breeds considered to be authentic to Japan. Originally domesticated, Kuchinoshima cattle became wild after escaping from farms in 1918. 5-The Kumamoto (aka Japanese Red; 熊本種 and Akage Washu in Japanese) is a strain of the Japanese Brown that started from imported Korean cattle and was later crossed with the Devon and, especially, the Simmental. The two strains of the Japanese Brown are: the Kochi the Kumamoto 6-The Mishima (aka 見島種 and Mishima ushi in Japanese) is an authentic breed from Mishima island and is also one of the remaining strains of the original cattle of Japan which are known as the Japanese Native. Japanese Native cattle were originally Turano-Mongolian cattle, most probably imported from Korea. 7-The Nihon Tankaku Shu (aka 日本短角種; Japanese Shorthorn in English) began witNambu cows of Honshu being crossed with imported Beef Shorthorn bulls after 1917. 8-The Japanese Shorthorn (Japanese: 日本短角種, Nihon Tankaku Washu) is a breed of small Japanese beef cattle. It is one of six native Japanese cattle breeds, and one of the four Japanese breeds known as wagyū, the others being the Japanese Black, the Japanese Brown and the Japanese Polled. All wagyū cattle derive from cross-breeding in the early twentieth century of native Japanese cattle with imported stock, mostly from Europe. In the case of the Japanese Shorthorn, the principal foreign influence was from the Shorthorn, with some contribution from the Ayrshire and Devon breeds. Japanese Shorthorn Conservation status FAO (2007): not at risk Other names Japanese: 日本短角種 Nihon Tankaku Washu Country of origin Japan Distribution northern Honshu Hokkaido Use meat Traits Coat red, roan, or red-pied Horn status horned in both sexes Cattle Bos primigenius History I Cattle were brought to Japan from China at the same time as the cultivation of rice, in about the second century AD, in the Yayoi period. Until about the time of the Meiji Restoration in 1868, they were used only as draught animals, in agriculture, forestry, mining and for transport, and as a source of fertiliser. Milk consumption was unknown, and – for cultural and religious reasons – meat was not eaten. Cattle were highly prized and valuable, too expensive for a poor farmer to buy. Japan was effectively isolated from the rest of the world from 1635 until 1854; there was no possibility of intromission of foreign genes to the cattle population during this time. Between 1868, the year of the Meiji Restoration, and 1887, some 2600 foreign cattle were imported. At first there was little interest in cross-breeding these with native stock, but from about 1900 it became widespread. It ceased abruptly in 1910, when it was realised that, while the cross-breeds might be larger and have better dairy qualities, their working capacity and meat quality was lower. From 1919, the various heterogeneous regional populations that resulted from this brief period of cross-breeding were registered and selected as "Improved Japanese Cattle". Four separate strains were characterised, based mainly on which type of foreign cattle had most influenced the hybrids, and were recognised as breeds in 1944. These were the four wagyū breeds, the Japanese Shorthorn, the Japanese Black, the Japanese Brown and the Japanese Polled. The Japanese Shorthorn developed in the northernmost part of Honshu, in the prefectures of Akita, Aomori and Iwate. In Aomori and Iwate, the only foreign influence was from British Shorthorn cattle, while in Akita Prefecture there was also some admixture of Ayrshire and Devon, also British breeds. The Japanese Shorthorn is distributed in northern Honshu, and also in Hokkaido. It was listed by the FAO as "not at risk" in 2007.In 2008 the total population was reported to be about 4500.The Japanese Shorthorn constitutes about 1.2% of the beef cattle herd of Japan. Characteristics The coat of the Japanese Shorthorn may be red, roan, or red-pied; both sexes are horned. The Japanese Shorthorn is raised only for beef. The meat has less marbling than that of the Japanese Black, and so commands a lower market price.