Omi Wagyu, the oldest beef in Japan, and Saga Beef, the pride of Saga Prefecture

Omi Wagyu, the oldest beef in Japan and the pride of Shiga Prefecture

●Omi beef is the oldest brand beef in Japan with a 400-year history [Omi beef].
Omi beef is said to have been offered to the Shogun’s family as a luxury edible Wagyu beef since the Genroku era (1688-1704), and was served to the Shogun’s family in Edo (present-day Tokyo). It is the “oldest brand beef in Japan” and has been presented to the Shoguns and the Gosanke in Edo for medicinal purposes, and has been selected as the Imperial Household Agency’s official beef from the Meiji period to the present.
It was also presented to the Shogun and the three Tokugawa families as a “curative medicine” called “Henpongan” in the Edo period.
It is said to have been on the Shogun’s diet many times, even as times changed, and the effects of the meat are said to have contributed to his longevity. The care and attention given to the cattle, the good fertilizers produced in a favorable environment, and the passion and love for the cattle have improved the quality of the meat and nurtured a taste refined by wisdom.
Of the three well-known meat brands, Matsuzaka beef was first introduced to the market in the Taisho era (1912), and Kobe beef was first shipped to foreigners at the opening of the port of Yokohama in the late Edo era (1859), making Omi beef by far the oldest of the three brands.
Omi beef is the Japanese black cattle breed that has been raised the longest in Shiga Prefecture, and was recognized by the Japan Patent Office as a regional brand of beef, and registered as a regional collective trademark (character trademark) on May 11, 2007. (Trademark registration No. 5044958)

The Attractiveness of Omi Beef
Omi beef” is an expression of Shiga’s scenic beauty. Omi beef has the longest history and tradition among the three Japanese beef breeds, and is known for its supreme quality.
Omi beef has a low melting point of fat that melts on the human skin, bringing a melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness and a rich flavor that will remain in your memory. Its fine texture, light yet tender texture, and mellow aroma have long been favored by people of all ages and nationalities.

The finest Wagyu beef that Saga Prefecture is proud of

Saga Beef® is renowned as one of the top black Wagyu beef among the many brands of beef in Japan.
It is nurtured on fertile land and by the outstanding skills and love of its fattening farmers, and its marble-like marbling is known as “glaze.
The meat has a fine texture with concentrated flavor and sweetness, and the fat is juicy and tender.
Its premium flavor has captivated gourmets around the world.

Unique to Saga
Blessings of Nature
Saga Prefecture, with the Sefuri-sankei mountain range to the north and Taradake to the southwest, provides the perfect environment for raising delicate black Wagyu beef. Saga Prefecture is blessed with a gentle nature that nurtures Wagyu black cattle, including natural water of such high quality that it has been selected as one of the “100 best waters” and an abundance of wild grasses. There are approximately 200 fattening farms raising Saga Beef® in this vast land. Although both the number of households and the number of head of cattle are decreasing, the number of head per household is on the rise, and large-scale farmers are rapidly expanding their operations. Cattle are carefully raised under the meticulous management of fattening farmers with outstanding feeding techniques.

The passion of the fattening farmers who have built up the “highest quality” of cattle,
The passion of our fattening farmers
Saga Beef® is the highest grade of Japanese black beef produced in Saga Prefecture. Of the more than 16,000 head of Wagyu shipped annually, only about 75% are classified as Saga Beef®. The high level of fattening technology is the result of many years of effort accumulated by our predecessors. The careful raising of Saga Beef® with these techniques by fattening farmers has succeeded in establishing its status as a top-class brand of beef that is prized throughout the country. The passion for improving meat quality has been passed on to younger successors, who continue to make continuous improvements in feed formulation and feeding methods, as well as in detailed health management.

Click here for the Saga Prefecture Products Distribution and Design Corporation website.

For inquiries about Saga Beef, Omi Beef, Fuji Wagyu, and other black Wagyu beef, please contact

info@kofukutrading.com

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