Onagadori History

Onagadori (Japanese: 尾長鶏, "long-tailed chicken") is a historic Japanese breed of chicken, characterised by an exceptionally long tail. It was bred in the seventeenth century in Kōchi Prefecture, on Shikoku island in southern Japan, and was designated a Japanese National Natural Treasure in 1952. It is one of the ancestors of the German Phoenix breed.

Onagadori was bred in the seventeenth century in Tosa Province, the area that is now Kōchi Prefecture, on Shikoku island in the south-eastern part of the country. It is reared only in that area, mainly in Nankoku. It is believed to have derived from other long-tailed Japanese breeds including the Shokoku, the Totenko and perhaps the Minohiki.

The Onagadori was designated a Special Natural Treasure in 1952. Of the seventeen chicken breeds considered Japanese national treasures, it is the only one to have "special" status.

In 2007 the conservation status of the breed, as reported to the FAO, was "endangered". In Japan, approximately 250 of the birds are kept by about a dozen breeders.

Characteristics:

Conservation status: endangered

Country of origin: Japan

Use: exhibition breed

Traits / Weight

Male: 4lb

Female: 2.5lb

Skin colour: yellow

Egg colour: tinted cream

Comb type: single

Classification: Chicken

Gallus gallus domesticus

Due to their history of having developed culture and traditions with little to do with the outside world for 200+ years during the Edo period, the society of Japan takes elements of their heritage very seriously. Combine that with the lethal destruction that the Second World War brought on all their precious monuments, and it’s no surprise that there are movements and organizations that fight to keep the defining characteristics of Japan alive when facing modern challenges. Honoring History through Preserving Heritage When you think of Japan, the first thing that comes to your mind may be what it is popular for. Sushi, anime, Japanese cosmetic and technology brands, and quirky practices. However, there is much more depth to what Japan holds and has to offer. From something as beautiful as a majestic castle built in the 1600’s to an animal that has been revered as unique for countless years, these places, sites, and monuments become declared cultural een revered as unique for countless years, these places, sites, and monuments become declared cultural properties by the Japanese government so that they may be preserved and protected. The Onagadori is one animal that is part of this list. Its eggs are not allowed to be brought out of the country, and it is not exported. Onagadori that are found overseas has been raised from exports that were made before they were claimed as a cultural heritage.

What is an Onagadori? With its Japanese origin rooting from the Kochi Prefecture, this breed of Chicken is loved for its long and majestic tail. The average weight of a male Onagadori is around 1.8 kg (3.9 pounds), while the average weight of a female Onagadori is around 1.35 kg (2.9 pounds). Its usual skin color is yellow, and it lays light brown eggs.  While there are many different breeds of chickens in Japan that are natively bred for specific uses, the Onagadori is one breed that is used for exhibition. It still falls under the “chicken” classification, bearing the scientific name “Gallus gallus domesticus”. Many people mistake this chicken breed for another breed; which is Phoenix - but both breeds do have a close relation to each other. Other Nicknames Before the Onagadori were known as such, they also went by a different name. That name is “Goshikidori”. They were called this because the word can be broken down into two meanings; “Goshiki” which indicates a pattern of colors, and “Dori/tori” which means fowl – so literally “a fowl of the pattern of 5 colors”. Another name the Onagadori were given as they were in the process of refinement was “Chobikei”, and “Nagaodori”. It was only in its complete stage of breeding, where it was continued to be exported all over the world was it finally and officially known as the Onagadori.

