Omi Gyu

Omi Ushi or Omi Gyu (Omi Beef) is one of Japan’s oldest beef brands, with a production history spanning approximately 400 years. It is recognized as one of Japan’s three major wagyu beef brands. Omi Beef is produced using Japanese Black cattle.

Production Area and Conditions

The production area for Omi Beef is Shiga Prefecture. Cattle can be labeled as “Omi Beef” only when they have spent the longest portion of their feeding period in Shiga Prefecture and when Shiga is their final feeding location. Producers follow the “Omi Beef Feeding Control Guidelines” to raise their cattle. During the mid-fattening phase and afterward, rice straw is provided as the primary feed. Shiga Prefecture is home to Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest lake, and has abundant water resources. Rice cultivation has been actively practiced in the region since early times, resulting in a plentiful supply of rice straw for cattle feed.

History

Cattle raising was deliberately practiced in Omi during the Edo period (1603–1867). Although consuming beef was prohibited during the Edo period, an exception was made for the Hikone region (corresponding to present-day Omi in Shiga Prefecture), which was permitted to produce beef for medicinal purposes as offerings to the Tokugawa shogunate. Additionally, the Hikone region housed many samurai who required cattle hides for military equipment. Cattle raising in the Shiga region has been actively promoted since the Taisho and early Showa periods and has contributed significantly to the development of foundational cattle raising techniques in Japan. In 1951, the “Omi Beef Association” was established as the first organization in Japan to promote branded beef. Shiga Prefecture is one of the pioneering regions for wagyu production in Japan.

Characteristics

Omi Beef is characterized by its aroma and the way its fat melts in the mouth. This quality stems from its higher content of oleic acid compared to Japanese Black cattle raised in other regions. Oleic acid is an unsaturated fatty acid with a low melting point (16.3°C), which allows it to melt easily and enhances the meat’s flavor. The foundation for producing beef with high oleic acid content lies in the long-standing practice of feeding cattle large quantities of rice straw.