Butasute

Butasute (豚捨, "Butasute") is a Japanese meat retailer and restaurant operator headquartered in Ise, Mie Prefecture. Founded in November 1909 by Sutekichi Mori, the shop began as a butcher's store and a Western-style restaurant in what was then Ujiyamada City (now Ise). The distinctive name "Butasute" — literally "throw away the pig" — is said to derive from the founder's nickname, a pig farmer called Sutekichi, though a popular legend holds that customers were so taken with the beef that they threw away their pork. The company is a yugen-gaisha (private limited company) incorporated in July 1965, and remains family-run; the fourth-generation president is Daisuke Mori. Butasute's core identity is its beef. Since its founding it has handled only Ise beef (Ise-gyu / Ise-niku), the high-quality Japanese Black (Kuroge Wagyu) from contracted farms around Ise, which is regarded as a root of the better-known Matsusaka beef. The company insists on virgin heifers of the Japanese Black breed, and continues to use the older regional name "Ise beef" rather than the now-dominant "Matsusaka beef." Its product range spans premium steak cuts (sirloin, rib roast, fillet), sukiyaki and shabu-shabu beef, shigure-ni (simmered beef), roast beef, sausages, croquettes and prepared foods, plus original sauces and seasonings. The croquette is the signature item: at peak times the Okage Yokocho shop has sold around 4,000 croquettes a day, drawing queues of 20 meters or more. Butasute operates several outlets in and around Ise. The main store in Ozeho is a butcher shop selling beef, shigure-ni and croquettes. The annex Wakayagi is a restaurant serving grilled meat, sukiyaki and shabu-shabu in private rooms. The Okage Yokocho branch, opened in 1993 in the historic district in front of Ise Jingu's Naiku, sells croquettes and menchi-katsu for eating on the go and serves gyudon and sukiyaki. The Geku-mae store opened in 2012 on the approach to the outer shrine. In 2013 the brand expanded to Tokyo with a restaurant in KITTE Marunouchi, offering sukiyaki, shabu-shabu, gyudon and steak. The company also runs an online store shipping Ise beef and gift boxes nationwide. Over more than a century Butasute has become a fixture of Ise's food culture, tied to the pilgrimage town around Ise Jingu. It has received media attention — its croquettes ranked fifth in a survey of 10,000 readers of magazines such as Ray and mina — and its beef has been praised by figures including film director Senkichi Taniguchi (in the essay collection Kutte, Kutte, Kuimakure) and actor Hisaya Morishige. The brand positions itself as a guardian of traditional Ise beef, balancing a historic butcher's craft with restaurants, prepared foods and e-commerce.

Butasute traces its origins to Sutekichi Mori, born in 1880 in Miyazono Village, Watarai District (now part of Ise, Mie Prefecture), the fourth son of the Takahashi family. His father died when he was four, and he was sent out to work as a servant. At 24 he was adopted into the Mori family and began raising pigs and poultry. In November 1909, at the age of 29, he opened a butcher shop named Butasute in Ozeho-cho, Ujiyamada City (present-day Ozeho, Ise), and at the same time started a Western-style restaurant also called Butasute. As the butcher business stabilized in the Taisho era, Sutekichi learned that Ise Jingu was disposing of buildings and decided to buy one, using the opportunity to change his business model. He planned to open an inn serving sukiyaki, but felt the name Butasute was unsuitable, so he asked Keiko-in, a temple connected to Ise Jingu, to name the new establishment; the name Wakayagi was chosen. This became the origin of the annex Wakayagi next to the main store. Having started in pig farming, Sutekichi remained involved in the development of Mie Prefecture's livestock industry, helping establish slaughterhouse associations in Tsu, Matsusaka and Ise, serving as a director of the Mie Prefecture Slaughterhouse Business Association and head of its Yamada branch, and as an advisor to the Ise-Toba slaughterhouse association. In July 1945 the store was completely destroyed in the Ujiyamada air raid, but he rebuilt quickly and worked to restore the business. For many years the company operated just two locations, the main store and the annex Wakayagi, before expanding into the restaurant business in response to changing needs. On March 3, 2012, it dedicated Ise beef at Ise Jingu's Toyouke Daijingu (Geku), and on March 21, 2013, it expanded to Tokyo. The Okage Yokocho branch had opened in 1993 in the historic lane in front of the Naiku. The Geku-mae store opened in October 2012, as new shops were appearing along the Geku approach. In November 2018 the company opened 'beer bar Butasute' in Miyajiri, Ise; it was featured on the Chukyo TV program Sorya, Daitoku-san in December 2018, closed in March 2020, reopened in June 2020 as the curry udon specialist 'Curry Udon Butaya Sutekichi,' and closed in July 2021. As of 2018 the business was run by the fourth generation, Daisuke Mori. Throughout its history Butasute has handled only Japanese Black (Kuroge Washu) virgin heifers sourced from contracted farms near Ise. Although beef meeting this definition is generally called Matsusaka beef, Butasute uses the older names Ise beef and Ise-niku, which predate the spread of the Matsusaka name. The company has also served pork dishes, including pork sukiyaki and pork bowls, reflecting its origins. Among its products the croquette has won particular consumer support, ranking fifth among Ise gourmet items in a survey of 10,000 readers of the magazines Ray, mina, S Cawaii!, GISELe and Como. The brand remains closely tied to Ise's identity as a pilgrimage town and to the traditional food culture around Ise Jingu.

• 2021

  Curry udon shop closes in July.

• 2020

  Beer bar closes in March; reopens in June as curry udon shop 'Curry Udon Butaya Sutekichi'.

• 2018

  Opens 'beer bar Butasute' on November 29 (Good Meat Day); featured on Chukyo TV in December.

• 2013

  Expands to Tokyo on March 21 with a restaurant in KITTE Marunouchi.

• 2012

  In March, dedicates Ise beef at Ise Jingu's Geku; in October, opens the Geku-mae store.

• 1993

  Opens the Okage Yokocho branch in front of Ise Jingu's Naiku.

• 1965

  The business is incorporated as Morisute Co., Ltd. (有限会社豚捨) in July.

• 1945

  The store is destroyed in the Ujiyamada air raid in July and is rebuilt soon after.

• 1909

  In November, Sutekichi Mori opens the butcher shop Butasute and a Western-style restaurant in Ujiyamada City (now Ise).

• 1880

  Sutekichi Mori born in Miyazono Village, Watarai District (now Ise, Mie).

Traditional, family-run Ise beef specialist and butcher-restaurant brand, guardian of the historic 'Ise beef' name.

• Croquettes

• Ise beef steak gift boxes

• Sukiyaki beef

• Shigure-ni

• Menchi-katsu

• Gyudon

1. 1黒毛和牛（伊勢肉）の牛肉通販 豚捨（ぶたすて）butasute.com
2. 2会社概要｜名産伊勢肉 豚捨butasute.com
3. 3Butasute - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4豚捨 - Wikipedia (Japanese)ja.wikipedia.org