Yakuza

Origins and history of the yakuza

Their birth: the era Edo

In spite of their notoriety in modern Japan, the precise origin of the yakuza is prone to controversy still today.

The first possible historical assumption would be that they are the descendants of the Kabuki-mono or Hatamoto-yakko , appeared as of the XVII. There is no immediate bond with the theater, but the word “Kabuki” means extravagant, eccentric being. From where the idea of a character who does not yield with the rule and who appears. The group of the Kabuki-mono joined together the era Tokugawa approximately 500.000 people, all servants of the Shogun as a Hatamoto, and this is why they are also known like hatamoto-yakko (servants of the shogoun). But Pax Tokugawa left without work, and of many members converted with the banditism, plundering cities and villages through the archipelago. They took the practice to terrorize the populations, to sow the disorder, to even kill out of the citizens for the pleasure, from where them name “Kabuki-mono” (them insane ). One would call also today them rônins.

One could distinguish themono ones by their mode from particular clothing, their haircuts, the long sword which they carried and their bad general behavior. They were also accustomed to practicing the Tsujigiri , which consisted in testing the effectiveness of a new blade on the passers by.

There exists nevertheless, no tangible proof that the Hatamoto-Yakko group is well the ancestor of the yakuza . The same yakuza them defend another assumption: they affirm to go down from the Machi-Yokko (“servants of the cities”). In the current of the 15th century, the ancestors of the yakuza would have thus gathered to create defense associations to protect themselves from the " Kabuki-mono " and their various misdeeds. They thus will become Machi-yako , which one could present as being defenders of oppressed. This group little by little will be divided into two distinct castes:

the Bakuto (professional players) which worked in the cities, and controlled the world of the games of chance, very in vogue at the time (it is still today one of the most gainful employments of the yakuza )
the Tekiya (carrying and street pedlars) which worked on the roads.

In the beginning, the recruitment of the members of these two groups was done in the same mediums (country without grounds, hooligans). Each group once made up, stuck a fixed and restricted territory. Like the Maffia Italian, the yakuza are organized in families according to a very strict hierarchy. However, this hierarchy is accentuated by the system of oyabun-kobun (litt. father-child), the Oyabun providing councils, protection and help against honesty and services of the Kobun .

As of 1603, some rônins, samurais in rupture of round of applause put at unemployment by Pax Tokugawa who will last 250 years, join these two groups. Nevertheless, although proclaiming defenders of the weak and the oppressed, they defend most of the time only their own interests, and live armed robberies.

According to the chronicler of the French magazine Historia and teaching with the Japan Christian Kessler, it is truly at the beginning of the eighteenth century which see the day, in the great urban centres of Osaka and Edo (old name of the town of Tokyo), the organizations yakuza under the crook of gang leaders.

The groups yakuza also consist of hinin (not-human) and of eta (full with stain) which, in the social hierarchy, are behind the samurais, the craftsmen and the merchants. The hinin gather people of the spectacle, the prison warders, the torturers, etc; as for the eta , they are primarily consisted those whose trade is related to the demolition of animals. Moreover, the origin of their discrimination is undoubtedly in the religion shintô and the Bouddhisme which regard as a stain any occupation related to died and with blood. Although “released” in 1871 at the time of the restoration of Meiji, these Burakumin (literally people of the hamlet) always suffered from multiple discriminations of caste, mainly with employment and the marriage. This irrefutable fact perdure still nowadays and still contributes to provide the rows of the yakuza . The burakumin accounts for 70% indeed members of the Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest clan Yakuza .

Time Meiji at 1945

The statute and the activities of the yakuza gradually will evolve/move, in parallel of the political upheavals and the Japanese structure. The entry in the modern era, with the era Meiji (1868) will symbolize the revival of the yakuza , which will extend to be able to them on all the company. They will benefit from the policy change to weave bonds with the government and to intensify the activities of Tekiya, thanks to legal covers (authorized by the bonds woven with the government mainly) which ensure to them a total legality of the emerged part of their activities. Moreover, the practice of recruitment will intensify largely, providing to the organizations more and more labor making it possible to extend their capacities. Because of growing importance of the Tekiya , the traffics intensify, one attends the development of the black-market and the trade of the sex.

