Masaoki Tsudzuki
Laboratory of Animal
Breeding and Genetics, Graduate School of
Biosphere Science,
Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8528, Japan
Introduction
There
are approximately 50 breeds of native chickens in Japan (Table 1).
Japanese native chickens are classified into 2 groups.
The first group is those for hobbyists. The
second group is for egg and/or meat production.
The former group will be called “Japanese fancy fowl” and the
latter “Japanese utility fowl” in this article.
Japanese fancy fowl are further classified into 2 subgroups.
The first subgroup
includes
chickens
introduced to Japan more than 2,000 years ago. The second subgroup
includes chickens introduced to Japan later.
The former is called “Jidori (Japanese Old Type)”.
Among the latter, the Shoukoku (Japanese Elegancy) breed was introduced
to Japan during the Heian Era (794 – 1192). The
Oh-Shamo (Japanese Large Game), Chabo (Japanese Bantam), and Ukokkei (Japanese
Silkie) breeds were introduced during the early Edo Era (1603 – 1867). Other Japanese fancy breeds were established by the end of
the Edo Era via
mating these foreign derived chickens with Jidori
and followed by selective propagation.
The Japanese Government has designated many Japanese fancy fowl as “Natural
Monuments of Japan”.
They
are Jidori (Japanese Old Type), Shoukoku (Japanese Elegancy), Shamo (Japanese
Game), Chabo (Japanese Bantam), Ukokkei (Japanese Silkie), Uzurao (Japanese
Small Rumplessness), Tosa-Onagadori (Japanese Long Tail), Ohiki (Japanese Tail
Dragger), Toutenkou (Japanese Red Crower), Koeyoshi (Japanese Good Crower),
Toumaru (Japanese Black Crower), Kuro-Kashiwa (Japanese Black), Satsuma-Dori
(Kagoshima Game), Hinai-Dori (Japanese Dainty), Minohiki (Japanese Saddle
Hackle Dragger), Jitokko (Japanese Creeper), and Kawachi-Yakko (Japanese
Brave). Among
them, the Tosa-Onagadori was designated as
“Special Natural Monument of Japan”.
The
Jidori classification
includes three or more breeds.
The three major Jidori breeds are the Tosa-Kojidori (Japanese Old Type-Tosa),
Gifu-Jidori (Japanese Old Type-Gifu), and Mie-Jidori (Japanese Old Type-Mie). The Shamo
classification actually involves seven breeds: Oh-Shamo (Japanese Large Game), Ko-Shamo
(Japanese Small Game), Yamato-Gunkei
(Yamato Game), Yakido (Mie Game), Kinpa (Japanese Henny Feathered Game),
Nankin-Shamo (Japanese Slender Game), and Echigo-Nankin-Shamo (Niigata Slender
Game).
The
majority of the Japanese utility breeds were established during the Meiji Era
(1868
– 1912). Although
these breeds were originally used for egg production and/or meat production,
from the Meiji Era to the early Shouwa Era (1926 – 1989),
the number of utility chickens is actually very small in present Japan. People mostly
rear them to enjoy their beautiful figure.
The
following is the brief description of the features of the main Japanese native
chicken breeds.
Japanese
fancy fowl
Tosa-Kojidori [Japanese Old Type-Tosa (Fig. 1), Natural Monument
designated in 1941]
This breed is one of the
oldest breeds in Japan and is the smallest breed among the Japanese native
chickens. The ancestor of this
breed is thought introduced to Japan more than 2,000 years ago.
The body shape and plumage color of this breed are similar to the Red
Jungle Fowl (RJF).
However,
the brown neck and saddle hackles of the male are heavier in color
than those in the RJF.
The
prefecture of origin:
Kochi Prefecture
Standard body weight
(BW) in adults: 675 g in male, 600 g in female
Plumage color
varieties: black-breasted red, white
Comb:
single
Earlobe color：red
Gifu-Jidori
[Japanese Old Type-Gifu (Fig. 2), Natural Monument designated in 1941]
This is also one of the oldest
breeds in Japan. The
ancestor of this breed is thought introduced
into Japan more than 2,000 years ago. The
body size of this breed is larger than that of the Tosa-Kojidori.
The body shape shows the RJF type. The plumage color is
similar to the RJF, that is, the brown neck and saddle hackles in the males
are more yellow than those in the Tosa-Kojidori.
The
prefecture of origin:
Gifu Prefecture
Standard BW in
adults: 1,800 g in male, 1,350 g in female
Plumage color
varieties: black-breasted red (e+/e+
or ey/ey)
Comb:
single
Earlobe color：red
Shank color：yellow
Mie-Jidori
[Japanese Old Type-Mie (Fig. 3), Natural Monument designated in 1941]
This is also one of the oldest
breeds in Japan. The ancestor of
this breed is thought introduced into Japan more than 2,000 years ago.
