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Pride of Our Town: Fukushima Pride Journey

Pride of Our Town: Fukushima Pride Journey

National Brand Impressing even the Most Discriminating Culinary Connoisseur
A Spirit of Hospitality in the Origins of Kawamata Shamo
Kawamata is a mountain town with clean air and rich greenery, where cool winds from the Abukuma Highlands flow down to the Abukuma River even in summer. It’s the perfect place for raising chickens, who tend to do poorly in the heat.
The town of Kawamata has long been known for its sericulture and silk fabrics. During the Edo period, cockfighting was enjoyed as a “gentleman's” sport among the local businessmen who made their fortunes in silks. The gamecocks used in the sport, known as Shamo, were also sold for their meat.
Fast-forward to 1983. Masahiro Saito, president of Kawamata Shamo Farm, told us more about the fascinating origins of this local breed. “The mayor of Kawamata at the time was a lover of fine food, so he began improving the local gamecocks for meat in the hope of developing a specialty product that he could serve at banquets to welcome guests to his town”.
National Brand Impressing even the Most Discriminating Culinary Connoisseur
Rich, Juicy Local Chicken
Kawamata Shamo are raised in wide-open free-range coops without cages for a stress-free life. Their meat is juicy with just the right fat content, and a high oleic acid content that imparts a rich umami flavour profile. “Successful breeding and a slow maturation period of over 100 days on a balanced diet of protein, fat, and minerals with just the right amount of calories is what makes Kawamata Shamo so delicious”, Saito explained.
In fact, Kawamata Shamo actually developed alongside Japan’s culinary scene. Even today, some 40% of Kawamata Shamo chicken is sent out to be served at some of the finest eateries across Japan, mostly well-known establishments and those with a strong focus on high-quality ingredients. One of these is La Branche, a French restaurant in Tokyo headed by Kawamata-born chef Kazuhisa Tashiro. He travels back to his hometown several times a year to visit and exchange feedback with the local producers.

Rich, juicy local chicken
“I don’t serve Kawamata Shamo because I’m from here”, Tashiro says pointedly. “I serve it because it’s the best”. Saito takes his words seriously as guiding principles for his life. “The culinary world is cutthroat”, he says. “We know we can’t let our guard down for a second. The flavour of chicken meat can change dramatically with even the slightest adjustment to how they are raised, so our teams work day in and day out to study the best practices”, he says gravely. Working closely with culinary experts like Tashiro over the years have been a major force behind the popularity of the Kawamata Shamo brand across the country.
Takuya Kanno is the head chef at Ajisen Kaedetei, a local restaurant that has been in operation since 1983, the same year that the Kawamata Shamo breed was born. He shares Tashiro’s insistence on serving the brand. A Kawamata Shamo “Oyako-don”, the Japanese chicken-and-egg rice bowl is one of his signature menu items. “Kawamata Shamo chicken is good enough to impress even the most discriminating palates”, Kanno told us. “All we want to do is create dishes that satisfy our customers”, he went on. “The best thing you can do is come to Kawamata and try the local Kawamata Shamo chicken for yourself”.
Kawamata Shamo has been raised under strictly managed rules by only a dozen or so farms belonging to the Kawamata Shamo Promotional Council. In 2022, the brand was registered under the Geographical Indication (GI) System designed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to protect regional products, making it a truly exceptional product recognised by the national government. “Our GI designation doesn’t just protect our property rights”, Saito explained, “it’s also a way for the people who use, sell, and enjoy Kawamata Shamo to demonstrate the product’s authenticity”. Kawamata Shamo was born out of “Omotenashi”, meaning local hospitality, and brings a welcoming hometown flavour to everyone who enjoys it.
Geographical Indication (GI) Protection System

Geographical Indication (GI) Protection System

Geographical Indication (GI) Protection System is a national framework designed to protect the names and brands of products that possess qualities or social reputations nurtured by the unique natural, cultural, and social characteristics of a given region, as intellectual property.

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