Shimofuri

Shimofuri (霜降り) literally translates to "frost falling" or "frosted" — a poetic description of the fine white marbling pattern that characterizes the best Wagyu beef. The term evokes the image of frost settling evenly across a surface, which is exactly what ideal Wagyu marbling looks like.

In Japanese beef culture, shimofuri is the aesthetic and qualitative ideal. The finest shimofuri has these characteristics: - Even distribution — marbling appears uniformly throughout the muscle, with no bare spots or heavy concentrations - Fine threads — individual fat deposits are thin and delicate, like brush strokes, rather than thick or clumpy - Web-like pattern — the fat forms an interconnected network rather than isolated dots

The opposite of shimofuri is sometimes called "botafuri" (粗降り) — coarse, uneven marbling that, even at high BMS scores, produces a less refined eating experience. Two steaks can have the same BMS number but vastly different shimofuri quality.

When I evaluate Wagyu at auction houses in Japan, shimofuri quality is one of the first things I assess at the ribeye cross-section. A carcass with BMS 9 and beautiful shimofuri will often eat better than a BMS 11 with coarse fat distribution. The Japanese grading system partially captures this through the firmness and texture score, but experienced buyers rely on their own visual assessment.

Understanding shimofuri helps explain why Wagyu from certain bloodlines and prefectures commands premium prices even at similar BMS levels — Tajima-gyu from Hyogo, for instance, is renowned for exceptionally fine shimofuri.