At the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, the bonds between yakuza and policy still will be accentuated, thorough by the opening of the country towards the Occident. The yakuza remaining very attached to the traditions, will refuse all contacts and benevolent actions with regard to Europeans and of the Americans. They organize terrorist acts aiming of the political characters favorable to an opening of the country, two Prime Ministers and two Ministers for Finance, inter alia, will be thus assassinated.

In the years 1930, the yakuza profit from a great freedom, thanks to their ideological bringing together with the right ultranationalist, very near to the capacity at the time.

End of the Second world war at our days

Following the defeat at the time of the Second world war, the Maffias foreign tried to settle in Japan, in particular the underworld Korean and Taiwanese, and tried to take the control of the black-markets. One called his new arrivals the Daisangokujin . They increased their territory quickly, because the police force had been weakened following a purging carried out by the occupying forces. This situation was a decisive springboard for the organization yakuza . With the approval of the capacity, it was used in order to fight against these Maffias, and also like breaker of strike. It also benefitted from fleurissement from the black-market in Japan devastated by the war and deprived from all. The capacity of the yakuza thus will be done double: on a side they profit in the shade from the support from the politicians and the police force, and are in more necessary to the company according to war, the black-market remaining the only means of survival for the majority of the Japanese. The Japanese criminal organization thus becomes one of the pillars of Japan, with the approval of the occupying forces, which saw in it one regulating force .

The post-war period also sees the appearance of a new criminality, in traditional parallel of the underworld going back to pre-war period, and having still part of its traditions. Being born in full social crisis, the group of the Gurentai (愚連隊) is made up younger members, plus violent one, it is a less organized criminality. They had as specialities the traffic of amphetamines and the prostitution, or the pornography. This group is gradually absorbed by more important gangs, for finally training large the families which are still today in place, like the Yamaguchi-gumi , or the Inagawa-kai .

Between 1958 and 1963, the yakuza increase their manpower of 150% to reach its apogee a total of approximately: 184000 yakuza , distributed in 126 gangs. The organization then counts more members than the Japanese army itself. Clans are formed and of the wars burst based on the division of territory. A man of the name of Yoshio Kodama will bring peace between the gangs. It is it Al Capone Japanese, it wished to create an alliance between the various gangs, to form one of them and single, very powerful.

This situation is called into question at the end of the Nineties by the Japanese government, which makes vote a commando law on March 1st, 1992, and the law anti-laundering in 1993, having for goal to make disappear the trade unions from the crime. The number of the yakuza strongly fell, but without to disappear. Manpower are estimated today at: 87000 members.

Origin of the name

Although the origin of the organizations probably goes back to XVe century, the origin of the word “yakuza” is more recent. It is drawn from a losing combination of the Japanese card deck called Oicho-Kabu , near to the Baccara, which is traditionally played with charts of Kabufuda and Hanafuda. At the end of a part, the values of the charts are added and the unit of the sum represents the score of the player. The goal of the play is to approach the most 19.

ya comes from yattsu , which means eight (can also say hachi),

ku wants to say nine (the word kyu is also used),

za is undoubtedly a deformation of “san” which wants to say three .

Ya-Ku-its is a sum of 8-9-3, that is to say 20 (thus the score is of 0) which is a losing hand. This name thus means “losers”. Yakuzas in the beginning resulting from poorest, from are excluded from the company.

Another origin is sometimes evoked: The police officers were to enter sometimes temples to flush out players there, but not without hesitation, because the sanctuaries shintoïstes are crowned. On a chair, at the entry, a guettor watched for. role (“yaku”) of the chair (“za”) was thus to be a rampart between police force and players.

The “chivalrous way”

The integration of Rônins in XVe century brought certain numbers of rules to the yakuza , with the image of the Bushidô at the Samurais. This policy, the Ninkyôdô (the chivalrous way), contains 9 rules:

You will not offend the good citizens.
You will not take the woman of the neighbor
You will not steal the organization
You will not take drugs
You will owe obedience with your superior
You will agree to die for the father or to make prison for him
You will not have to speak about the group to whoever
In prison you will not say anything
It is not allowed to kill a katagari (nobody not forming part of the underworld)

It will be noted that rule 9 is not often observed, and that few clans still follow this ethics, and traditions in general.

