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Fujiyama Iki and Teruhana: A Kirishima Breeder at the 2022 Wagyu Olympics

A Kagoshima cow-calf breeder with 36 mother cows took first place in the breeding cow group at Japan's national Wagyu show.

Who is Fujiyama Iki?

Fujiyama Iki runs a cow-calf breeding farm in Fukuyama, a district of Kirishima in Kagoshima Prefecture, in southern Kyushu. A January 2023 profile in Mynavi Agri says the farm keeps 36 mother cows. Fujiyama is also a licensed artificial insemination technician for livestock, which means traveling to other farms to inseminate cows and attending births when needed.

The article describes Fujiyama as a local personality on a community FM radio station as well. This profile uses only that public record. Names in Japan can be read in more than one way: the prefecture's results page lists the exhibitor of the winning cow as Sui Fujiyama, so the given name may appear in either form.

What is a cow-calf breeder?

A cow-calf operation keeps breeding cows and sells their calves, rather than fattening cattle for slaughter. In Wagyu country the calves go to market and are fattened elsewhere, so a breeder's reputation rests on the quality of the mother cows and the sires used on them.

That is why the national show has a dedicated breeding section. The TTG MICE report says that division judges breeding ability across three generations, so a good result says something about the farm's cows and their family line.

What is the Wagyu Olympics?

The National Wagyu Competitive Exhibition, nicknamed the Wagyu Olympics, was launched in 1966 and is held every five years, according to a TTG MICE report on the 2022 event. It has nine divisions. The Breeders' Division, which judges breeding ability across three generations, is considered the most significant.

The 12th edition, held in Kagoshima from 6 to 10 October 2022, drew 438 cattle from a record 41 prefectures, according to the Kagoshima Prefecture results page. Breeding divisions were held at Kirishima Kogen, and meat cattle divisions at a meat plant in Minamikyushu. Kagoshima entered 24 head.

How did Teruhana win?

Fujiyama made a debut at the national show in 2022, representing Kagoshima. The Mynavi article says the cow Teruhana won first place in the breeding cow group category, and that the group earned the Prime Minister's Award. The prefecture's page confirms Teruhana placed first in Division 4, the breeding female cow group, and was exhibited by a Fujiyama of Fukuyama-cho, Kirishima City. Two other cows in that division, Yasuko and Saki, also placed first.

Fujiyama learned artificial insemination from experienced farmers and worked hard through the run-up to the show. The article adds a goal for the future: to raise a bull that could become a one-of-a-kind breeding sire.

Why It Mattered

Kagoshima won first place in six of the nine divisions at the 2022 show, and received the Best Carcass Award in the meat cattle category, so Teruhana's win was part of a very strong year for the prefecture. The TTG MICE report calls Kagoshima the best-performing prefecture in the competition.

The record is limited to one profile and two event pages. There are no figures on the farm's finances or breeding results beyond the herd size and the award.

  • The farm is small, with 36 mother cows, yet it produced a national first-place cow.
  • Fujiyama pairs breeding with insemination work, which keeps a technical skill in the business.
  • Teruhana's group result came in the breeding division, which judges breeding ability across generations.
  • The win came on a first appearance, representing the prefecture at the 12th national show.
  • Kagoshima's six first places in nine divisions show a prefecture-wide effort, not a single farm.

More about the 2022 Wagyu Olympics

The prefecture's page records Kagoshima's first-place finishes as Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Awards, with the Prime Minister's Award attached to the breeding cattle division. Governor Koichi Shiota is quoted in the TTG MICE report saying Kagoshima has the best wagyu beef in Japan.

For more on how cattle breeding is judged and honored around the world, visit the ranching section of farm.FM or read a farm.FM story about Wagyu cattle.

Timeline

  1. 1966National Wagyu Competitive Exhibition launched
  2. 2022Debut at the 12th national show, representing Kagoshima
  3. 20226 to 10 October: Teruhana places first in Division 4, the breeding cow group
  4. 2022Prime Minister's Award earned by the group in the breeding cattle division
  5. 2023Mynavi Agri profile published in January; herd of 36 mother cows

Frequently asked questions

Who is Fujiyama Iki?

Fujiyama Iki is a Wagyu breeder in Kirishima, Kagoshima, with 36 mother cows and a licence as an artificial insemination technician. In 2022 Fujiyama's cow Teruhana won its group at the Wagyu Olympics.

What is the Wagyu Olympics?

It is the National Wagyu Competitive Exhibition, held every five years since 1966. The 2022 edition in Kagoshima had 438 cattle from 41 prefectures and nine divisions.

What is the Prime Minister's Award?

It is a top award at the national Wagyu show. In 2022 it went to the breeding cow group in which Teruhana placed first, according to the Mynavi article.

How did Kagoshima do in 2022?

Kagoshima won first place in six of the nine divisions and received the Best Carcass Award in the meat cattle category.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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