Wagyu A5: Complete Guide to Japanese Grade 5

🥩 Guide · Japan📍 Wagyu A5•⏱ 8 min

Japanese A5 Wagyu Beef Ribeye, vacuum-sealed 4 kg

Grade 5. This is the supreme rating awarded by the Japan Meat Grading Association. Less than 1% of Japanese beef achieves it. Extreme marbling (BMS 8-12), almost white marbling, immediate melt-in-your-mouth texture: Wagyu A5 is not just meat — it's a living heritage. Each piece carries an individual 10-digit identification number, tracing back to the breeder, birth date, and prefecture of origin. Here's the complete journey, from the Japanese farm to your table.

[01] Identification — 個体識別番号

Each Japanese cattle receives a 10-digit individual identification number at birth, registered with the National Livestock Breeding Center (NLBC). This number follows the animal throughout its life: farm, feed, movements, slaughter, cutting. On every piece we import, this code is engraved, labeled, and archived. You can verify it yourself on our Traceability page.

[02] Quality — Shimofuri and the JMGA Grade

Official grading is carried out by the Japan Meat Grading Association (JMGA), which evaluates two parameters:

Yield (A, B, or C) — the proportion of usable meat on the carcass.
Quality (1 to 5) — based on four criteria: marbling (BMS, Beef Marbling Standard, scale 1-12), meat color, firmness, fat color, and quality.

The supreme rating A5 requires maximum yield and a score of 5 on each of the four quality criteria. Only BMS 8 to 12 — less than 1% of Japanese cattle — achieve this. The marbling becomes so dense that the meat takes on an almost white hue: this is shimofuri (霜降り), literally "frost fall".

Japanese A5 Wagyu Beef Sirloin, vacuum-sealed 500 g — shimofuri marbling — Wagyu A5 Sirloin ±500 g — each fiber is framed by a fine network of intramuscular fat that melts at 25°C.

[03] Traceability — From farm to your kitchen

When you receive a FOODHUB product, you also receive its complete dossier: NLBC certificate of origin, JMGA grade, farm of origin, slaughter date, arrival date in France. Our role as an official direct importer is not limited to buying the best — it guarantees that what arrives in your kitchen is exactly what we sourced in Japan, verifiable piece by piece.

The cold chain is documented at every step, from the Japanese abattoir (≤ 0°C) to air transport (-2°C fresh or -25°C frozen) until your receipt. No breaks, no opaque intermediaries.

Whole A5 Wagyu Sirloin, vacuum-sealed 1.5 kg — restaurant format — Whole sirloin ±1.5 kg, vacuum-sealed — restaurant format, to be cut into custom steaks.

[04] Farm — Kagoshima, the Kuroge terroir

In the south of Kyushu, Kagoshima prefecture is home to the largest herd of Kuroge Wagyu (Japanese Black Wagyu) in the country. Temperate climate, volcanic soils, spring water from the Sakurajima mountains: the terroir is ideal for cattle raised for a minimum of three years, fed on rice, barley, and high-quality hay. Each partner farm is inspected annually by Japanese authorities.

Our direct Kagoshima channel gives us access to batches traced back to the breeder, without commercial intermediaries. The pieces we offer come from farms with fewer than 200 animals — the human scale where attention to each animal makes a difference on the plate.

[05] Certificate & commitment

Each Wagyu A5 order from FOODHUB is accompanied by:

✓ NLBC Certificate of Origin with individual identification number (10 digits)
✓ Official JMGA Grade (A5, BMS 8 to 12 depending on the batch)
✓ Prefecture and farm of origin traceable to the breeder
✓ Documented cold chain from slaughter to delivery
✓ Optimal consumption date and cooking tips

Official source: NLBC register (id.nlbc.go.jp) · JMGA Grading Grid · Piece imported and certified by FOODHUB Supply.

How to use it: cooking, pairings, formats

Three-step cooking

Wagyu A5 requires minimalist cooking. Its fat melts at 25°C — the heat of a finger is enough to reveal it. Too much heat and you burn the marbling; too little and you miss the magic. The right technique:

Temper the piece for 20 min out of the fridge before cooking — the fibers relax, the fat regains its suppleness.
Sear for 30 seconds per side in a smoking hot pan, without fat (Wagyu releases its own).
Rest for 2 minutes under aluminum foil, then slice thinly against the grain.

Seasoning: fleur de sel after cooking, never before. No pepper — it masks the umami.

Drink pairings

🇫🇷 Red Burgundy — a Gevrey-Chambertin or a Pommard 1^er cru, aged ten years in the cellar. The freshness of Pinot Noir balances the fat of the shimofuri; the earthy notes extend the umami.
🇯🇵 Junmai Daiginjo Sake — served chilled (10-12°C), it cleanses the palate between each bite. Its floral and cooked rice notes interact with the buttery fat of the Wagyu.