Organization and activities

Organization and internal composition

The yakuza have a structure similar to that of the Mafia Sicilian , organized in families ( ikka ). They adopted the hierarchical structure traditional of the Japanese company, pyramidal, but so family, although the members are not bound by blood. Each family have a patriarch, the Oyabun (組長, literally the father , the equivalent of the godfather), also called Kumichō (組長, head of family). Each man accepted at the yakuza must accept this report/ratio Oyabun/Kobun , by promising unconditional fidelity and obedience with his owner. The Oyabun , in time that good father, is obliged to provide protection and the good councils to his children. Each of the two protagonists respects the code of the “jingi” (仁義, justice and duty). Each kobun can in its turn become godfather when it wishes it, while keeping its affiliation with its clean oyabun, and thus to increase the organization mother. To advise oyabun nearest is the Saïko-komon (最高顧問), it is an administrative station which deals with staff (lawyers, accountants, etc). The saikō-komon directs its own sectors. It orders its own subordinates, including advisers, accountants or lawyers. Just in lower part is the Waka-gashira , it is the number two of family , it is under the direct orders of the Oyabun . Its little brother , the Shatei-gashira , is of the same row, but lower in authority. It is a relay between the lower rows and the number two of the clan. The intermediate rows are composed of the Kyodaï (them big brothers ), and the bottom of the hierarchy by the Shateï (little brothers).
Apart from the family, the kumi-in (the committed man) is an executant who will be able perhaps integrated into the clan if it is some worthy.

The yakuza of today come from very varied mediums. The most romantic accounts tell that the yakuza collect wire abandoned or driven out by their parents. They are often recruited by a clan as of the college, a majority in the communities Burakumin and Korean, can be because of true the Racial segregation of which they are victims with the Japan. The burakumin accounts for 70% of the members of the Yamaguchi-gumi. The underworld is thus not confined that with only Japanese to recruit men, it accepts all of the origins, trusting only competences of the individuals. Indeed, the yakuza are usually composed of men very pointed, skilful, intelligent, because the process to obtain a station in the organization, is very competing and darwinien. The Japanese medium is entirely made up men, and there is usually no implied woman, except the wife of the Oyabun which is called the “ Kami-san ”. When the chief of the Yamaguchi-gumi was killed towards end of the year 90, his wife succeeded to him for one short period.

The ritual ones

To be allowed in a clan, it is necessary to prove reliable, on the other hand nationality does not have any importance, it is just necessary to prove its attachment with the traditions and the family.

As in the majority of the organizations of the underworld, the yakuza developed a ceremony of admission of the new recruits . This ritual of entry is very ceremonious: it is about a reception whose date is fixed in agreement with the lunar calendar. All the participants are vêtus of kimono, and placed according to an established order, in the most complete silence. The ceremony occurs in a traditional room, where a furnace bridge Shintoïste and a coffee table are stored with gifts. Oyabun and the future member are knelt one beside the other opposite witnesses ( Azukarinin ), and prepare sake mixed with salt and scales of fish, then they pour the liquid in cuts. That of Oyabun is entirely filled, in order to respect its statute. The Saké symbolizes the blood ties here. They drink then a mouthful, exchange their cuts, and drink again. New the Kobun seals this manner its membership of the family and with its Oyabun , it keeps its cut (named Oyako Sakazuki ), she is the symbol of her fidelity. If a yakuza returns its Oyako Sakazuki to its chief, it breaks its bonds with its family. Thereafter, the Oyabun makes a speech pointing out the principles of the yakuza , fidelity and blind obedience. The ritual is closed by the rupture of silence, where all the participants shout in heart “ Omedo Gozaimasu ”. There exists another ceremony, simpler: dismissal or starting ceremony, (“ Yubitsume ”, 指詰め). If a yakuza enfreint the code of honor, it must, to be made forgive, mutilate itself the little finger and offer it to the Oyabun , and return to him the cut of Saké which it had received at the time of the ritual of entry. If it renews its fault, it must start again the ceremony with the other fingers. This punishment, resulting from the tradition of the Bakuto , is not rare, and few yakuza reaches a advanced age with all their fingers. They generally keep their fingers mutilated in formol, to remember their disgrace. Nevertheless, this practice rarefies, by preoccupation with a discretion vis-a-vis the authorities.

A another form of penitence , more radical is the Seppuku (more known under the name of Hara-kiri) ritual suicide by eventration. Popular among the Japanese samurais and soldiers who practiced it like penitence for their faults, the yakuza are known to also practice it, in the event of extreme fault.

