Not just Akita dogs! Odate City's natural monument, the "Akita Three Chickens" [Akita Prefecture]

Akita dogsOdate City is known for its": the Hinai chicken, the Koeyoshi chicken,andAkita Three Chickenschicken, which are designated as national and prefectural natural monuments.

The city is working to preserve and breed these precious three breeds of chickens, andthe Odate Local History Museum and Akita Three Chickens Memorial Hallyou can see them in good health at

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Hinai chicken was so delicious that it was used as annual tax for the Kubota domain

The Hinai chickenis saidfrom a cross betweennative chickens originally raised in the Hinai region (Odate City, Kitaakita City, and Kami-Koani Village) in the middle reaches of the Yoneshiro River, and Shamo (gamecocks) that were bred for cockfighting during the Edo period.

They are large in size, with records from a 1932 survey showing that males weighed approximately 3.75 kg and females approximately 2.6 to 3.0 kg (chickens currently raised for meat weigh approximately 2.3 to 2.7 kg)

nowornamental purposes, these chickens were originally widely raised for food. Their meat is said to be relatively low in fat and mild in flavor, and in the Edo period, it was considered the finest chicken meat, similar to that of wild birds such as pheasants and mountain pheasants. It was a favorite chicken of the feudal lord and was even paid as tribute to the Kubota Domain (Akita Domain).

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Hinai chicken is a protected species and is not sold as meat

Purebred Hinai chickens have a low reproductive rate and are susceptible to disease, so after the Meiji era, their numbers plummeted as they were overtaken by chickens imported from overseas. Therefore, in order to protect the Hinai chicken, a valuable native breed, from extinction,"pure Japanese native chicken that has not been selectively bred since its inception."in 1942 (Showa 17) as anational naturalit was designated

the Hinai chickenwas designated a natural monument, it could no longer be distributed commercially except for use by farmers themselves. However, there were many voices lamenting the loss of the Hinai chicken's excellent meat quality, so in order to make the most of it, the Akita Prefectural Livestock Experiment Station began breed improvement work in 1973. As a result of various crossbreeding attempts, theHinai Jidori chicken.

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The "voice-loving chicken" can keep crowing for over 20 seconds without taking a breath

The Koeyoshidoriknown for its long crowing"long-crowing chicken"a type ofthe Totenko chicken from Kochi Prefectureandthe Tomaru chicken from Niigata Prefecture,along withthe "Three Great Long-Crowing Chickens of Japan." This breed was developed during the Edo period through repeated selective breeding with the aim of producing chickens that could crow for a long time, and it was a popular breed among samurai, wealthy farmers, and merchants who competed to see whose chickens could crow the longest.

It is said to have originated in the Yoneshiro River basin in Akita Prefecture, including areas such as Odate and Kazuno (the Kazuno and Odate theories exist), and is now bred in Akita, Aomori, and Iwate prefectures

It is the male that crows the longest, and as an ornamental breed, both the length of the voice and the appearance are important, and contests are held in various places associated with the Nagacrow Chicken. It is a large chicken, with males weighing 4-5kg, and in Aomori Prefecture, the length of the voice is the main focus, while in Akita Prefecture, both the voice and the appearance have been improved

In terms of call length alone, Aomori Prefecture boasts the longest calls in the country, with some chickens calling for 12 to 17 seconds, and some even exceeding 20 seconds. The calls"Kokkogo-o"sound, then the "o" part is raised, and the chickens continue calling for as long as they can hold their breath.

Even for humans, it's difficult to sustain a voice for 20 seconds, so the sight of these chickens puffing out their chests and continuing to crow is truly moving. The triumphant look on their faces when they finish crowing, as if to say, "Hey ladies, did you hear my voice!", is also a sight to behold. The Koeyoshi chicken is anational natural monument.

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Very short-tempered and violent. Kinpachi-kei, a breed used for cockfighting

The Kinpachi chickenis a mutant breed that was accidentally created in the late Edo period by Kinpachi, a fishmonger living in Odate, who repeatedly crossbred chickens in order to create stronger fighting cocks. It was a cross between a Shamo chicken and a Hinai chicken.

Improvements continued after that, and it is said that the current body shape was established during the Meiji era. Although it is a relatively small chicken, with males weighing about 1.7 kg and females 1.2 kg, its predominantly black appearance and short temper give it the appearance of a breed specifically for cockfighting. In the Odate region, a short-tempered and quick-to-fight person is called "Kimpa."a natural monument of Akita PrefectureIt was designated

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The Akita Sankei Memorial Museum, which protects the bloodline of the Akita Sankei and focuses on breeding

The "Akita Three Chickens Memorial Museum"isthe "Odate Local History Museum"that exhibits the Akita Three Chickens, which are designated as national and prefectural natural monuments: Hinai Chicken (national), Koeyoshi Chicken (national), and Kinpachi Chicken (prefectural). The museum was also built with the purpose of protecting and breeding these chickens in order to preserve their bloodline.

