Meat ── Wagyu
Chiya Gyu
descended from one of Japan's oldest documented pedigree lines
Japanese Black raised in Niimi, Okayama, tracing to one of the oldest documented "tsuru-ushi" pedigree lines from the Edo period — said to benefit from the clear Takahashi river and fertile soil.
- Origin: Okayama Niimi
- About 580 km west of Tokyo
What it's made of
Japanese Black raised in Niimi, Okayama Prefecture, tracing to one of the oldest documented "tsuru-ushi" pedigree lines from the Edo period — counted among the roots of wagyu brands nationwide, and said to benefit from the clear water and fertile soil of the Takahashi river. The tsuru-ushi bloodline is said to be known for consistency of quality, with little off-flavor in either lean or fat, letting the base ingredient's own taste come through.
How it's made
Producers in Niimi fatten cattle one by one while preserving a pedigree line passed down since the Edo period. The cattle are said to be fed pasture and feed crops grown in the fertile soil along the Takahashi river, with its clear water also used in daily husbandry — keeping both the old bloodline and the land's bounty intact is the condition for bearing the Chiya Gyu name. Producers are said to feed mainly crops grown on pasture along the Takahashi river, carrying a pedigree register across generations and choosing breeding pairs carefully.
Why it took this shape
The fertile soil and clear water nurtured by the Takahashi river are said to have long provided the conditions for raising fine cattle around Niimi. Carrying an unbroken tsuru-ushi bloodline forward since the Edo period is also a practice unique to this land. Being counted among the roots of wagyu brands nationwide is read as the result of both bloodline and land having been preserved for so long. Niimi's basin-like terrain, ringed by the Chugoku mountains, together with the Takahashi river's bounty and limited arable land, is read as having nurtured a small-scale culture of raising cattle one at a time with care.
Before you go
- At yakiniku, shabu-shabu, and hot potGrilling your own meat at yakiniku, swishing thin slices at shabu-shabu, and sharing from the pot — the customs behind each.
- Reservations and queuesFrom phone reservations still being the norm at many shops, to how queues work, seating alone at the counter, and asking a hotel for help.
Dishes in the same style
- Aizu GyuSteers and heifers of Japanese Black raised in the Aizu basin, fed mainly local rice straw — the basin's sharp seasonal swings are said to suit fattening, making it Fukushima's leading brand.
- Awa GyuPedigreed Japanese Black fattened in Tokushima, which gained recognition after being shown at a Tokyo meat market competition in 1962 — said to have a moist, fine-grained texture and modest fat.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Contrast
- Sanuki GyuPedigreed Japanese Black raised across Kagawa, one of Japan's earliest fattening regions — begun on Shodoshima around 1882, with the nickname "Sanuki Gyu" said to have settled in Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe by the 1910s.
- Kumano GyuJapanese Black raised in the Kumano district of southern Wakayama, a region that once kept cattle as farm labor — branded for beef in 1984, with some producers fattening in neighboring Mie.
- Hiroshima GyuJapanese Black raised in the mild climate of the Chugoku mountains in northern Hiroshima — said to have fine muscle fiber and modest fat; only cattle raised longest within the prefecture may bear the name.
- Shishi NabeIn the mountainous Mimasaka area of northern Okayama, wild boar is simmered in a miso broth built on bonito and kelp stock — long relied on by hunters and households alike as a hearty source of protein through the winter.
Also from Okayama
- Ami to Daikon no NitsukeTiny Setouchi shrimp called ami, richest in early autumn, are simmered with daikon in soy sauce and sugar — a pairing said to have grown from the two coming into season together, with a salted version kept for winter when rough seas kept boats ashore.
- Bachi JiruThe offcut ends of hand-stretched somen, called bachi for their resemblance to a shamisen pick, are simmered with daikon, carrot, and fried tofu in Asakuchi's Kamogata — said to hold a firmer bite than the somen strands themselves.
- Buri ZoniIn southern Okayama, New Year's zoni is built around yellowtail, a fish that changes name as it grows and so is read as auspicious, simmered with spinach, daikon, and other root vegetables — a dish passed down through the generations for the New Year's table.
- Demi KatsudonA freshly fried pork cutlet is doused in hot demi-glace sauce over rice, a bowl said to have been devised by the founder of an old Okayama City restaurant after being won over by Western-style cooking at a Tokyo hotel — toppings vary shop to shop.
- FunameshiCrucian carp caught in the waterways of the reclaimed Kojima Bay farmland, at their least fishy in the cold season, are minced by hand and simmered with root vegetables, the rich broth then ladled over hot rice — also known as tonto-ko-jiru for the sound of the knife against the board.
- Hiruzen OkowaGlutinous rice steamed with chicken, chestnut, burdock, red beans, and seasonal mountain greens, a hearty five-ingredient okowa from the Hiruzen highlands of Maniwa — said to be a fixture at rice-planting celebrations and local festivals.