The Kagoshima Berkshire, ja, かごしま黒豚, is a Japanese

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

domestic pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus s ...

found in

Kagoshima prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,599,779 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 9,187 km2 (3,547 sq mi). Kagoshima Prefecture borders Kumamoto P ...

in south-western Japan. It derives from the

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

breed of pig of the United Kingdom, which was imported to Japan from the 1860s and is now widespread there. The Kagoshima Berkshire apparently descends from two British Berkshire pigs brought to Japan in the 1930s. Meat from this breed may be marketed under the

brand name A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

"Kurobuta", meaning "black pig". Pork from Kagoshima Berkshire pigs constitutes approximately 2% of the total annual production in Japan. The meat is considered tender and flavoursome; it is a premium product, in demand throughout the country.

History

Until about the time of the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

in 1868, meat was not eaten in Japan, for cultural and religious reasons. British

pigs were imported to the former Kagoshima Domain, now

Kagoshima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,599,779 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 9,187 km2 (3,547 sq mi). Kagoshima Prefecture borders Kumamoto P ...

, from the 1860s onwards and are still numerous there. The Kagoshima Berkshire is regarded as a distinct breed, and apparently descends from two British Berkshire pigs brought to the country in the 1930s. It is reared only in Kagoshima Prefecture in southwestern Japan. In the latter twentieth century, competition from productive foreign breeds led to a decline in production. In 1961 almost all the pigs in the prefecture, some 240,000, were of the Kagoshima Berkshire breed; by 1965 the number had fallen to 213,000, or about 83% of the total, and by 1975 to 12,600, or 1.6% of the total pig population. Numbers have since increased; in 2000 there were over 278,000 of the breed, constituting 13.6% of the total number of pigs in the prefecture. In 2007 there were 215,000 Kagoshima Berkshire; there were also some 330,000 "English" Berkshire pigs in the whole country.

History

References

Further reading