Wagyu for Me Trivia Quiz

Answer: Wagyu Beef

Like all Japanese wagyu beef, Matsusaka wagyu is named after the region in which it is raised. The reasoning behind that is that the cattle are reared under strict conditions to protect the brand. Matsusaka beef has a high fat to meat ratio and is world renowned for its rich flavouring and tenderness.

The meat is raised from Japanese Black cattle and only 2,500 head are slaughtered each year. As a consequence, the meat commands a very high price.

Answer: Wagyu Beef

This beef is raised in the Hyogo Prefecture of Japan and is considered to be one of the "Big Beefs" of Japan. Also reared from Japanese Black stock, but using the Tajima strain, the cattle was originally brought across from China during the second century AD. Prized for its marbled texture, flavour and tenderness, Kobe beef grew in global popularity during the 1980s.

This, in turn, pushed forward the creation of the Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association, an organization that would set a strict set of criteria for any beef to carry the Kobe branding.

Answer: Wagyu Beef

This beef comes from the Yamagata Okitama region of Japan and the quality of its meat has it vying for a position as one of the country's "Big Beefs". Opinions are divided, between Yonezaw and the Omi brands, as to which producer should occupy the coveted number three spot.

To be constituted as genuine Yonezawa beef, four stringent conditions need to be met by the supplier:
1. The breeder must live in one of the three cities or five towns within the region, be certified by the Brand Promotion Council and own a registered barn with a long breeding programme.
2. The cattle must be Japanese Black.
3. The carcass must be listed on either the Yonezawa Beef Carcass Market or the Tokyo Meat Central Market or, slaughtered at the Yonezawa Meat Centre.
4. Cattle must be a minimum of 32 months old, be in excellent condition and have a fat quality grading of three or higher.

Answer: Wagyu Beef

Omi beef comes from the Shiga Prefecture in Japan and is considered to be the oldest beef brand in the country. Its history dates back to the sixteenth century. There are legends from those times that tell of the beef being served to the warlords during the Azuch-Momoyama period (1568-1600).

Other lore indicates that the meat used to be marinated in miso and sold as a curing agent during the Edo Period (1603-1868). The remarkable feature from this last story is that the consumption of meat was forbidden during this time.

Answer: Martial Arts

We can, most likely, point our finger at the proliferation of martial arts movies that prospered during the 1970s for the notion that the dojo was merely a place to practice your martial art skills. And, while that is a part of its function, the concept of the dojo goes a lot deeper. Dojo, in Japanese, means "place of the way" and it is a haven that is used for both meditation and for learning. That learning can be immersive - the use of dialogue or books, as an example - or experiential, which would incorporate the training aspect.

Answer: Martial Arts

Kenjutsu can be broken down into two words - "ken" meaning sword and "jutsu" meaning technique... essentially, it is "the way of the sword". The art arose during times of war, predominantly via the samurai of feudal Japan. It differs from kendo, which is, in its basic form, the art of swordplay during times of peace.

As the sword is one of the three main treasures of Japan, it is not difficult to see why the maintenance of the skills of the sword during, either times of conflict or peace, forms a major component of life in Japan.

Answer: Martial Arts

The Edo Period (1603-1868) was a time of peace in Japan which saw the reliance on sword play fall away. Kendo, the art of swordplay in times of peace, began to take shape around the turn of the 1700s. It became a replacement for Kenjutsu (the art of swordplay in times of war), ensuring that the skills were not lost. This was, partly, made possible by the introduction of the bamboo sword (shinan) and special armour (bogu).

Introduced by Buddhist monks and, initially known as gekiken, the art became a part of the curriculum in schools by the 1820s. The term kendo would not surface until the 1920s. Kendo was banned in Japan for a period of time after World War II, when the USA occupied the country, because it was seen as having a militaristic application. However, the art would experience a resurgence when Japan got its independence in 1952.

Answer: Martial Arts

Despite utilizing a completely different weapon, the longbow (yumi), the history of kyudo has many similarities to the art of kendo. It too was born of the samurai culture and of warfare and, like the katana (sword), its use during the more peaceful times of the Edo Period, started to fall away.