Humble Predecessors The Onagadori's ancestors were merely common domestic chickens. They did take some of their characteristics from the green junglefowl, which has had a role in fathering the Onagadori species. One of those very important characteristics is their ability to delay molting (compared to other chickens) as well as perch.  For the Onagadori to fully molt, it would take cycles of 3 years. Meanwhile, they continue to grow their tails, reaching lengths of up to 12 feet, to a whopping 27 feet. It took a lot of work for breeders to properly develop the Onagadori, carefully mating and perfecting the set of characteristics they were looking for. When you see an Onagadori, it is most often perched high up on a hutch to avoid getting their tails dirty, ruffled and damaged. Sadly, its conservation status has hit a critical level.  The History of the Long-Tail Fowls It all began with a mix of the female red jungle fowl, and the male green junglefowl specifically. These two birds came from Java and were called “Bekisar”. From the very beginning, they already had the characteristic of having a long tail and long crowns. When a hybrid from the female red jungle fowl and male green junglefowl would be born, specifically the male offspring would be used to evolve a new species, as female hybrids of this kind are sterile. Exports To China By 206 B.C., these male fowl were rampant and had many descendants. This produced many male hybrids with long, gorgeous tails, which made for decent money when exported to China – particularly in Southern China’s Hainan Do. Those birds would further evolve and refine themselves, branching out to another of many species, which is the Shokoku. These chickens did have tails, but they did not grow as long as the Onagadori. From China to Japan It was around the year 700 to 900 AD that China had a large influence on Japan in terms of exported languages, cultures, goods, plants, and even animals. One of the birds that were brought into Japan was the Shokoku. The Shokoku species would then be bred with another species, which was the Totenko. This was documented by Kochi Prefecture’s official fowl record keeper; a man named professor Hiraoka. The Birth of the Onagadori The combination of the Shokoku species and the Totenko species led to the birth of a new breed, the Onagadori. As this species was being refined by breeders during the Taisho period (from 1912 until 1926) they were fed frogs, dragonfly nymphs, and rice husk, to name a few. By the 1920’s, they were starting to be bred as cage birds. This was to prevent them from any accidents involving their large feathers that would grow to enormous lengths.

Export to United States

(Article by: Brian Reeder)

The situation of the Onagadori throughout the world is tenuous. Numbers of homozygotes are very low, perhaps as low as one thousand or less. There is much myth, misinformation and confusion surrounding the facts of these birds in the United States. They are chickens, Gallus domesticus, of truly indeterminate exact origin. Their history fades into the past, and is lost in the mists of time.

Certain facts are held as historical truth, and some small body of research has been presented to the west or done in the west in the last thirty years. The definitions of true Onagadori is debated and many birds are called "Onagadori" which truly do not deserve that name, in some cases even being truly fraudulent in such claims. Numbers of Onagadori in Japan have declined over the years since the mid-nineteen hundreds and they have never truly caught on in the West in such a manner as to become established. Most imports of true Onagadori have been lost or out crossed. Some have been very weak upon entry to the west and were in need of outcross to survive, in any form. Other lines simply were not maintained. The Onagadori is characterized by perpetual growth of the tail, sickles and saddles, in the best (most homozygous) instances. This trait however, is brought to fruition through two combined factors: 1. Genetics (genes which give the bird the ability to have fast growth of feathers and non-molting of the feathers involved, namely saddles, sickles and main tail). 2. Environment (restrictive rearing -- tombaku culture). Japanese researchers of the nineteen seventies determined that two basic genes produce the phenotype of the Onagadori. 1. Gt, a dominant growth gene that when homozygous produces three feet plus of feather growth per year in the main tail and the greater and lesser sickles. Saddles grow somewhat slower. 2. nm, a recessive gene, which causes the birds to not molt their tail feathers. It was shown however that these genes did not have the effect of making the birds have non-molting feathers past two or three years, but required a method of rearing, known as tombaku or rooster stop boxes. These are the traditional form of rearing cage for the Onagadori roosters. I refer to this method as "restrictive rearing." The researchers also suggest that it is the conditions of the tombaku, combined with the two basic gene groups, Gt and nm, that produce the phenotype of the true Onagadori ; ie, immense feather length in sickles, main tail, and saddles. These researchers also showed that other breeds of longtail fowl, such as Shokoku and Totenko, both proposed ancestors of the Onagadori, were capable of non-molting behavior, but for a shorter time (2 years), when raised in the tombaku. Due to this requirement for restrictive rearing methods, the Onagadori has been unsuccessful to date in the West. It would seem that some excellent birds have been imported at various times to Europe. The information of imports to America is less verifiable. It would seem that at least six importations of various birds has occurred. Only one is said to still be pure and not out crossed. These imports range from imports of the late eighteen hundreds, which I call Proto-Onagadori (and seemed to be a widely segregating gene pool with traits of several Japanese long tailed breeds in various recombinant forms. Some of these may have been in fact Shokoku or Minohiki, and these were called by a variety of names; Japanese Games, Long-tailed Games, Yokohamas, Phoenix, Tosas, etc.) to mid-Taisho and Showa era Proto-Onagadori and Onagadori up to Onagadori and Proto-Onagadori of the nineteen sixties and seventies. No confirmed import of Onagadori past the nineteen seventies to America can be found by this author. Later imports to Europe have occurred, and a small number of high quality examples are extant there.