Okutani

Okutani was the third of the Mannett Group's landmark 1993 foundation females and, on pedigree, arguably the most powerfully bred of the trio. Born January 5, 1992, she was roughly 75% Tajima and 25% Fujiyoshi (Shimane), sired by Okushige (FB218) — the bull ranked No. 1 for marbling in Japan in 1990 — and out of Fujitani (FB223), a daughter of the elite sire Kikutani 908, with Dai 7 Itozakura appearing through her granddam. This stacked her pedigree with several of the greatest marbling sires in Japanese history. Tragically she died soon after arriving in the United States, so few live progeny exist, but embryos recovered from her changed the breed: on June 24, 1994 she produced Fujiko (FB1984), the first fullblood Wagyu ever born in the USA, sired by Haruki II. Fujiko became one of the breed's most influential and defect-free females, her cloning rights fetching about $25,000 in 2012. Through Fujiko, Okutani's genetics remain foundational across American fullblood herds.