Quote Originally Posted by Mechalich View Post
Hanging carcasses is intended to cause proteinases present in the tissue to break down collagen. Collagen is the primary component of connective tissue and is very tough. Older animals will have comparatively more collagen, and wild game will, generally, be significantly older than livestock raised for meat (in modern agriculture, hogs are generally slaughtered at around 6 months and cattle at around 18 while wild deer or boar could easily be 4-5 years old), so the breakdown of collagen is important to produce tenderness.

It is, however, key to keep a carcass cool when hung, ideally in the low 40s F. This is only slightly warmer than inside a refrigerator and substantially inhibits bacterial growth. This changes above 50 degrees and rot can set in rapidly.
So disgusting stuff to the Japanese:-P