Every year, the museum hatches and raises eggs received from members of the Akita Sankei Preservation Society, which then raise them at the members' homes and hold exhibitions. For the exhibitions, the best young chickens are selected from the chickens brought in, and they are marked with numbered leg bands and recorded in a ledger

Akita Three-Piece Memorial Museum <Information>

• Facility name: Akita Three-Cat Memorial Museum
• Address: 1 Shishigamori, Shakanai, Odate City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0186-43-7133 (Odate Local Museum)
• Opening hours: 9:00-16:30
• Opening period: April to November
• Closed: Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a public holiday) / December to March
• Admission fee: Free
• URL:Akita Sankei Memorial Hall
• access
• Train: Approximately 10 minutes by bus from Odate Station on the Ou Main Line, or approximately 3 minutes on foot from Shishigamori bus stop
• By car: Approximately 4 minutes from Odate Kita IC on the Akita Expressway

Google Map

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"Akita Prefecture Koeyoshidori, Hinaidori, Kinpachidori Exhibition" where you can see the current state of Akita's three chickens

The three Akita chicken breeds—Hinai chicken, Koeyoshi chicken, and Kinpachi chicken—are carefully raised by their members. Until the early 1970s, each of the three breeds had its own separate preservation society, but in 1972 (Showa 47),the "Akita Prefecture Koeyoshi Chicken, Hinai Chicken, and Kinpachi Chicken Preservation Society,"and since then, they have been working together as a single society to protect and breed the three breeds.

As part of its activities, the Akita Prefecture Koeyoshi Chicken Hinai Kinpachi Preservation Society holds exhibitions in the spring and autumn, which are open to the public. Koeyoshi Chicken also holds the Akita Prefecture Koeyoshi Chicken Exhibition during the Odate Cherry Blossom Festival in spring, where chickens compete to see who can sing the loudest, and the beautiful sounds of the chickens echo throughout the venue. For information about the dates and venues of these exhibitions, please contact the Akita Sankei Memorial Museum or the Akita Prefecture Koeyoshi Chicken Hinai Kinpachi Preservation Society

Akita Prefecture Voice Chicken Hinai Chicken Kinpachi Preservation Society ＜Information＞

• Hosted by: Akita Prefecture Voice Chicken Hinai Chicken Kinpachi Preservation Society
• Phone number: 090-9532-6262

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Hinai Jidori chicken: Quality is maintained through extremely strict control standards

Hinai chickens were originally large, but by the 1970s, due to factors such as poor reproductive ability and poor breeding conditions, the weight of males had dropped to about 1.6 to 1.9 kg and females to about 1.2 to 1.4 kg, half of what it was in the early Showa period

At the Akita Prefectural Livestock Experiment Station, they first selected individuals with superior growth from among the Hinai chickens and crossbred them to create robust Hinai chickens, then worked to stabilize this breed. This newly created Hinai chicken was"Akita Hinai Chicken."named

By using a male Akita Hinai chicken as the father and crossbreeding it with females of various breeds, it was discovered that a hybrid with the American red-haired Rhode Island Red produced the best meat quality and was also the most robust. This"Hinai Jidori"and large-scale farming began.

certifies that they are genuine Hinai chickens,"Akita Prefecture Hinai Chicken Brand Certification System,", only chickens raised and produced under the production and management standards of the

Hinai Jidori Chicken Production Management Standards

• The chicks are a first generation hybrid produced by crossbreeding Akita Hinai chickens (male) with Lord chickens (female)
• Rearing period Female: Must be reared for 150 days or more from the date of hatching
• Male: Must be kept for more than 100 days from the date of hatching
• Rearing method: After 28 days of age, the animals must be kept in a free-range or cage-free environment
• Rearing density: After 28 days of age, the birds must be reared at a density of 5 birds or less per square meter

In other words, only chicks born from Rhode Island Red females mated with Akita Hinai chicken males (first generation hybrids) are Hinai Jidori, and subsequent offspring cannot be called Hinai Jidori. Although not stated in this condition, some farms raise chickens in even stricter, sterile conditions

Hinai Jidori chickens are raised with such care that they are used in a variety of dishes, including Odate's famous Kiritanpo hotpot, as well as yakitori and oyakodon, and are highly praised as a top-quality ingredient

If you visit Odate City, be sure to try the authentic taste

Hinai Jidori <Information>

• Akita Prefecture Official Website "Hinajidori Net"
• URL:Hinai Chicken Network

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