Introducing Hiba Cattle

The former Hiba County (now Shobara City) is located in the northeastern part of the prefecture. It has long been working to improve the quality of Wagyu cattle, partly due to the fact that Tatara iron manufacturing was popular there. In Hiwa Town in the Chugoku mountainous region, the “Iwakura-tsuru” cattle, one of the oldest in Japan, was created by Rokuemon Iwakura during the Tenpo era (about 170 years ago), and the Arizane-tsuru cattle in Taishaku Village (present Tojo Town) also gained widespread renown in the early Meiji era. In the Showa era, tracing the paternal lineage of both cattle revealed that they were concentrated in the “No. 10 Nodaya,” and the female lineage of their offspring, which had the bloodlines of “Iwakura-tsuru” and “Arizane-tsuru,” and shared the same characteristics, was recognized as “Azuma-tsuru.”

*“Tsuru” refers to a herd of cattle with a strong bloodline that was raised exclusively in a specific region.

Later, as times changed and cattle shifted from service cattle to beef cattle, the Hiba lineage was crossed with the Tajima lineage to create the new Hiba cattle, such as the “Otosha 6” and “9 Nakamaru,” which combine the beauty of growth, volume, and qualities. The Hiba cow won first place in a row at the National Wagyu Competition, also known as the Olympics of Wagyu, at the 4th national championships in 1982 (Showa 57) and the 5th national championships in 1987 (Showa 62). In the following year, 1988 (Showa 63), it was awarded the Emperor's Cup, the highest honor in the livestock industry, at the Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Festival. It gained a reputation both in name and reputation of “Hiroshima, the best cattle producing region” in Japan.