The neck is located around the beef’s cervical vertebrae and consists of muscles that are constantly used to support and move the head. As a result, it has thick muscle fibers and contains a large amount of connective tissue and sinew. While the meat is relatively tough, it has a strong umami flavor from the lean meat, and truly shines when used for braising or ground meat. When properly simmered, the collagen transforms into gelatin, becoming tender and developing a smooth texture with rich, deep flavor. It’s particularly ideal for braised dishes such as beef stew, curry, pot-au-feu, and soups, where long cooking times allow it to add depth and richness to the broth. When ground, its intense lean flavor comes alive, and mixing it into hamburgers adds robust character to the dish.

Chuck roll is a cut from the shoulder to the back area, containing a well-balanced blend of muscle and moderate fat. The meat is tender and characterized by fine marbling throughout. It’s versatile enough for various cooking methods including sukiyaki, yakiniku (grilled meat), shabu-shabu, thinly sliced dishes, and steak.

Japanese Black Wagyu brisket is the cut from the lower front leg to the chest area, containing abundant sinew and fat. The fibers are coarse and somewhat firm, but when braised, it develops a melt-in-your-mouth texture and brings out rich, deep umami flavors.

Kainomi is a rare cut that’s part of the plate section, located near the tenderloin. It has a good balance of lean meat and fat, with a crisp texture that’s well-suited for yakiniku.

Kuroge Wagyu chuck (ude) comes from the base of the front leg. Being highly exercised muscle, it is somewhat firm but characteristically rich in umami. With a good balance of lean and fat, it is widely used in sukiyaki, shabu-shabu, braised dishes, and yakiniku.

The shank corresponds to the lower portion of the beef’s four limbs and consists of strong muscle groups developed around the bones. Because it constantly supports body weight and is used for walking and maintaining posture, the muscle fibers are thick and tough, with abundant connective tissue and sinew. It has little fat, is primarily lean meat, and is rich in gelatin. When simmered for extended periods, the collagen dissolves, producing umami and a silky-smooth texture, making it a representative cut for braising, stews, and soups.

Japanese Black Wagyu tenderloin corresponds to the “psoas major muscle” located on the inside of the spine from the lumbar vertebrae to the ilium, and is a rare cut accounting for only about 2% of the entire carcass. Because it’s rarely used for movement, the muscle fibers are extremely fine with little connective tissue, giving it the most tender texture of all beef cuts. While fat content is modest, it features moderate marbling characteristic of Japanese Black Wagyu, offering elegant and mellow umami. The thick central portion is called “Chateaubriand” and is used for the finest steaks, while the ends are differentiated as “Tête” and “Filet Mignon.” To retain moisture, cooking to rare to medium is appropriate, and cooking methods that maximize the delicate meat quality are required for this cut.

Ribeye is located in the center of the beef’s back, between the chuck roll and sirloin, spreading along ribs 6-12. Kuroge Wagyu ribeye is one of the cuts where marbling (fat interspersion) appears most beautifully, with fine marbling distributed throughout, resulting in tender texture. When viewing the cross-section, fat is abundant between muscles, so slicing without separating improves yield when used for sukiyaki or shabu-shabu.

Sirloin is a premium cut located on both sides of the lumbar vertebrae, sandwiched between rib loin and tenderloin. It has a structure primarily centered on the erector spinae muscles with multifidus and spinalis muscles attached around it. It’s a large, well-shaped muscle within the entire beef carcass, ideal for steak cuts. In Japanese Black Wagyu, extremely beautiful marbling (intramuscular fat) often appears in this section, and with fat finely distributed within the tender lean meat, it produces a melting texture and rich umami. Particularly in A4 and A5 grades, the fat has a low melting point, so sweetness spreads the moment it touches your mouth. It’s also a recommended cut for shabu-shabu and sukiyaki.

Flap meat is a rare cut that is part of the belly, located near the tenderloin. With a good balance of lean meat and fat, its crisp texture is well-suited for yakiniku.

Inside skirt is positioned inside the outside skirt, spreading around the rib area. Compared to outside skirt, it has more lean meat with a good balance of sweet fat and lean umami. Relatively tender, it is widely used in yakiniku and braised dishes.

Kuroge Wagyu outside skirt comes from the front abdominal area, attached to the outside of the ribs. With thick fat and easy marbling development, it is characterized by rich umami and depth. The fibers are somewhat coarse with satisfying texture, popular as kalbi in yakiniku. A cut where you can enjoy the sweetness of the fat.

Kuroge Wagyu flank is located on the outer side of the shoulder plate, with abundant fat and concentrated umami. The fibers are somewhat coarse with firm bite. In yakiniku, you can enjoy the umami of the belly cuts.

Outside round is a large cut located from the base of the hind leg to the outer thigh, primarily composed of the biceps femoris. Being frequently used for walking and standing movements, the muscle fibers are well-developed and the meat quality is somewhat firm. However, it is rich in lean meat with little fat, known as a cut where you can strongly taste the inherent flavor of beef. As cooking methods, thinly slicing for sukiyaki, shabu-shabu, or yakiniku allows you to fully enjoy the umami of lean meat. When prepared as roast beef, slowly cooking at low temperature can achieve a moist, tender finish. Firmer portions are suitable for braised dishes like curry or stew.

Kuroge Wagyu inside round is a large lean cut on the inner hind leg. While low in fat and fine-grained, it is firm and tends to dry out if overcooked. Thin slices are suitable for sukiyaki and shabu-shabu, while blocks are good for low-temperature roasting or tataki. Since the fibers are long, cutting perpendicular to the grain makes it more tender.For steaks, moisture escapes and becomes dry if overcooked, so slow cooking is recommended for this cut.Depending on how it’s cut, it can be used for various dishes, so it’s necessary to understand the appropriate serving methods.

Japanese Black Wagyu ran-ichi is a lean-centered cut from the base of the hind leg to the lower back, and is a collective term for “rump” and “ichibo.” Rump is fine-grained and tender, with concentrated lean meat umami, ideal for steaks and roasts. Ichibo is the tip portion of the hindquarters, tends to have marbling, and is characterized by juiciness and deep richness. Both have an exquisite balance of fat and lean meat, are highly rare, and are popular cuts at yakiniku restaurants and specialty shops.

Kuroge Wagyu knuckle is a lean-centered thigh cut located on the inner side of the hind leg base. It is composed of four parts: tomo-sankaku, shinshin, marukawa, and kamenoko.

Tri-tip has strong marbling in parts, and despite being round meat, can be commercialized as a marbled steak.

Marukawa is tender and suitable for yakiniku.

Shinshin is tender and can be commercialized as a lean steak.

Kamenoko, while having no sinew inside, has firm meat quality, so by cutting it thin for yakiniku or using it for lean slices or trimmings, it can be eaten with relatively little chewiness.