The Shokoku Chicken is Possibly the Ancestor of all Long-Tails

BREED NAME: Shokoku

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: The Shokoku Chicken is possibly the ancestor of all Long-tails, though some Dna testing leans more towards the Totenko and Onagadori. 

Currently the breed is alive and well with a long history in Japan, since the first century AD. Such an ancient history makes all the details impossible to find.

Very long tail and saddle feathers are the Shokoku’s most prized characteristic. Black-breasted Silver or Silver Duck-wing is the most popular and common color variety, especially in Japan.

BREED NAME, The Facts:

Class: Light Size: Standard Male: 4.4 Ibs. / Standard Female: 3.5 Ibs. Comb, Wattles & Earlobes: Red Single comb, lobes, wattles and face.

Color: Black Breasted Silver (Silver Duckwing) and Whites. Eyes are red brown, yellow shanks. Place of Origin: Exported from China to Japan approximately 2000 years ago.

Conservation Status: Popular in Japan, guarded in Germany Special Qualities: Shokoku will have red faces, lobes and single combs with yellow legs. Other skin pigments are a sign of cross breeding.

They are a long crowing breed; but the least when compared to: Gashiwa, Koeyoshi, Tomaru and Totenko. Shokoku are varied throughout Japan having been cultivated in many regions which highlight different characteristics, including some for meat production and some purely ornamental.

With several varieties, the bottom line for the Shokoku is that it should have a red face, and when mature cock birds should have a 3’ tail and saddle feathers that drag on the ground. Cock tails should present at a 30 degree angle and hen tails at 20.

There is no Shokoku Bantam, though bantams have been developed in other long-tail breeds like the Phoenix, Yokohama, Ohiki, and Sumatra.

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