Japanese Shorthorn
| Conservation status | FAO (2007): not at risk |
|---|---|
| Other names |
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| Country of origin | Japan |
| Distribution | |
| Use | meat |
| Traits | |
| Coat | red, roan, or red-pied |
| Horn status | horned in both sexes |
| |
The Japanese Shorthorn (Japanese: 日本短角種, Nihon Tankaku Washu) is a breed of small Japanese beef cattle. It is one of six native Japanese cattle breeds, and one of the four Japanese breeds known as wagyū, the others being the Japanese Black, the Japanese Brown and the Japanese Polled.
All wagyū cattle derive from cross-breeding in the early twentieth century of native Japanese cattle with imported stock, mostly from Europe.: 5 In the case of the Japanese Shorthorn, the principal foreign influence was from the Shorthorn, with some contribution from the Ayrshire and Devon breeds.