Sendai Beef is a premium brand of Japanese Black (Kuroge Washu) cattle, raised in Miyagi Prefecture. Only beef rated A5 or B5 by the Japan Meat Grading Association qualifies as Sendai Beef. This beef is known for its exquisite balance of marbling and lean meat, cultivated through a diet of local rice straw and pure water over approximately three years. The tradition began in 1931, with significant improvements made in the 1970s using superior breeding stock from Hyogo Prefecture.