The commercial designation of Iga Gyu has existed since 1961.
Nakabayashi San: the last Iga Gyu breeder
Of the 5 original breeders, only one continues the rearing and promotion of this wagyu. To date, he is joined by 32 other breeders for a total herd of fewer than 3,000 head.
The animals are exclusively heifers, of the kuroge washu variety with a black coat.
The heifers are called "Ku No Ichi", named after a famous female ninja warrior.
Visiting the Iga Gyu farm
I discover the farm of Nakabayashi San, the sole pioneer of this designation still in operation. The colour is announced in the commercial documentation provided: "Excellent virgin beef".
The farm is impressively clean and the buildings are new. The 350 wagyu heifers on this farm arrived at the age of 10 months, coming from Nagasaki, Saga, Miyazaki, Oita and Kagoshima.
A careful and respectful approach to rearing
The animals' horns are cut to prevent any injury, aggression or stress. The bedding is changed every 15 days, compared to an average of every 30 days for the rest of Japan.
Their feed is particularly rich in protein: maize, soybean meal, wheat bran, vitamins, rice straw and hay. The diet of the heifers is very rich in protein: soy, maize, rice straw… The heifers are slaughtered at the age of 28 to 30 months, when their live weight reaches approximately 720 kg, yielding a 450 kg carcass.
80% of the animals achieve an A4 or A5 classification. The animals raised by Nakabayashi San have received a great many awards.
Direct sales from the breeder to butchers
Only 1,700 head are slaughtered per year and only 10% are sold by auction. This is quite rare in Japan. It means that the breeders sell directly to wholesalers or butchers.
Around 75% of the herd is sold live at the production site and 15% as carcass outside of Iga. The remaining 10% are sold at the Iga Syokuniku Center auction market.
Tasting the Iga Gyu meat
I naturally took care to taste this wagyu. The meat is rich, sweet, very tender, the fat fine and the flavours rich in umami. I intend to present this meat to our customers in the near future.
Do not, however, count on me to don the ninja outfit: I am no young lady and have no martial arts abilities whatsoever! But if that were enough to provoke a fit of laughter, I might just risk it! ?