The three ritual ones important within the community, but the most are practiced, remains the ritual of the Tatouage, more known under the name of " Irezumi " in Japan. Its installation is very painful, because it is still done in a traditional way, ink is inserted under the skin using nonelectric tools, of the slams pin fixed on a handle in stainless steel bamboo or more recently (thus stérilisable), manufactured with the hand. The process is expensive and painful, and can take years to be accomplished in its entirety.

The yakuza all are almost covered with it, and each clan has his particular tattooing. This practice is originating in the Bakutos , whose members tattooed a black circle around their arms with each committed crime. It is today more the resultant of a will of the clans to be different, and a proof of courage and fidelity towards their “family”, because the process is irreversible. Certain tattooings on the entirety of the body can take months, to see years of work.

Principal families

One counts currently more: 87000 yakuza . Their number dropped much following a commando law voted in 1992 by the Japanese government, in order to make disappear the trade unions from the crime. Their number thus fell, but without to disappear. They remain thus the largest organization of organized crimes of the world, according to the Livre Guinness of the records. Their manpower are concentrated in 4 principal families:

Gainful employments of the yakuza

Most of the current activities of the yakuza can be connected to their feudal origin. Contrary to the Italian Maffia and the Chinese Triads, it is not a secret organization, the yakuza thus have often a quite visible office, raising the name of their clan or their emblem. These offices are, legally, of the associations ( dantai ) generally dedicated to “the continuation of the chivalrous way” ( Ninkyôdô ). The members have a vestimentary code specific good (sunglasses and costumes coloured), in order to be easily identifiable by the civilians ( katagi ). Even the manner of going of the yakuza is different from that of the ordinary citizens, fuller and arrogant .

On the contrary, they can be more conventionally equipped, but when the need is felt, they can emphasize their tattooings, in order to indicate their affiliation. Occasionally they also saunter with badges on their reverses. A family yakuza has even printed a monthly bulletin with details on the prisons, the marriages, the burials, the murders, and some poetries of their chiefs.

Until recently, the majority of the incomes of come from said, taken on the tradesmen and the companies located on their territory. In exchange of the protection and benevolence of the yakuza , they pour a kind “of feudal tax”. More than 41% of the owners of Japanese large companies affirm to have been victims of this racket. This situation was maintained, mainly because of the hesitation of the companies to go to require the assistance of the police force.

The yakuza also draw their incomes thanks to a form from Extorsion basic typically Japanese, known under the name of sōkaiya (総会屋). It is a form of Racket, and protection. Instead of badgering with small companies, the organization sells its services: it is rented to choke any dispute in the general meetings of shareholders. For that, it buys a small number of actions, thus obtaining the right to sit at the council of the shareholders of the company. The yakuza guarantee then the wa , the harmony of the assembly, by frightening the ordinary shareholder by their simple presence. For example, in 1989, the bank Fuji, 3rd Japanese bank, was denounced to have used this system, transferring more than 200 million yens to yakuza. A loan officially intended “to finance deprived cemeteries”, but which refunded forever.

They also engage in the simple Chantage, obtaining information accusing or embarrassing on the practices of a company, or one of its leaders. Once the yakuza put a foot in the company and ensured their profits, they will work for them, preventing with the company that scandals do not become public, and will be paid in return with bribes. In certain companies, these bribes are even included in the annual Budget.

One counted more: 8000 sôkaiya in 1982, until a law is voted against them. Today, their number would have returned to: 1500. Nevertheless, 80% of the companies which have a turnover higher than: 1000 billion yens admits to have still contacts with them, of which approximately 40% would still pour funds to them, although that is regarded as a Délit.

The Japanese police force is also little laid out to interfere in the internal problems of certain communities, as in the commercial zones, the schools/universities, the districts of night activities. There is not any doubt that, locally, from the tacit pacts are concluded between police force and yakuza , in virtue of which the members of the clans escape any arrest in the minor offenses, like intoxication on the public highway, small brawl or light breakage. In this direction, the yakuza are still regarded as semi-legitimate organizations. For example, just after the Earthquake of Kobe, the Yamaguchi-gumi, whose head offices are with Kobe, mobilized itself to help the victims of the disaster (by providing even a helicopter), and this was largely brought back by the media, which contrasts with the intervention much slower of the Japanese government. For this reason, much of yakuza estimates that their racket is a kind of feudal tax legitimate.

