Wagyu fundamentals
What is Wagyu?
Wagyu is a group of four beef cattle breeds originating in Japan. The most common, Japanese Black, is genetically predisposed to develop extreme intramuscular marbling, far more than typical European-derived breeds like Angus or Hereford. Wagyu beef is graded under the JMGA system using the BMS marbling scale (1 to 12), and authentic Japanese Wagyu sold abroad must be Japanese-bred and Japanese-finished.
Background
The four Wagyu breeds are Japanese Black (kuroge, ~90% of Wagyu production), Japanese Brown (akage), Japanese Polled (mukaku), and Japanese Shorthorn (tankaku). Outside Japan, "Wagyu" usually refers to crossbred Wagyu (typically Wagyu × Angus, sometimes called "American Wagyu" or "Australian Wagyu"). Crossbred Wagyu marbles more than pure Angus but less than full-blood Japanese Wagyu, and is graded under the local regional system (USDA Prime, AUS-MEAT, etc.) rather than under JMGA.
Authentic Japanese Wagyu carries documentation traceable to the breeding cooperative and regional brand. Famous regional brands include Kobe (Hyogo prefecture, very strict appellation), Matsusaka (Mie prefecture), Ohmi (Shiga prefecture), and Yonezawa (Yamagata prefecture). All authentic Japanese Wagyu sold in Japan grades at minimum BMS 3, but premium retailers stock BMS 8 or higher (A5 quality). Below BMS 3 and the cattle would not have been certified as Wagyu in the first place.
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Key points
What to remember
Wagyu is a group of four Japanese cattle breeds, predominantly Japanese Black
Genetic predisposition to extreme intramuscular marbling, far above European-derived breeds
Graded under JMGA with the BMS marbling scale 1 to 12 (12 = densest commercial beef in the world)
Authentic Japanese Wagyu must be Japanese-bred and Japanese-finished, traceable to the breeding cooperative
Crossbred Wagyu (US, Australia, etc.) is genetically partial Wagyu but graded under local regional systems
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