A field guide to the breed
The Wagyu Story
Where Wagyu came from, what the strains mean, and how the breed reached America — told with the record and the firsthand memory kept carefully apart.
What 'Wagyu' Really Means — The Four Japanese Breeds and Their Strains
Wagyu is an umbrella term for the native cattle of Japan, not a single breed. Here is what actually sits under it — the four breeds, the prefectural strains of the Japanese Black, and why Akaushi is its own breed, not a red color of the Black.
How Wagyu Came to America — The Import History
The firsthand story of how Black Wagyu and Akaushi left Japan: the 1976 bulls, the 1993–94 Mannett and JVP shipments, the O'Hara/WSU lawsuit, the Woods/Englewood Akaushi line that became HeartBrand, the clandestine quarantine breedings, and the door that closed for good.
Wagyu Around the World — Australia, the United States, Canada and Scotland
How Wagyu took root outside Japan, country by country: the largest herd outside Japan in Australia, American Style Kobe Beef in the US, the Canadian pipeline, and Scotland's bid to be the Wagyu centre of Europe.