The body shape shows the RJF type like the Tosa-Kojidori and Gifu-Jidori,
but its plumage color
is different.
The
prefecture of origin:
Mie Prefecture
Standard BW in
adults: 1,800 g in male, 1,350 g in female
Plumage color
varieties: buff columbian
Comb:
single
Earlobe color：red
Shank color：yellow
Shoukoku
[Japanese Elegancy (Fig. 4), Natural Monument designated in 1941]
The ancestor of this breed was
introduced to Japan during the Heian Era (794 – 1192)
from China. The Shoukoku is a
graceful breed with long (more than 1 m) tail feathers and long saddle
hackles. The body shape shows the
RJF type, but the arrangement and amount of tail feathers are different from
the RJF type. During the Heian
Era, this breed was used for cock fighting. Today
it is used only for enjoying its beautiful color and figure.
Main
habitat: Kyoto Prefecture,
Mie Prefecture, Shiga Prefecture
Standard BW in
adults: 2,000 g in male, 1,600 g in female
Plumage color
varieties: black-breasted white (silver
duckwing), black-breasted white with brown wing coverts, white
Comb: single
Earlobe
color：red
Shank
color：yellow
Oh-Shamo
[Japanese Large Game (Fig. 5), Natural Monument
designated in 1941]
The ancestor of this breed was
introduced into Japan during the early Edo Era (1603 – 1867)
from Thailand. There is also
another view that the ancestor of this breed was introduced to Japan during
the Heian Era (794 – 1192).
The
Oh-Shamo is a large chicken with a Malay-type body shape; that is, the body
(the line from the shank, breast to throat) is erect.
The feathers are tightly attached to the body and the tail feathers are
short. There are no feathers around the keel and thus
red skin is easily visible in this region. The Oh-Shamo was originally a breed for cock
fighting. This breed has a
large amount of good quality meat. The
Oh-Shamo is often used as a sire to improve meat-type chickens in Japan.
Main habitat: Tokyo, Ibaraki Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture,
Aomori prefecture, Akita Prefecture, Kochi Prefecture
Standard BW in
adults: 5,620 g in male, 4,875 g in female
Plumage
color varieties: black-breasted
red, black, white, mottled, blue, silver duckwing, buff columbian
Comb:
pea
Earlobe color：red
Shank color：yellow
Chabo [Japanese Bantam (Fig. 6),
Natural Monument designated in 1941]
This
is a small breed, next to the Tosa-Kojidori in size. The body shape does not correspond to any of the RJF, Malay,
or Cochin types. The tail feathers do not curve and are erect.
The ancestor of this breed was introduced to Japan in the early Edo Era
(1603 - 1867).
This breed has short shanks. It
is thought that the
short shank is not controlled by the Cp gene. The genetic details for
the short shank are unknown at present.
Main habitat: Tokyo, Chiba Prefecture, Kanagawa Prefecture,
Saitama Prefecture, Gunma Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, Osaka Prefecture,
Kumamoto Prefecture
Standard
BW in adults: 730 g in male,
610 g in
female
Plumage color
varieties: white columbian, white, black,
buff, buff columbian,
black-breasted red, silver duckwing, silver gray, barred, blue, pile, and many
others
Comb: single
Earlobe
color：red
Shank
color：yellow
Ukokkei [Japanese Silkie (Fig. 7),
Natural Monument designated in 1941]
This
breed is a strange breed having numerous mutant characteristics. The Ukokkei has no
normal feathers on its’ body. The
feathers of this breed do not have a flat web.
The feathers have abnormal barbules and no barbicels, resulting in a
silky appearance. The skin is
blackish and the earlobes are blue. The surface of the bones and viscera are
blackish. It has a comb and crest
on the head. Some birds show a
bone rising at the top of the skull. In
addition to the crest, some birds have a muff and beard. The Ukokkei has feathered shanks and five
digits per leg. The ancestor of
this breed was introduced to Japan in the early Edo Era (1603 – 1867)
from China or India.
Main habitat: Tokyo, Mie Prefecture, Osaka Prefecture,
Hiroshima Prefecture, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Kagawa Prefecture
Standard BW in
adults: 1,125 g in male, 900 g in female
Plumage color
varieties: white, black
Comb:
both walnut and crest
Earlobe color：blue
Shank color：lead-gray
Uzurao
[Japanese Small Rumplessness (Fig. 8),
Natural Monument designated in 1937]
This is a small breed similar
to the Tosa-Kojidori, except for its tail morphology and earlobe color. This breed has white earlobes
and lacks tail feathers.
This
breed is
thought established in the
late stages of the Edo Era (1603
– 1867).
