Awaodori

"Awaodori" is the meat of a jidori (homebred chicken) characterized by beautiful, reddish meat that is moderately chewy, low in fat, and rich in umami components.
　In Tokushima Prefecture, the producing area, this chicken is deeply rooted in the local food culture and is widely used in restaurants and households. It is also highly supported by consumers around Japan and has been ranked first in the domestic shipment of jidori for more than 20 years since 1998.

"Awaodori" production involves raising elementary chicks produced by crossing male Gamecock and female White Plymouth Rock chickens supplied by the Livestock Production Research Section of Tokushima Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Technology Support Center.
　Rearing is carried out based on the "JAS Standards for the Meat of Jidori." The elementary chicks are flat-fed for the entire period at a density of not more than 10 birds per square meter after 28 days of age. The rearing period should be 75 days or longer.
　Feed formulae should be of high nutritional quality suitable for body growth performance throughout each period and low in animal protein from approximately 21 days of age onwards.

The meat chicken industry in Tokushima Prefecture has developed by taking advantage of the steep topography of the Shikoku Mountains ⁽¹⁾, which cover much of the prefecture, and by maintaining small-scale production. From the Meiji period ⁽²⁾ until around 1960, this meat industry in Tokushima Prefecture flourished as a base for supplying chickens to Osaka, with live chickens collected in the prefecture being brought to the Kansai region by sea and traded at high prices in the Osaka market.
　After 1970, other producing areas took measures such as expanding the scale of farms to increase productivity. On the other hand, Tokushima Prefecture, where the terrain is unsuitable for large-scale production, focused on the high-quality meat of jidori (Akazasa gamecock native to the prefecture), for which small-lot production is an advantage. After 10 years of breeding with superior breeding stock, "Awaodori" was born in 1989. The name comes from the Awa Dance Festival (Awaodori) ⁽³⁾, a traditional performing art of the prefecture.
　The number of chickens produced at the time of launch was 20,000. The public-private partnership in feeding management and efforts to maintain quality and increase consumption expanded shipments to over 600,000 chickens in FY1998, ranking the brand first in the country in terms of jidori production.
　Since 2004, around 2 million chickens have been produced annually.
In 2010, export to Hong Kong started, and efforts are being made to make it a favored brand both in and outside Japan.

1. The Shikoku Mountains are a mountain range that runs from east to west for 250km in the central part of Shikoku. The range occupies the outer zone of the Japan Median Tectonic Line and consists of 13 mountains of at least 1,000m, including the tallest Mt. Ishizuchi (1,982m) and Mt. Tsurugi (1,955m). On the southern side of the mountains, there are headsprings of the Shimanto River, Niyodo River, and Monobe River. On the northeastern side, there are headsprings of the Yoshino River and Katsuura River.
2. Meiji period: An era of Japanese history extending from 1868 to 1912, during which Japan shifted from feudalism under the Shogunate to a modernized nation state.
3. Awa Dance Festival (Awaodori) is a Bon festival dance that originated in Tokushima Prefecture (Former Awanokuni (Awa Province)). One of the three famous Bon dance festivals, it has a history of about 400 years (dating back to the start of the Edo period) and is a traditional performing art of Japan. In summer, Awaodori festivals are held in many cities, towns, and villages of Tokushima Prefecture; and the Awa Dance Festival in Tokushima City is the largest dance festival in Japan in terms of the number of dancers and spectators.