TheYakuzais the name yield to organized criminalgangsfrom Japan . The Yakuza is not a individual organization but rather a collection of separate gangs orclansakin to the AmericanMafia . These crimson crook have leave their fingerprints on many aspect of Japanese life , from lowly gaming and prostitution fraudulent scheme to the manse of high - degree political and financial power .
The various gangs that make up the Yakuza have different origins , and the gangs ' rendering of these origins can be quite unlike from the historical record . In their own vision of themselves , Yakuza descend from honorable , Robin - Hood - like role who defended their villages from wander bandits . Some even take to trace the Yakuza ’s filiation toRonin , samurai warriors who found themselves without Edgar Lee Masters following a point of political Sturm und Drang in 17th - century Japan [ source : Crime Library ] . you may take more about Ronin and samurai inHow Samurai Work .
Others claim that Yakuza instead uprise with thekabuki - mono , " the crazy ones . " These were wildly - dressed tough who carried very longswords , intimidated total settlement and sometimes executed civilian for no particular reason [ source : Kaplan ] . The truth is likely a blend of the two stories . Left without a military pecking order to give their animation focus , many samurai change state to crime . Others moved into merchant trades or shadier businesses such as gambling family and house of ill repute [ source : Seymour ] . These criminals , master - less warriors and newcomers to the Japanese market scheme had one thing in common : they were all outsiders .
The name " Yakuza " reflect this foreigner status . It comes from a Japanese posting game called Oicho - Kabu . This game is interchangeable to baccarat in that the point value of a hired man is based on the final finger’s breadth of the hand ’s score . A hand of eight , nine and three match 20 , which is worth zero points - the worst possible hired man in the secret plan . The Japanese quarrel for eight , nine and three ( ya , ku and za ) became the word " Yakuza , " stand for worthless or superfluous . Check out this page on oicho - kabu to learn more about the game.
The word " Yakuza " to begin with referred to a person who was a gang phallus , but today it also pertain to Japanese organized offense as a whole . Boryokudan , another give-and-take for Yakuza , is moot an revilement . It refers to degenerate , violent gangsters with no sense of tradition or honor . This is how the Nipponese police refer to the Yakuza.
The Yakuza ’s most direct ancestors are groups of quasi - legal businessmen from the eighteenth century who gambled or hawk goods on the streets of orotund cities . hump asbakutoandtekiya , severally , these gamblers and peddlers still lend their names to some Yakuza clans today [ source : Kaplan ] . These groups gradually organized themselves into gangs known as families or kinship group , which had formal hierarchies and ruler .
In the late 19th century , the Yakuza became affiliate with nationalistic , militaristic ideologies and government . work party cultivated alliances with politicians , and politicians used them to assassinate opponents , strong - weapon system craft groups or even fight in nearby nations like China [ source : Kaplan ] . The disorder of post - World - War - II Japan may also have give the Yakuza an even stronger foothold in Japanese economics and politics .
Yakuza Structure
A Yakuza family has a structure superficially similar to aMafiafamily . A exclusive paterfamilias ( kumicho ) rein the kindred . He has various lieutenants , under - bosses and minorgangleaders beneath him in a some pyramidal body structure [ source : Crime Library ] . Regional leader , help , advisers and an assortment of thugs further complicate the Yakuza tribe structure . Some kindred have a different structure – they act as large-minded alliances that play many smaller gang under one umbrella [ source : Kaplan ] .
The key to the hierarchy is theoyabun - kobunrelationship , a readiness of father - son persona that binds all Yakuza clans together . In return for right-down commitment and unquestioning obedience from his kobun , the oyabun bring home the bacon advice and guidance along with protection and prestige [ rootage : Kaplan ] . The direction on honor and tradition in Japanese club further cements these kinship . It also does n’t hurt that the punishments for failing the oyabun range from the mortifying ( expulsion from the kinship group ) to the gruesome ( cut off part of a finger ) . Each appendage of the clan may play both the oyabun and the kobun roles , act as a underling to the Yakuza immediately above him and as a boss to the gangster below him .
Entry into both an oyabun - kobun human relationship and a Yakuza clan is marked by a special ceremony . A third mortal pelt shabu of sake for the new member and his oyabun gaffer . The boss and new penis drink some of the saki from their own glasses . Then , they exchange glasses and drink some of each other ’s rice beer . The knob drinks his filling while the initiate but sips [ source : Crime Library ] .