The
prefecture of origin:
Kochi Prefecture
Standard BW in
adults: 675 g in male, 600 g in female
Plumage color
varieties: black-breasted red, white, mottled, and many
others
Comb:
single
Earlobe color：white
Shank color：yellow
Tosa-Onagadori [Japanese
Long Tail (Fig. 9), Natural Monument designated in 1923, Special
Natural Monument designated in 1952]
This is a peculiar breed.
The basic body shape of this breed is the RJF type. However,
the males have very long tail feathers more than 10 m in the longest case.
Some tail feathers and all of the saddle hackles in the males show no
molting throughout their lives. The tail feathers
successively extend at the pace of 70 to 100 cm per year, with the saddle
hackles about 30 cm per year.
This breed is
thought established in the
late Edo Era (1603
– 1867).
The
prefecture of origin:
Kochi Prefecture
Standard BW in
adults: 1,800 g in male, 1,350 g in female
Plumage color
varieties: black-breasted white (Silver duckwing),
black-breasted red, white, buff columbian
Comb:
single
Earlobe color：white
Shank
color：grayish green
Ohiki [Japanese Tail Dragger (Fig. 10),
Natural Monument designated in 1937]
This
breed has a small body size somewhat larger than the Chabo. In spite of the small body size, the males have considerably
long (70
– 80 cm) tail
feathers. The saddle hackles
are also long. These feathers molt,
unlike the case of the Tosa-Onagadori. This breed is thought
established in the late stages of the Edo Era
(1603
– 1867).
The
prefecture of origin:
Kochi Prefecture
Standard BW in
adults: 937 g in male, 750 g in female
Plumage color
varieties: black-breasted red, black-breasted white, white
Comb:
single
Earlobe color：white
Shank color：grayish
green
Toutenkou
[Japanese Red Crower (Fig. 11), Natural Monument
designated in 1936]
This
breed is characterized by long (around 15 seconds) crowing in a high-pitched
tone. The body shape of this
breed resembles that of the Shoukoku breed.
The tail feathers and saddle hackles are also rich and long like the
Shoukoku. However, the plumage,
earlobes, and shank colors are different. The
Toutenkou is
thought established in the
late Edo Era (1603
– 1867).
The
prefecture of origin:
Kochi Prefecture
Standard BW in
adults: 2,250 g in male, 1,800 g in female
Plumage color
varieties: black-breasted red
Comb:
single
Earlobe color：white
Shank color：grayish
green
Koeyoshi
[Japanese Good Crower (Fig. 12), Natural Monument
designated in 1937]
This breed is similar to the
Oh-Shamo in body shape
with richer body feathers and longer tail
feathers. This
breed is characterized by long (around 15 seconds) crowing as with the
Toutenkou. However, this breed
crows in a low key. This breed is thought
established in the late stages of the Edo Era (1603 – 1867).
Judging from the external appearance, this breed seems to have been
affected by genes from the Oh-Shamo.
Main
habitat: Akita Prefecture,
Aomori Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture
Standard BW in
adults: 4,500 g in male, 3,750 g in female
Plumage color
varieties: black-breasted white with brown wing coverts
Comb:
pea
Earlobe color：red
Shank
color：yellow
Toumaru
[Japanese Black
Crower (Fig. 13),
Natural Monument designated in 1939]
The Toumaru is a black fowl
with an RJF-type body shape and rich tail feathers.
The saddle hackles are not long. The
comb, face, and wattle are blackish red in
the females. Cock crows around
15 seconds in average and thus classified as a
long duration crow as the Toutenkou and
Koeyoshi. The Toumaru males crow
in an intermediate-pitched tone between the Toutenkou and Koeyoshi.
The Toutenkou, Koeyoshi, and Toumaru are “the
three
major Japanese long crowing breeds”. The
Toumaru is
thought established in the
early Meiji Era (1868
– 1912).
The
prefecture of origin:
Niigata Prefecture
Standard BW in
adults: 3,750 g in male, 2,800 g in female
Plumage color
varieties: black, white
Comb:
single
Earlobe color：red or blackish red in male, blackish red in female
Shank color：black
Kuro-Kashiwa [Japanese Black (Fig. 14),
Natural Monument designated in 1940]
This breed looks similar to
the Toumaru at first glance because the Kuro-Kashiwa is also a black chicken
with rich tail feathers. Both
sexes
have a blackish red comb, face and wattles. However, the body size of the
Kuro-Kashiwa is smaller than the Toumaru. The body shape is similar to that of
the Shoukoku,
but the saddle hackles are
not long.
This breed is
thought established in the
late Edo Era (1603
– 1867). Although the appearance of the Kuro-Kashiwa
is similar to that of Toumaru, the Kuro-Kashiwa has no direct genetic relation
to the Toumaru.
