Mishima
見島種
(most common name)

(local/other name):
• Mishima ushi

The Mishima, an authentic breed from the island of Mishima, is one of the remaining strains of the (now extinct) cattle of Japan known as the Japanese Native.

Japanese Native cattle were originally Turano-Mongolian cattle, most probably imported from Korea.

The Mishima is humpless, small-bodied and short-horned.

SNP studies of the Mishima (Tsuda et al., 2013) show:
• a clear separation from European breeds
• retention of much genetic variation (including genes relevant to quality and marbling of meat)
• confirmation of their affinity with the Kuchinoshima

Craniometric work of the Mishima (Ogawa et al., 1989) shows:
• skulls resembling Korean cattle more closely than Mongolian or Hainan

This page was last updated on: 2023-05-19

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.