Mazda

Mazda was one of only four Wagyu bulls, and one of two Japanese Black bulls, brought to the United States in the historic first export from Japan, arranged in 1976 by individual importer Morris Whitney (not the 'Morris family'). Sourced from Tottori Prefecture, he carried the larger-framed Kedaka/Tottori bloodline, cattle originally bred as pack animals in the grain trade and prized for strong backlines and growth. With no fullblood Wagyu females yet in America, Mazda was joined to Angus, Holstein, Hereford and Brangus cows; Colorado State University collected his semen for research before the bulls passed to Wagyu Breeders Inc. Whitney's venture underwhelmed commercially and the four bulls were sold to Texas veterinarian Dennis Wendt of Georgetown a few years later. A quirk of the record: the import paperwork reportedly described the bulls as Friesians. Mazda's genetics endured through his marbling reputation, with breeders reporting Mazda-bred carcasses out-marbling cattle stacked with elite Tajima lines. Because his semen is rare it commands premium prices at auction. He remains a genetic touchstone for breeders seeking an authentic Tottori outcross that boosts both marbling and frame.