Our Faq
Frequently Asked Questions
Kobe beef refers to meat from Tajima-gyu cows certified by the Kobe Beef Distribution & Promotion Council. Tajima-gyu cows, the “motoushi” or purebred seedstock cattle, have maintained a pure bloodline since the Edo period (1615 to 1867) to the present day. Protecting this lineage has also meant protecting its delicious taste, and this contributes to the high cost of producing this delicacy. Although Kobe beef delights the palates of people around the world, it accounts for a mere 0.16% of total beef consumption in Japan. This scarcity is another factor contributing to its high price.
This is due to the many foreigners who first came and settled in Kobe from the Meiji period (1868 to 1912) onwards after Kobe became the first port to be opened to foreign trade on January 1, 1869. From then on, word of its deliciousness soon spread fast.
Kobe Beef started to be exported to Macao for the first time in February, 2012.
About 7000 head of Tajima-gyu cattle. Only about 5000 of these cattle are certified as Kobe beef.
“Sashi” refers to the fatty content of the scarlet-colored muscle fiber. “Sashi” is classified into two types, coarse “sashi” and fine “sashi.” “Shimofuri” refers to the cut of fine texture meat having a high degree of fat marbling. A feature of Tajima-gyu cows is that they possess both fine muscle fiber and a high degree of fat marbling.
Breeding farms rear mother cows to give birth to calves, while feeding farms raise and care for these calves so that their body mass increases and meat quality improves. Both types of farms require specialist skills and knowledge, and some farms, of course, take on both roles.
As well as dried pasture forage and grasses such as rice straw, they are fed a diet of nutrition-rich feed supplements made by blending together soybean, corn, barley, wheat bran, and various other ingredients. They are given no pasture grass at all to eat. Water, too, is very important besides feed. This is the reason why there are many cattle-rearing farms in areas with good, clean water.
All Tajima-gyu cow carcasses are graded and assessed by the Japan Meat Grading Association. The overall meat quality score of carcasses is determined according to four factors – beef marbling, meat color and brightness, firmness and texture of meat, and color, luster and quality of fat – each of which is graded from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score.
By the 10-digit individual ID number on display in butchers and restaurants, you can tell a cow’s lineage, where it was born and raised, the market it was sold at, and whether or not it is actual certified Tajima-gyu Kobe beef.