Yonezawa A5 Tenderloin- 8oz

Each steak is approximately 8 oz.

Yonezawa beef is produced in the city of the same name in Yamagata’s Okitama area. Okitama lies in a basin surrounded by mountains and is characterized by hot summers and frigid winters.

Yonezawa cattle are raised on a unique feed blend of wheat and corn to produce high-quality beef with just the right balance of lean meat and fat.

Along with Matsusaka and Kobe, Yonezawa is counted among “Japan’s Three Great Wagyu.” Omi beef replaces Yonezawa in the minds of some, but because of its high quality, the latter rightfully maintains its proud position in the top three by most estimations.

To be considered Yonezawa beef, the following four criteria must be met:

1. The breeder lives in one of the three cities or five towns of Okitama Yamagata, is certified by the Yonezawa Beef Brand Promotion Council, and has a registered barn with the longest breeding period.

2. The type of beef cattle is a Japanese Black heifer.

3. Carcasses must be listed on the Yonezawa Beef Carcass Market or the Tokyo Meat Central Wholesale Market, or slaughtered at the Yonezawa Meat Center and rated by the Japan Meat Rating Association.

However, items that are exhibited on behalf of the district at a co-promotion society, co-sponsorship society, or study group approved by the chairman of the Yonezawa Beef Brand Promotion Council also qualify.

4. Cattle must be 32 months old or older, be in excellent condition, and have meat and fat quality of Grade 3 or higher as defined by the Japan Meat Grading Association.

(Source: Yonezawa Beef Brand Promotion Council “ Definition of Yonezawa Beef ”)

Only beef that meets these strict standards is given the name “Yonezawa beef,” synonymous with high quality.

Yonezawa beef is registered under the Geographical Indications (GI) protection system established by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The GI system protects the characteristics of land in specific areas and the names of products created in those areas through specific production methods as intellectual property – only beef produced in Yonezawa in an established way can be called “Yonezawa beef.”

There is no clear evidence for how Yonezawa beef became one of the Three Great Wagyu, but its history plays a role.

The roots of Yonezawa beef date back to the Meiji Restoration. It is said that knowledge of Yonezawa beef became widespread when Charles Henry Dallas, an English teacher from England, was impressed by the deliciousness of Yonezawa beef and brought a cow back with him when he returned to Yokohama after his term in Yonezawa.

Since then, beef production has grown throughout Yamagata, and the quality of what’s collectively known as “Yamagata beef” has been standardized.