The practice was (again) revived by Buddhist monks who altered the lethal teachings of kyujutsu (the way of the longbow) into kyudo and, took it out of the realms of the samurai, making it available to all classes of society.

Answer: Shintoism

Shinto shrines in Japan have various names but, the most general of these is "jinja". Basically, any site that has a hodden is seen as a jinja. The hodden, in shrine architecture, is the main hall of the shrine and is considered to be the most sacred part of the building.

The main purpose of the hodden is to house the kami (deity). It is placed at the back of the shrine and is closed off to the public. Within the hodden, the kami is often represented by either a mirror or a statue.

Answer: Shintoism

The temizuya is a water basin that is used in the purification ritual, a revered part of Shintoism. Water purification forms part of the harae, the general Shinto term for the purification ritual. Purification is undertaken as a way to remove sins and unclean spirits such as bad luck or guilt. The ritual is also undertaken before any offerings are made to the kami (deities) and can take a number of forms. The most common will involve either water or salt.

The process of purification by water would usually involve the pouring of water onto the left hand. This is followed by the pouring of water onto the right hand. Water is then poured on to the left hand again and, this time, it is taken to the face to purify the mouth. Finally, the scoop is tilted to 90 degrees to allow the water to run down it and purify the scoop.

Answer: Shintoism

These are statues of protective lion-dogs, who serve as the guardians of the Shinto shrines. In Asia there is a strong belief that the lion has the power to repel evil spirits, hence their image holds a pride of place at the front of the shrines. It would not be uncommon to find a pair of komainu at the front of the hodden (resting place of the deities) within the shrine.

Modern versions of the komainu are, generally, made of stone and are identical in all features except the mouth. One will have its mouth open and the other closed. These, in turn, represent a beginning and an end.

Answer: Shintoism

The miko are maidens who serve the shrines, and their daily roles are to perform sacred cleansing rituals and perform the kagula - a ceremonial dance to the gods. The miko dress in a red hakama (a pair of pleated trousers) and a white kosodo (a form of dress that was the precursor to the kimono).

The original miko were thought to be shamans and that they had the power to converse with the gods.

Answer: The Arts

Shodo is the Japanese art of calligraphy. After adopting Chinese characters for their writing system during the fifth century, the Japanese then began to work on their own calligraphy style. Part of this was influenced by the introduction of their own syllabaries in the forms of hiragana (common) and the katakana (fragmentary).

The most significant shodo styles are kaisho, a method that employs block lettering, gysho and sosho. The former adopts a semi cursive style and the latter is fully cursive.

Answer: The Arts

This is the centuries old Japanese art form of flower arranging. Along with kodo (incense burning) and chado (the tea ceremony) it is seen as one of the classic arts of refinement. The evolution of ikebana is claimed to have spread from the Buddhist monks and Shintoists, and their use of evergreen plants and flowers during their processes of worship.

Some practitioners of the art will try to arrange their flowers so that the final piece mimics the plants in their positions in the wild, while others will create intricate sculptures, paying close attention to each plant's colour, form and function.

Answer: The Arts

Whilst taiko drums are steeped in Japanese mythology, the creation of taiko drums can be traced back to the sixth century in Japan, when they were introduced to the country via China and Korea. That said, there is evidence that percussive instruments in Japan existed as far back as the Neolithic period.

In Japan taiko can refer to a wide range of percussive instruments but, outside of the country, it is usually isolated to a single variety of drum called the wadaiko. The drumming is an intrinsic part of Japanese culture and is a prominent part of the people's religious rituals, festivals and theatrical performances.

Answer: The Arts

This is also known as sado and it is the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha, a powdered green tea. Green tea was brought into Japan from China by Buddhist monks during the eighth century and it was used for medicinal purposes. However, once it had been served to the Emperor Saga in 815, he issued an Imperial Order that plantations of tea commence in the Kinki region of Japan.

Tea drinking ceremonies became fashionable and reached a level of sophistication during the Muromachi Period (1333-1573) and much of the tradition and ceremony that takes place today was borne out of this period.