Highest grade wagyu served as traditional Japanese woodblock prints in delicious meat art

When it comes to wagyu, Omi beef (Omigyu) is considered part of the high quality meat trinity in Japan, alongside Kobe beef and Matsusaka beef. The celebrated premium beef gets its name from its origins in Shiga prefecture, which was long ago known as Omi Province, and is sometimes said to be the oldest beef brand in Japan. For luxurious foodies, the marbled Japanese black beef might as well be called a work of meat art.

Hyotanya, a highly praised Omi beef shabu-shabu restaurant based in Shiga, and creative firm Kayac seem to agree. The two are teaming up to deliver mouthwatering Omi beef with an artistic flair by framing and serving it up in the form of traditional Japanese woodblock prints.

The project, titled "Art Beef Gallery", combines the highest ranked A5 grade Omi beef with ukiyo-e, the distinct woodblock prints and paintings of early Japan. The first entry in the series is inspired by Hokusai, perhaps the most prolific ukiyo-e artist, and his famous piece "Fine Wind, Clear Morning," part of the "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji" series of prints.

This clever ukiyo-e packaging turns specially selected high grade Omi beef, known for a fine and tender texture and rich flavor, into the reddened Mt. Fuji featured in the famous work. After you've finished your 700g serving of top-end beef (it is recommended that the package be defrosted slowly in the refrigerator for 24 hours, and then set to room temperature for another 30 minutes just before eating), Hyotanya suggests keeping the well-reproduced woodblock print as a decorative piece, substituting red paper in its place.

The Art Beef Gallery project was put together as a creative way to battle food waste and loss, and particularly address the problems faced by those who raise cattle in the wagyu industry during the pandemic by purchasing directly from embattled farmers.

Art Beef Gallery can be ordered in Japan, available in 700g packages for 13,000 yen.

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