Japanese Wagyu Beef is actually a special type of beef, and many people think that Japanese Wagyu Beef and Japanese Beef are the same thing, but they have different meanings. There is a proper definition of Japanese Wagyu beef, which is based on cattle from before the Meiji era and is known abroad as Wagyu beef, and it is probably famous because it was created by crossbreeding with other breeds.

Specifically, there are four types of breeds of Japanese cattle, the Japanese Black, Japanese Brown, Japanese Shorthorn and Japanese Boer. Japanese Black Wagyu comes from all over Japan and the other three are produced in specific regions, Japanese Brown from Kumamoto and Kochi prefectures, and Japanese Shorthorn from Iwate and Hokkaido prefectures, and crossing the four different breeds with each other still results in Wagyu. Considered the highest grade of beef, it is the most common beef in Japan, accounting for about 90 percent of the total, and is generally recognized as premium beef.

During the Edo period, the meat culture did not develop in Japan, where the killing of cattle was forbidden due to the influence of Buddhist culture. In Japan before the Meiji Restoration, cattle and horses were raised for farming and transportation, but from the Edo period they were used as food, such as Omi beef, which was raised in Omi.

After the Meiji Restoration, meat culture was introduced to Japan and cattle from overseas. In the 1960s, with the spread of tractors and other vehicles, cattle were less likely to be used for farming. Also, due to the low milk yield of Wagyu cattle, the local breed was raised only for meat. Originally used as a draft animal for agriculture, Wagyu cattle were selected for their physical endurance. This selection provided a ready source of energy for animals with more intramuscular fat cells. The Wagyu is a horned breed and most of the cattle are black or red in color.

Many years ago, there was some evidence of genetic segregation of genetic strains of Wagyu cattle, and modern Wagyu cattle are the result of crossbreeding native Japanese cattle with imported breeds, after the Meiji Restoration in 1868, when the government wanted to introduce Western eating habits and culture. During this time, Japan imported Brown Swiss, Devon, Schotthorn, Simmental, Ayrshire and Korean cattle. The production of Japanese Wagyu cattle is strictly regulated and progeny testing is mandatory. Only the best proven genetics are retained for breeding purposes, and realizing the value of its unique product, the Japanese government banned the export of Wagyu cattle and declared them a national treasure.?