Protected local food
Hiba Beef
比婆牛
A wagyu beef from Hiroshima, from one of Japan's oldest cattle bloodlines. Its fat melts easily, so the meat feels soft and smooth.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 9 September 2019
- Region
- Chugoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 比婆牛
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 広島県
One of the oldest lines
In old Japan, farmers bred their best cattle into closed lines called tsuru. Iwakura-zuru, from Shobara in northern Hiroshima, is one of the oldest. Breeders later built the Azuma-zuru line on it, which produced famous bulls, and Hiba beef keeps that bloodline going.
Fat that melts
The line carries a natural tendency to more unsaturated fat, which melts at a lower temperature. That is why Hiba beef melts in the mouth and feels soft on the tongue.
How to eat it
Try it as steak, yakiniku or sukiyaki at restaurants in Shobara and Hiroshima city. It is far less known abroad than Kobe beef and easier to find a table for.
Good to know
- Shobara is about 90 minutes by car north of Hiroshima city, in green hill country.
- For a wagyu tour, compare it with Kobe beef and Tajima beef from neighbouring Hyogo.
Questions travellers ask
Is Hiba beef wagyu?
Yes. It is Japanese Black wagyu with the old Iwakura-zuru bloodline from Shobara.
Where can I eat it?
At restaurants in Hiroshima Prefecture, especially Shobara and Hiroshima city.
Where it comes from
More protected foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
- Fukiya: the birthplace of Japan Red
- Iwami kagura: gods and demons dance the old myths
- Kitamaebune: the merchant ships that made Japan's port towns rich
- Onomichi: a hillside port town of temples and lanes
- The Murakami Kaizoku: sea lords of the Geiyo Islands
- Tomonoura: Japan's best-kept Edo-era port town
- Yokosuka, Kure, Sasebo and Maizuru: Japan's naval port cities
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.