The short answer: Hida beef (Hida-gyu) is Japanese Black cattle fattened for at least 14 months by a registered farm, with Gifu prefecture as the place it lived longest, and graded A or B with meat quality 3, 4 or 5. About 10,000 head are certified a year. Its bloodline traces largely to Yasufuku, a bull brought to Gifu from Hyogo in 1981.
What is Hida beef?
Hida beef, or Hida-gyu (飛騨牛), is a regional brand of Japanese Black beef from Gifu prefecture, in the mountains of central Japan. Its registered definition [1]:
| Rule | Hida beef |
|---|---|
| Breed | Japanese Black (Kuroge Washu) |
| Raised | Fattened at least 14 months by a farm registered with the Hida beef council |
| Where | Gifu is the place it lived longest; no birthplace rule |
| Grade | Yield A or B, meat quality 3, 4 or 5 |
| Certified by | The Hida beef council (飛騨牛銘柄推進協議会), founded 1988 |
About 10,000 head a year are certified, and over 90% of them grade 4 or 5 [1]. Hida beef has been a registered Geographical Indication in Japan since 2023 [1].
Who was Yasufuku?
A bull. Gifu's livestock research institute brought Yasufuku (安福) from Hyogo in 1981, and he sired about 25,000 calves [1]. Gifu calls him the father of Hida beef, and his line still runs through the prefecture's sires today [1]. Hida beef also won the top carcass prize at two consecutive national Wagyu shows [1][2].
How traceable is Hida beef?
To the prefecture and the grade, and to the individual animal if you're given its ID. Every Japanese cow has a 10-digit ID that returns its breed, birth date and moves in the National Livestock Breeding Center's registry [5]. The registry shows a farmer's name only if the farmer agreed to it [3], and a US buyer rarely learns which farm raised the steak. Some importers and restaurants make a point of passing it on; most of the time it's lost somewhere between the farm and the plate.
The brand doesn't cover feed or housing either [1]. Japan imports about 1.6–2.0 million tonnes of hay a year, plus about 200,000 tonnes of rice straw [4], and the Hida definition doesn't say where a farm's roughage comes from.
How does Hida beef compare with Peak Wagyu?
Both are Japanese Black raised in Japan and graded by the Japan Meat Grading Association. What differs is how close you get to the animal.
| Hida beef | Peak Wagyu | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Any registered farm, longest in Gifu [1] | Takeda Farm, Asahikawa, Hokkaido |
| Grade | Yield A or B, quality 3–5 [1] | A4, BMS 6 |
| The animal | 10-digit ID, if the seller passes it on | Takemitsu-chan, ID 1493019197, grading certificate published |
| The farm | Not part of the brand; rarely named | Named, and we've visited |
| Feed | Not set by the brand [1] | About half Hokkaido-grown hay, plus oats and rice bran from Asahikawa mochi barley |
| Welfare | Not set by the brand | Spacious barn, every cow named, no growth hormones, sent off before maximum weight |
Ellie Takeda and her mother, Tomoko, raise a small herd in Asahikawa, at the foot of the Daisetsuzan mountains, and every cut we sell comes from one of their cows. We've been to the barn and met the cow. Her A4, BMS 6 grade sits above the ceiling of USDA Prime, with more beef flavor and less richness per bite than a top-marbled A5. What makes Peak Wagyu special? has the rest.
Where can you buy Hida beef?
Mostly in Japan, especially around Takayama, where it's sold as steak, sushi and skewers. Gifu also recommends shops abroad that carry it [1]. Wherever you buy it, ask for the animal's 10-digit ID and grade; how to tell if Wagyu is real shows how to check them.
Frequently asked questions
What grade is Hida beef?
Hida beef must grade yield A or B with meat quality 3, 4 or 5, so A3 through A5 and B3 through B5 qualify. About 90% of certified Hida beef grades 4 or 5.
Is Hida beef the same as Kobe beef?
No. Both are Japanese Black, and Hida's founding bull, Yasufuku, came from Hyogo, Kobe's home prefecture. But Hida beef is raised in Gifu under its own rules, and its grade floor (quality 3) is lower than Kobe's (quality 4, BMS 6).
Does Hida beef have to be born in Gifu?
No. The registered definition requires at least 14 months of fattening by a registered farm, with Gifu as the place the animal lived longest. It sets no birthplace rule.
How much Hida beef is produced?
About 10,000 head a year are certified as Hida beef, according to its Geographical Indication registration.
Sources
- Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), GI register No. 126, "飛騨牛 (Hida-gyu)" (2023)
- Gifu Prefecture tourism, Hida beef
- MAFF, sample screen and disclosure rules for the cattle traceability lookup
- MAFF, "飼料をめぐる情勢" (feed situation), September 2026
- National Livestock Breeding Center, individual cattle identification lookup
