Namiko

Namiko was one of nine red (Akaushi) foundation females in the pivotal 1994 importation led by Dr. Al and Marie Wood, working with Mr. Yukio Kurosawatsu out of Kumamoto Prefecture — the shipment that created the entire fullblood Akaushi population outside Japan. She was among the seven females (with Akiko, Haruko, Fuyuko, Ume, Dai 8 Marunami and Ringo 117) subsequently acquired for HeartBrand Ranch in Harwood, Texas, alongside the bulls Shigemaru, Tamamaru and Hikari. The selection was made in Japan by Bruce Hemingson, who chose the foundation cattle firsthand; the first fullblood Akaushi born on American soil, Big Al, came from her shipmate Akiko, bred to Dai 10 Mitsumaru in quarantine. Individual pedigree detail for Namiko is not published in the sources reviewed. Her significance is collective: as one of a tiny closed founder set, she is an irreplaceable pillar of the Akaushi breed abroad, whose descendants are registered with both the American Wagyu Association and the Akaushi Association of America.