Shamo chickens
Shamo (軍鶏) is an overall designation for gamefowl 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]: 13
History
[edit]The 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 (1603–1867).[1]: 13 [2]: 270 The Japanese word Shamo derives from Siam, the former name of Thailand.[2]: 270 The birds have been selectively bred for several hundred years for their fighting ability. Some were imported to Western countries in the 1970s;[3]: 288 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
[edit]The seven recognised Shamo breeds designated as Natural Monuments of Japan are:[1]: 13 [5]: 92
- Ehigo-Nankin-Shamo, a slightly taller and more slender variant of the Nankin-Shamo from Niigata[3]: 214
- O-Shamo ("large Shamo", 大軍鶏)
- Kinpa
- Ko-Shamo ("small Shamo", 小軍鶏)
- Nankin-Shamo (Nankin Shamo, 南京軍鶏)
- Yakido or Ygido (八木戸鶏)
- Yamato-Shamo or Yamato Gunkei
Other Shamo variants are the Chu-Shamo ("medium Shamo", 中軍鶏)[2]: 321 and the Chibi Shamo, the bantam of the Yamato Gunkei.[2]: 322
In the West
[edit]In Western countries, the breed name Shamo includes both the O-Shamo and the Chu-Shamo.[2]: 270 In the United Kingdom, different weight ranges are given in the British Poultry Standards for the two types within the Shamo breed;[3]: 289 the Ko-Shamo, Nankin Shamo, Yakido and Yamato Gunkei are recognised as distinct breeds.[6] The Entente Européenne 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 3 kg.[8]: 227 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): 12–22.
- ^ 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. ISBN 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. ISBN 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 variétés homologuée dans les pays EE (28.04.2013). Entente Européenne d’Aviculture et de Cuniculture. Archived 16 June 2013.
- ^ [s.n.] (2011). Australian Poultry Standards, second edition. Ballarat, Victoria: Victorian Poultry Fanciers Association Limited. ISBN 9781921488238.
- ^ APA Recognized Breeds and Varieties: As of January 1, 2012. American Poultry Association. Archived 4 November 2017.