Tosa Jiro

Tosa Jiro is an F1 cross between "Tosa Jidori (male)" and "Rhode Island Red (female)" — bred at the Kochi Prefecture Livestock Experiment Station. Branded as Kochi's specialty chicken, only certified producers can ship under the "Tosa Jiro" name.

Hatayama is a deep-mountain hamlet where river murmurs and forest signs are close. Hatayama Yumeraku's motto is "we want to raise chickens as chickens." Over a long time, the company has faced drawing out meat umami by leveraging Tosa Jiro's inherent athletic ability and characteristics — rather than efficiency.

Raising starts from bringing day-zero male chicks back to Hatayama. After passing the period when temperature management is key, around day 40 they're divided into small groups and moved to coops partitioned at about 16㎡. Equipped with soil play areas where the sky is visible and stepped perch rest spaces, Tosa Jiro spend time eating, playing, and resting.

Feed is corn-based, with in-house blending of Shikoku-grown rice and fish meal. Matched to the characteristic of managing health by eating soil — since they start pecking soil from around day 80-90 — Hatayama's soil is added to the coops. The land environment itself is a system that accompanies growth.

About 150 days after birth, when grown to about 1.5kg, butchering artisans dismantle each Tosa Jiro one by one. Finished at the processing facility certified under Kochi Prefecture HACCP, they're shipped on the day of processing. The "meat liveliness" you can feel different from the day of arrival is thanks to this flow.

The flavor is expressed as "the more you chew, the more flavor there is" — also characterized by low fat content connecting to off-flavors and odors. The tip for slowly raised meat is not over-firming with heat. Even grilled with just salt, the umami stands out — over charcoal or a high-heat frying pan, "turning frequently" creates a sear that traps moisture inside.

Hatayama Yumeraku's journey was also a challenge of creating an industry that lets people continue living in Hatayama. Chairman Yasukazu Komatsu started production in 1987 — shifting from egg-laying centered to meat use — and the evaluation gradually spread. In 2017, the company received the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Award at the Ministry's "Furusato-zukuri Taisho." Today, also operating the producer-direct lodging "Jiro no Ouchi" — delivering the "taste of the landscape" of Hatayama itself, centered on charcoal grilling over Tosa binchotan.

From day 0 to about day 150. "Chickens being chicken-like" on the soil

Hatayama Yumeraku's Tosa Jiro is raised from hatched chicks, taking about 5 months to finish as meat. Dividing the flock into small groups, in coops equipped with soil play areas where the sky is visible and perches, the chickens spend time feeling the seasonal wind.

In-house blended feed — non-GMO corn + Shikoku-grown feed rice and more

Tosa Jiro's food is blended by age — mainly non-GMO corn, supplemented with feed rice from Kochi and Ehime. Matched to the characteristic of eating soil to regulate health, Hatayama's soil is added to the coops as appropriate during raising.

Judging individual differences — artisans process one by one. Direct-shipped on processing day

Because growth individual differences are large, processing is done one by one by artisans at the in-house processing facility. Finished in an environment certified under Kochi Prefecture HACCP, the birds are shipped nationwide on the day of processing (next-day delivery in some regions). The "freshness when received" is included in the design.

Whole bird, cuts, liver, hot pot, soup, smoked, canned — for daily and gifts

Starting with the standard "Whole Bird (Meat Set)" and "Meat & Liver Set," the lineup matches eating styles — cut meat, wings, liver set, hot pot set, carcass soup, whole smoked chicken, ajillo canned goods, yuzu vinegar. For first-timers, "cut smaller, season mainly with salt, don't overcook" is also proposed — accompanying you including handling.