Japanese Brown
褐毛和種
(most common name)

(local/other name):
• Akage Washu
local/other name (English):
• Japanese Red

The Japanese Brown can be found in the Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu and the Kochi Prefecture on the island of Shikoku.

Japan has four main islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku. Of these four islands, Kyushu is the third largest and Shikoku is the smallest and least populous.

The Japanese Brown was developed from 1868–1910 through the crossbreeding of indigenous (and now extinct) Japanese Native cattle mainly with Simmental, but also with Hanwoo and Devon. The crossbreeding goal was a red coat and a larger body.

There are two strains of Japanese Brown:
• Kochi
• Kumamoto

Japanese Brown exports to the USA are called ‘Red Wagyu’.

This page was last updated on: 2023-05-18

You can also go to:

My Daily Cow® Japan and read about other Japanese cattle breeds.

The Cow Wall® A-Z Cattle Breed Picture Reference to see other breeds of cattle in the world.