Miyazaki Wagyu: Officially the World’s Best Wagyu Beef

There’s a little event dubbed the Wagyu Olympics that occurs in Japan every five years. The most recent competition was held in 2022 and Miyazaki Wagyu was crowned the best wagyu beef.

But wait, there’s more. Not only was Miyazaki the winner in the most recent competition, it’s been the winner in the 4 most recent competitions, making Miyazaki Wagyu officially the world’s best wagyu for over twenty years straight.

What is A5 Miyazaki Wagyu?

Miyazaki Wagyu is beef that comes from the Miyazaki prefecture of Japan. Miyazaki Wagyu is one of the four most highly coveted origins for Wagyu: Matsusaka, Kobe, Miyazaki, and Omi.

Miyazaki prefecture turned to raising cattle after WWII on land previously used to raise horses.

Bloodlines

Cattle from these regions are bred like royalty over centuries. Meticulous records are maintained to track the origin down to the particular farm, bloodline, age, etc. over those hundreds of years.

Miyazaki bulls are quite unique in that they have been bred from three national lineages of Japanese Black cattle to produce what has become the best beef in the world. The three major lineages are the Kedaka, Itozakura and Tajima.

Kadeka are known for an excellent physique, Itozakura are finely balanced between growth and meat quality, and Tajima for its finely marbled beef. This combination has clearly come into its own over the last few decades. Prior to that the Miyazaki were a middling competitor in the Wagyu Olympics.

Grading

Wagyu, which literally translates to Japanese cow, are raised on an all natural diet and pampered to create the most marbled steaks in the world.

The Japanese have a grading system, for which A5 is the very highest grade. The A represents the yield from the cow while 5 is the highest grade of quality in Japan’s quality system. The components of quality are Beef Marbling Standards (BMS), meat color and brightness, and texture of the meat and fat.

You can read more about what makes Wagyu so special and the grading system here: How Much Is a Wagyu Steak? Why is Wagyu So Expensive?

A5 Miyazaki Wagyu is simply the best beef on the planet.

What Are the Wagyu Olympics?

The Wagyu Registry Association of Japan puts on an event every five years where more than 400 wagyu from 30+ places of origin compete for various awards. The National Wagyu Award also know as Wagyu’s Academy Award is the most prestigious of all the awards.

Miyazaki Wagyu has taken home the National Wagyu Award for four competitions consecutively now, making it definitively the best beef in the world for 20+ years straight.

The formal name of what has been dubbed the Wagyu Olympics is the Zenkoku Wagyu Nouryoku Kyoushinkai, or Zenkyo for short. Zenkyo commenced in 1966. It takes place over five days and draws roughly 500,000 people. This is a competition amongst prefectures, not individual farms. At the conclusion of the judging and awards, a live auction is held for the cattle.

Miyazaki Wagyu A5 Price

How much is Miyazaki Wagyu A5, you ask? You can find Miyazaki Wagyu at Crowd Cow, the largest online retailer of Wagyu, for $150-200 per pound. Use this link for a limited time $10 off coupon for first time Crowd Cow orders.

That price is quite favorable compared to the most expensive steaks, particularly the French steak that costs a mere $3200.

Click here for a foolproof way to cook wagyu, the world’s best steak.