Main
habitat: Shimane
Prefecture, Yamaguchi Prefecture
Standard BW in
adults: 2,800 g in male, 1,800 g in female
Plumage color
varieties: black
Comb:
single
Earlobe color：blackish red
Shank color：black
Satsuma-Dori [Kagoshima Game (Fig. 15),
Natural Monument designated in 1943]
This breed has a somewhat
erect body shape like the Oh-Shamo. However,
it has more
abundant feathers than the
Oh-Shamo. The tail feathers in
the males are rich and fan out when the male is excited.
This chicken was originally bred for cock fighting. A
small sword was attached to the leg around the spur. Cock fighting of this kind is prohibited in present
Japan. People now rear this
breed to enjoy its beautiful figure. The
Satsuma-Dori is
thought established in the
late Edo Era (1603
– 1867). One
of its ancestors seems
to be the Oh-Shamo, since the
head morphology and erect body shape of this breed are similar to the Oh-Shamo.
The
prefecture of origin:
Kagoshima Prefecture
Standard BW in
adults: 3,375 g in male, 2,625 g in female
Plumage color
varieties: black-breasted red, black-breasted white, black,
white
Earlobe color：red
Shank
color：yellow
Standard BW in
adults: 3,000 g in male,
2,300
g in
female
Standard BW in
adults: 2,500
g in male,
1,800 g in female
Standard BW in
adults: 3,000 g in male,
2,500
g in
female
Standard BW in
adults: 930 g in male,
750
g in
female
Japanese
utility fowl
Nagoya (Fig. 20)
This breed was established in
Aichi Prefecture during the Taishou Era (1912 – 1926)
by removing the leg feathers from the Nagoya Cochin. The Nagoya Cochin was established during the Meiji Era (1868 – 1912)
by crossing the Cochin, whose origin is in China, and
some Japanese native breed. Today,
the Nagoya Cochin is extinct. The
Nagoya breed has a Cochin-type body shape with buff columbian
colored plumage. The
buff color of this breed has an orange tinge. Until
White Leghorn and broiler chickens were introduced to Japan on a large scale
from the U.S.A., this breed was used to produce eggs and meat.
However, after the introduction of American utility breeds, people have
reared the Nagoya only to enjoy its beautiful figure.
This breed was again used for egg and meat production in Japan on a small scale, because the Japanese recognized that this breed
produces more delicious meat and eggs than the American utility breeds. The other features of Nagoya are a single comb, red earlobes
and lead-gray shanks.
Tosa-Kukin (Fig. 21)
The
Japanese word “Kukin” means Cochin. This
breed was established in Kochi Prefecture during the Meiji Era (1868 – 1912) by
crossing the Cochin and some Japanese native breed. The body size and shape are very similar to the Nagoya mentioned above. The plumage color is buff columbian
like the Nagoya breed. The
buff color of this breed is true buff and the tail feathers are brownish,
differing from the Nagoya, which is an Orange buff color with black tail
feathers. The Tosa-Kukin was originally used for egg and meat production.
However, the number of Tosa-Kukin is very small.
People now rear this breed to enjoy its figure. The other features included a single comb, red earlobes and
yellow shanks.
Mikawa
(Fig. 22)
This
breed was established in Aichi Prefecture during the Meiji Era (1868 – 1912)
for egg production. Although the
breed was
established in Japan, no Japanese native breeds
contributed to its establishment. Some
foreign breeds were crossed in Japan to make this breed.
This breed has an RJF-type body shape with buff colored plumage. Similar
to the Tosa-Kukin, the
number of this bird is very
small currently in Japan. This bird has a single
comb, white earlobes and yellow shanks.
Conclusion
In
the past, Japanese fancy chicken breeds were not used for egg and meat
production. However, they have
good quality eggs and meat. The
author thinks that Japanese fancy chicken breeds are valuable genetic
resources for improving commercial chickens.
In Japan, new meat-type
chickens have been produced in every Prefectural Livestock Research Institute
by mating Japanese fancy fowl (e.g., Oh-Shamo, Satsuma-Dori, and Hinai-Dori)
to American breeds (e.g., White Plymouth Rock, Barred Plymouth Rock, and Rhode
Island Red) to produce more delicious meat than commercial broilers (F1
hybrid between White Cornish and White Plymouth Rock) meat.
The
author is now performing quantitative trait loci (QTL) analyses to reveal
useful genes controlling meat and egg quality.
When this analysis is completed, we will be able to efficiently produce
new useful chicken lines or breeds based on Marker Assisted Selection.
In
addition to the QTL analyses, the author is performing a phylogenetic study on
Japanese native chickens using microsattelite DNA polymorphisms. When this study is
completed, the genetic relationship between Japanese native breeds will be
precisely revealed.