The yakuza have a strong influence in the Japanese professional fight, the Puroresu. They are regarded as being large defenders of this sport, as well as MY, but their interest remains mainly financial. The places where the combat of fights (arenas, stages) are held often belong them, they thus touch a percentage on the entries. It is current that the fighters receive specific instructions concerning the course of their matches, like calling right upon the yakuza of crowd. The pioneer of the fight to Japan, Rikidozan, was killed by a yakuza .

The yakuza also have bonds with the financial markets and with the real estate transactions, via the jiageya (地上げ屋). Indeed, the Japanese real-estate law makes very difficult the expulsion of the tenants and expropriations. The jiageya are bands specialized in the intimidation, which resell with the companies wanting to carry out development projects much larger.

The most lucrative criminal activity of the violent one groups remains nevertheless the drug trafficking (Amphétamines, in particular), ensuring 35% their incomes in front of the Racket, (20%), it (17%) and the Prostitution (13%). They organize also the offer of daily workers for construction and the docks and manage circuits of Clandestine immigration, which also provide them as Asian prostitutes.

---- Summary of the activities of the yakuza :

Thanks to these various processes, the yakuza have an annual turnover which would make fade any company: it was estimated at 34 billion euros in 2003.

The presence yakuza in the world

With the the United States

The presence of the yakuza to the the United States is summarized most of the time with Hawaii, but it extends in the facts with other areas from the country. It is said that the yakuza employs Hawaii like bridge between Japan and the America continent, passing from the Méthamphétamine in the United States and the firearms in smuggling in Japan.

They were easily integrated into the local population, since many regular tourists of these islands come from Asian Japan or other countries. It was estimated that the yakuza controlled approximately 90% of the traffic of Méthamphétamine in Hawaii in 1988. They are made also pickups, directing the Japanese tourists towards the brothels and in the gaming rooms.

In California, the yakuza made alliances with the Vietnamese and Korean groups local, and also with the Chinese Triades.

Los Angeles is a particularly attractive place for young women dreaming to enter the cinematographic medium. The members of the clans yakuza make use of this situation to recruit, in order to supply their dies of pornographic production and the medium of the prostitution in Japan. Indeed, the Western women are very popular among the Japanese men, in particular the blondes.

Of Yakuza were also located with Las Vegas and New York, where they guide the Japanese tourists towards the establishments of play, legal and illegal.

With the Mexico

The yakuza are present a little everywhere in the world, including in Mexico. One thus saw in this country, with the court of the years 1990 a couple of alleged employers to recruit through the country of the young girls (mainly with diplomas of tourism and good English knowledge) in their promising a work in Japan. But on their arrival on the territory, they in fact entered a prostitution network. Some succeeded in escaping and on their return to Mexico, they informed the authorities. The culprits were stopped and condemned, not for procuring because of the lack of denouncers, but only for illegal immigration.

A similar case occurred with the Peru. According to the estimates of the Association of the Hispanic women (of which the seat is with Miami), nearly 3.000 Mexican women prostituent themselves in Japan, after being recruited by the various clans yakuza .

In Australia

The presence of Yakuza in Australia is currently minimal, being limited mainly to the Gold Coast, where the members of the clans come to bleach money in casinos, or to extort money from the Japanese companies working mainly in the field of tourism. It would seem that the yakuza do not have any rooting known in Australia, but with the new commando laws voted in Japan, this situation could change, which would already involve conflicts with the gangster organizations in place, like the Mafia, the 'Ndrangheta and the Irish Mafia.

Works on Yakuza

Cinema

the realizers

the films

The Yakuza of Sydney Pollack (1975)
Tampopo, of Juzo Itami (1985)
Punisher, of Mark Goldblatt (1989)

In the claws of the red dragon, of Mark L. To ballast (1991)
Red Sun , of Philip Kaufman (1993)
Crying freeman, of Christophe Gans (1995)

Postman Blues (Posutoman Burusu), of Sabu (1997)

Samurai Fiction , of Nakano Hiroyuki (1998)

Taxi 2 , of Luc Besson (2000)

Manga and animates

Gokusen
My Boss My Hero
Sanctuary
Heat

Video games

Yakuza (video game)
Large Theft Car
James Bond 007: Nightfire
Red Steel
Hitman : Hired killer
Tomb Raider Legend

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