Regional brand · Ibaraki
Hitachi Beef Wagyu
Ibaraki Prefecture's Hitachi beef (Hitachigyu), Japanese Black graded 4 or 5 and raised over 30 months.
- Region
- Ibaraki, Kanto
- Breed
- Japanese Black (Kuroge)
- Standard
- Grade 4 or 5, 30+ months
- Character
- Fine grain, tender
The brand
Hitachi beef (Hitachigyu) is the Japanese Black brand of Ibaraki Prefecture, in the Kanto region northeast of Tokyo. The label is reserved for Japanese Black cattle raised in Ibaraki for more than 30 months and graded 4 or 5 on the A or B scale, certified by the Ibaraki Hitachiwagyu Beef Promotion Association.
It is known for a fine meat grain and tender, well-balanced marbling built on a grain-forward finishing diet, rather than any single signature gimmick.
History
Cattle-raising in the area reaches back to the Edo period: in 1832 the Mito domain lord Tokugawa Nariaki established a farm to raise black cattle. Full-scale Japanese Black production followed the postwar introduction of breeding cows in the 1950s, and the modern branding body was organized in the 1970s.
How to order it with confidence
Look for the Hitachi or Hitachigyu name with Ibaraki origin and a grade of 4 or 5. Public disclosure of prefecture and grade gives the customer more to verify than the brand name alone.
No matched U.S. venues yet
We don't currently have a published restaurant or retailer matched to Hitachi Beef Wagyu. The guide remains available so the empty result is transparent as the directory grows.
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Common questions
- Where is Hitachi Wagyu from?
- Ibaraki Prefecture, in the Kanto region northeast of Tokyo. Hitachi beef (Hitachigyu) is the prefecture's Japanese Black brand, reserved for cattle raised over 30 months and graded 4 or 5.
Looking for the U.S. ranches that raise Wagyu? See the farms · The Kobe list · How to spot authentic Wagyu