In Owase, Mie Prefecture, a prepackaged curry made from venison of culled deer has been developed. Yushi Yamazaki, a 55-year-old hunter, leads the effort to reduce deer-related farm damage and encourage younger people to join the aging hunters' association.
In Owase, Mie Prefecture, deer are causing significant damage to farms, resulting in about ¥600,000 in annual losses. The city's deer population is estimated at 4,000 to 5,000, with the local hunters' association culling around 400 each year. However, membership has dwindled from over 100 about 30 years ago to roughly 30 today, many in their 70s.
Yushi Yamazaki, 55, who runs an insurance agency, obtained his hunting license five years ago. On his first hunt, he witnessed a wounded deer fleeing tens of meters and recalled, 'I felt its will to survive as a wild animal.' While association members consume some culled deer meat, transporting a 40-kilogram carcass down steep mountains is challenging for the elderly. With no permitted slaughterhouse in Owase, much meat was wasted or buried.
Determined to 'make the most of a life taken without leaving anything behind,' Yamazaki renovated a vacant house and opened the game meat shop Owase Gibier in 2022. He processes the meat meticulously—draining blood and removing odorous parts—to make it odorless. To overcome local reluctance toward venison's smell, he developed 'Shika-niku Gorogoro Gibier Curry,' using tough shank meat tenderized in a pressure cooker. Small butchering scraps are blended into the roux, with venison comprising a quarter of the content for a chunky, umami-rich flavor. Sales began around November last year at ¥1,500 for a 200-gram box, available at local souvenir shops.
Yamazaki hunts once or twice a month and buys meat from fellow members, processing 50 to 60 deer annually. Bones become pet food, with only hides going to waste. Hunting involves costs like ammunition, so he hopes sales will reward hunters and ease entry for youth. 'If hunters can be rewarded by people buying deer from them, young people will find it easier to start hunting,' Yamazaki said.
