How to tell if Wagyu is real

What counts as real Wagyu?

Real Japanese Wagyu is one of Japan's native beef breeds, born and raised in Japan, with a government ID from birth. Takemitsu-chan, the cow in our current drop, is Japanese Black (Kuroge Washu).

"Wagyu" made elsewhere can be honest beef. An estimated 221 Wagyu cattle left Japan between 1976 and 1997 ^[1], and nearly all American and Australian Wagyu descends from them, usually crossed with Angus. That's a different animal, covered in American vs. Japanese Wagyu. A label turns fake when it claims an origin, a grade or a brand the animal doesn't have. Every one of those claims can be checked.

How do you look up a Wagyu's 10-digit ID?

You enter the number in the National Livestock Breeding Center's free search, and the registry returns the animal's life record ^[2]. Every calf born in Japan is reported at birth and gets an ear tag printed with its 10-digit number, under a traceability law in force since December 2003 ^[3]. Each farm, market and slaughterhouse that handles the animal files its moves against that number. A registered Wagyu calf's registration certificate also carries its nose print, which is unique to each animal ^[3].

Here's the lookup, done with Takemitsu-chan's ID, 1493019197:

1. Go to id.nlbc.go.jp. The home page is in Japanese. Click the English banner at the top to reach the English search.
2. Read the terms of use and click Agree.
3. Type the 10 digits, with no spaces or dashes, and click Search.
4. Read the two tables that come back: the animal's identity, then its transfer history.

The identity table shows her as Japanese Black, Female, born February 9, 2024, with her mother's ID number. Her transfer history reads:

So she was born in Nayoro, came to Asahikawa at six weeks old, and lived there for almost two years. She was 24 months old at slaughter. The registry lists towns, and names only the markets and slaughterhouses, so a farm's name won't appear.

The result has a footnote worth knowing. For a calf born by embryo transfer, the registry lists the recipient cow that carried it as the mother, so the mother's breed can differ from the calf's ^[2]. That's the technique Ellie's father, Tetsuo, researched in America and then taught to farms across Japan.

What do the search results tell you?

A clean result tells you the breed, the age and the whole chain of custody. It also shows what's wrong with a bad one:

What does a Wagyu grading certificate show?

A Japan Meat Grading Association (JMGA) certificate states one carcass's grade and is keyed to the animal's 10-digit ID ^[5]. JMGA issues it in Japanese, English or Chinese, to the producer, the shipper, or a business that bought the carcass or its cuts, such as a butcher or restaurant. It doesn't issue them to consumers, so ask the seller to show it.

The grade on it, like A5 or A4, scores yield and quality, with marbling on the 12-step BMS scale. A5 Wagyu: what the grades mean explains every field. Takemitsu-chan's reads A4, BMS 6, carcass number 3469.

Japan also checks the beef against the animal. JMGA takes a meat sample from every slaughtered carcass in the country, and inspectors compare it by DNA against samples taken from retail beef ^[5]. A grade on its own is a word on a menu. A grade with an ID that returns a real animal can be checked.

How do you tell if Kobe beef is real?

Kobe beef is a protected regional brand with written rules, so it's the easiest Wagyu claim to test. Japan registers it as a Geographical Indication, and to qualify, a carcass must meet all of these [6]:

Each carcass that passes gets a Kobe beef certificate from the Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association ^[6]. The association says sellers display the 10-digit ID so you can check the animal's lineage and certification ^[7]. Certified carcasses are stamped with a Japanese chrysanthemum mark ^[8], and the certificate carries the animal's nose print, which works as a cow's fingerprint ^[9]. The association also designates the stores that sell Kobe beef and gives them a small bronze statue to display ^[10].

Takemitsu-chan was slaughtered and graded in Himeji, which is in Hyogo, and she still isn't Kobe beef. She was born and raised in Hokkaido and was 24 months old. We never sell her as Kobe, and a Hyogo slaughterhouse on a record doesn't make any animal Kobe. Kobe beef vs. Wagyu covers the other regional brands.

What are the red flags when buying Wagyu in the US?

The biggest red flag is a claim with nothing to check it against. Before you pay Japanese Wagyu prices, ask for:

• The 10-digit ID. Every Japanese Wagyu has one, and Japan's traceability law requires it to be passed along with the beef ^[5]. "A5" or "Japanese" without one is just a word.
• The BMS, as well as the grade. A5 covers BMS 8 to 12, a wide range. A seller who has the grading certificate has the BMS.
• Kobe paperwork for a Kobe claim. Kobe beef has a certificate, an ID and designated sellers. Without them, it isn't Kobe.
• The origin, in plain words. "Wagyu-style" and "Kobe-style" describe a look, not an animal. "Wagyu" with no country usually means a crossbred animal raised outside Japan.

None of these needs a lab. Each one is a question an honest seller can answer in a minute.

How can you check Peak Wagyu?

You can check us the same way, before you buy. Every cut in the current drop comes from one cow, and her ID, 1493019197, is published on her page along with her JMGA grading record: A4, BMS 6, carcass number 3469. Look her up at the NLBC and you'll get the record in the table above.

Every box ships with her Certificate of Authenticity, printed with her ID, grade, harvest date and nose print (what's in the box). She's Japanese Black from Hokkaido, raised at Takeda Farm, and we've stood in her barn. What makes Peak Wagyu special? has the rest of her story.

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