Although many Yakuza clans have superpatriotic ideologies , Koreans have a strong presence within the Yakuza . Koreans are sometimes looked down upon in Nipponese club , which feed into the Yakuza ’s outsider status . The profitability of smuggling good between Japan and Korea also add to this Korean influence .
Womenare marginalized by the Yakuza . Even the girl and married woman of clan member tend to be little more than handmaiden at best , and they ’re sometimes used as crew prostitutes . womanhood rarely hold position of top executive ( with one notable exception , which we ’ll discuss later ) [ source : The Guardian ] .
Yakuza Activities
Yakuza are criminalgangs . They participate in many of the same money - making activities as all criminal pack . Illegal gambling and whoredom are Yakuza earmark , while the smuggling of banned goods such as drugs , firearms and pornography is also profitable . The age - quondam protective covering racket , in which Yakuza threaten business owners and other citizen with violence unless they give a testimonial , is a common Yakuza tactic as well .
Nipponese gangsters also operate legal businesses using the profits from the illegal ace . substantial land , construction and amusement are all industriousness in which Yakuza have become involved [ sources : Japan TimesandAsahi ] . Japan’sprofessional wrestlingleagues and venue are specially known for Yakuza affaire .
Higher - level Yakuza often dally the Japanesestock market , sometimes legally . They may also discover or invent incriminating information about a company and use this data to blackjack its board of director . After bribe shares of the company ’s stock , a clan send some of its member to board coming together , where they peril company officials with the loss of the evidence . Yakuza can exercise a outstanding deal of ascendance over business this way or simply demand payoffs [ author : Crime Library ] .
Many Yakuza extortion and blackmail schemes are carefully designed to maintain the Nipponese tradition of politeness . Yakuza may ask tummy to give ear golf game tournament , give to fake charity or purchase certain items , all at preposterously inflated prices . The corporations ' leaders love that there is an implied terror with such request , so they often go along even though the Yakuza never make a direct scourge or need [ source : Crime Library ] .
Yakuza and Politics
A handful of Yakuza bosses have used their criminal empires to make headway political power . In fact , a few Yakuza have played major roles in the chronicle of Japan . Yoshio Kodamamade a fortune during World War II by sell state of war stuff . He bought these materials from China – China sold them under duress .
Initially immure as a war criminal , Kodama made several key Hades connections before his sacking by American take forces . Using his own espionage web , a minuscule US Army of loyal Yakuza followers and several umbrageous deals with theCIA , Kodama consolidated his political king . A fierce right - extension nationalist , Kodama used his money and influence to mould Japanese politics and business in ways that will probably never fully see the lighter of day . He was eventually accuse of various fiscal criminal offense but pop off of malady before he could stand trial [ Sources : KaplanandCrime Library].Ryoichi Sasakawawas a coeval of Kodama ’s and had a similar vocation .
Kazuo Taokawas another influential Yakuza boss . He was the leader of the largest clan , the Yamaguchi - gumi . He wielded his power from the end of World War II to the early eighties , when he cash in one’s chips of a heart attack . His married woman , Fumiko Taoka , stepped into the major power void and held the kindred together for a period of several month . Not only was Fumiko Taoka one of the only women to ever play as oyabun , she did so for the largest , most powerful Yakuza gang in Japan [ reference : Kaplan ] .
In modern Japan , there is not as much margin for the blatant demonstrations of power that the Yakuza once displayed . In 1992 , the Nipponese political science passed a law much like the U.S. ’s RICO jurisprudence . This law add penalization for crimes conducted to further gang goal and allowedgangleaders to be bear responsible for the crime of their members . However , the law of nature did not importantly cut crowd membership in the prospicient term – psychoanalyst figure that Yakuza rank across all of Japan top 80,000 , and the Yamaguchi - gumi clan , now six generation one-time , has roughly 20,000 members across many affiliated pack [ Sources : AsahiandJapan Times ] .
The law also led to the restructuring of some kin group , which may have get more scathe than good . Police pressure lead some gang to move to new areas , fire bloody mob war . Critics also contend that the law make it harder for police to get dependable data from Yakuza informant
monumental amounts of money also continue to move in and out of Yakuza coffers every year , with some estimates exceed more than a trillion and a one-half yen ( more than $ 13 billion U.S. ) for 2004 alone [ source : Japan Times ] . That much money will always yield influence , so there is little doubtfulness that the Yakuza are still a muscular force in Japanese patronage and politics .
To check more about unionized crime , the Yakuza and related info , check out the links on the next page .
