Misuji

Taken from inside the shoulder blade, said to yield only around 3kg per animal. It marbles readily and stays tender, with texture changing across the thick sinew that runs through its center — a detail well known among those who cut it. The lean portion is fine-grained, and how much it marbles is said to vary considerably between animals. Thread-thin lines of fat run through the cross-section, said to trace a delicate marbling pattern found in no other cut.

Careful slicing around the sinew is needed, making it labor-intensive to prepare as a retail cut. Favored for steak, where both its tenderness and marbling come through, it's often grilled thick so the sinew's differing texture can be enjoyed alongside the meat. It's also common to split it into two pieces along the sinew before cooking, each offering a different texture. Because so little comes from each animal, butchers are said to sometimes post a notice when a fresh batch comes in.

Only when its low yield and readiness to marble both hold true does this cut become viable as a product, and it's said to rarely appear at ordinary butcher counters. It's more often listed by name at yakiniku restaurants that specialize in rare cuts. The extra labor of cutting it out is said to have limited how often butchers stock it, reinforcing its standing as a rare cut.