Shamo (่ป้ถ) is an overall designation for game fowl in Japan. There are seven recognised breeds of Shamo chicken in Japan, all of which are designated Natural Monuments of Japan. The Shamo breeds are thought to derive from fighting chickens of Malay type brought from Thailand in the early part of the seventeenth century.[1]:โ13โ
History
editThe Shamo breeds are thought to derive from fighting chickens of Malay type brought from Thailand in the early part of the seventeenth century or early Edo period (1603โ1867).[1]:โ13โ[2]:โ270โ The Japanese word Shamo derives from Siam, the former name of Thailand.[2]:โ270โ The birds have been selectively bred for several hundred years for their fighting ability. Some were imported to Western countries in the 1970s;[3]:โ288โ in the twenty-first century, the birds are reported from four countries outside Japan: Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States.[4]
Breeds
editThe seven recognised Shamo breeds designated as Natural Monuments of Japan are:[1]:โ13โ[5]:โ92โ
- Ehigo-Nankin-Shamo, a slightly taller and more slender variant of the Nankin-Shamo from Niigata[3]:โ214โ
- O-Shamo ("large Shamo", ๅคง่ป้ถ)
- Kinpa
- Ko-Shamo ("small Shamo", ๅฐ่ป้ถ)
- Nankin-Shamo (Nankin Shamo, ๅไบฌ่ป้ถ)
- Yakido or Ygido (ๅ ซๆจๆธ้ถ)
- Yamato-Shamo or Yamato Gunkei
Other Shamo variants are the Chu-Shamo ("medium Shamo", ไธญ่ป้ถ)[2]:โ321โ and the Chibi Shamo, the bantam of the Yamato Gunkei.[2]:โ322โ
In the West
editIn Western countries, the breed name Shamo includes both the O-Shamo and the Chu-Shamo.[2]:โ270โ In the United Kingdom, different weight ranges are given in the British Poultry Standards for the two types within the Shamo breed;[3]:โ289โ the Ko-Shamo, Nankin Shamo, Yakido and Yamato Gunkei are recognised as distinct breeds.[6] The Entente Europรฉenne recognises the Shamo, Ko-Shamo, Yakido and Yamato Gunkei, and lists the Chu-Shamo and Nankin Shamo as unrecognised.[7] The Australian Poultry Standards list only one form of Shamo, which has a minimum weight of 3ย kg.[8]:โ227โ The American Poultry Association recognises the Shamo as a breed, both full-sized and bantam.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b c Sayed Abdel-Maksoud Osman, Masashi Sekino, Takehito Kuwayama, Keiji Kinoshita, Masahide Nishibori, Yoshio Yamamoto, and Masaoki Tsudzuki (2006). Genetic variability and relationships of native Japanese chickens based on microsatellite DNA polymorphisms-Focusing on the natural monuments of Japan. The Journal of Poultry Science. 43' (1): 12โ22.
- ^ a b c d e Victoria Roberts (2008). British poultry standards: complete specifications and judging points of all standardized breeds and varieties of poultry as compiled by the specialist breed clubs and recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain. Oxford: Blackwell. ISBNย 9781405156424.
- ^ a b c J. Ian H. Allonby, Philippe B. Wilson (editors) (2018). British Poultry Standards: complete specifications and judging points of all standardized breeds and varieties of poultry as compiled by the specialist breed clubs and recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain, seventh edition. Chichester; Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley Blackwell. ISBNย 9781119509141.
- ^ Transboundary breed: Shamo. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed February 2025.
- ^ Masaoki Tsudzuki (2003). Japanese native chickens. In: Hsiu-Luan Chang, Yu-chia Huang (editors) (2003). The Relationship between Indigenous Animals and Humans in APEC Region. Taipei: Chinese Society of Animal Science, pages 91-116.
- ^ Breed Classification. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Archived 12 June 2018.
- ^ Liste des races et variรฉtรฉs homologuรฉe dans les pays EE (28.04.2013). Entente Europรฉenne dโAviculture et de Cuniculture. Archived 16 June 2013.
- ^ [Victorian Poultry Fanciers Association] (2011 [1998]). Australian Poultry Standards, second edition. Ballarat, Victoria: Victorian Poultry Fanciers Association Limited. ISBNย 9781921488238.
- ^ APA Recognized Breeds and Varieties: As of January 1, 2012. American Poultry Association. Archived 4 November 2017.
