yakuza

Organized crime exists in every country in the world, and Japan is no exception. There are about 2,500 crime families in Japan, with a total of about 110,000 members.

The word yakuza has a curious etymology. In Japanese, the syllables ya-ku-san mean “eight-nine-three.” The sum of the numbers 8,9, and 3 is 20 which is a losing hand in the card game hana-fuda. A lose translation of yakuza therefore, would be “the losing hands of society.”

In a society that places such a high emphasis on conformity, Japan’s mobsters opt for garish fashions. They wear pointy-toes shoes, flashy suits, and prefer to drive American Cadillacs or Lincoln Town Cars. Another mark of the yakuza member is the elaborate tattoo which covers the entire back, chest, and torso. These tattoos might contain images of dragons, samurai warriors, or even landscapes.

Yakuza are likely to be involved in loan-sharking, prostitution, pornography, or gun-running. Sometimes they also resort to outright extortion via protection rackets. The yakuza also invest in legitimate—or semi-legitimate businesses. They run pachinko parlors, nightclubs, and even video game arcades. Some yakuza also invest heavily in the stock of mainstream corporations.

The American mob steadfastly keeps a low profile; and several senior mob bosses in the U.S.A. have been “whacked” for behavior that threatened to draw too much public attention. In contrast, an idiosyncrasy of the Japanese mob is their refusal to keep a low profile. Gangs emblazon the names of their organizations on signs outside their headquarters as if they were normal businesses. The Japanese media commonly reports on the gossip and personal activities of prominent gang leaders.

Within the broad category of yakuza, there are three major subcategories: tekiya / 的屋 (street peddlers), bakuto / 博徒(gamblers), and gurentai 愚連隊 (hoodlums). The tekiya and the bakuto have existed since the 1700s. The gurentai, on the other hand, are a distinctly postwar phenomenon. They have more in common with the American gangster than with their bakuto or tekiya cousins.

From 1945 until about 1949, Japan’s war-devastated economy was dominated by black markets. The extreme shortages of the immediate postwar period forced ordinary citizens to depend on the black market for basic necessities. Organized gangs often played a central role in managing the black markets—profiting from protection fees and commissions extracted from sellers. Many of these gangs, such as the famous Matsuda-gumi, were dominated by demobilized soldiers.

While most gangsters are men, female hoodlums are not unheard of. In 1946 Tokyo authorities arrested the leaders of a group call “The Blood Cherry Gang.” This gang consisted entirely of women. These enterprising ladies of vice divided themselves into two separate units. One group of women worked as prostitutes, while the other group extorted money from rival prostitutes.

The Japanese gang member who fails in an assignment or commits a breach of loyalty may have to perform a painful act of atonement. The gang members boss, (oyabun / 親分) may require him to atone by cutting off one of his fingers (usually the pinky) just above the top joint. (This practice was d in the 1989 American film about the Japanese mob, Black Rain.) A missing fingertip is therefore a telltale sign of yakuza membership.


Home Departments Basic Vocabulary Grammar Kanji Proverbs Word Focus Business Japanese Gift Shop The Everything Japanese Guide

	YAKUZA ヤクザ
	Japanese Organized Crime About 2,500 Crime Families Organized crime exists in every country in the world, and Japan is no exception. There are about 2,500 crime families in Japan, with a total of about 110,000 members. The word yakuza has a curious etymology. In Japanese, the syllables ya-ku-san mean “eight-nine-three.” The sum of the numbers 8,9, and 3 is 20 which is a losing hand in the card game hana-fuda. A lose translation of yakuza therefore, would be “the losing hands of society.” In a society that places such a high emphasis on conformity, Japan’s mobsters opt for garish fashions. They wear pointy-toes shoes, flashy suits, and prefer to drive American Cadillacs or Lincoln Town Cars. Another mark of the yakuza member is the elaborate tattoo which covers the entire back, chest, and torso. These tattoos might contain images of dragons, samurai warriors, or even landscapes. Yakuza are likely to be involved in loan-sharking, prostitution, pornography, or gun-running. Sometimes they also resort to outright extortion via protection rackets. The yakuza also invest in legitimate—or semi-legitimate businesses. They run pachinko parlors, nightclubs, and even video game arcades. Some yakuza also invest heavily in the stock of mainstream corporations. Japanese Mobsters Don’t Keep a Low Profile The American mob steadfastly keeps a low profile; and several senior mob bosses in the U.S.A. have been “whacked” for behavior that threatened to draw too much public attention. In contrast, an idiosyncrasy of the Japanese mob is their refusal to keep a low profile. Gangs emblazon the names of their organizations on signs outside their headquarters as if they were normal businesses. The Japanese media commonly reports on the gossip and personal activities of prominent gang leaders. Within the broad category of yakuza, there are three major subcategories: tekiya / 的屋 (street peddlers), bakuto / 博徒(gamblers), and gurentai 愚連隊 (hoodlums). The tekiya and the bakuto have existed since the 1700s. The gurentai, on the other hand, are a distinctly postwar phenomenon. They have more in common with the American gangster than with their bakuto or tekiya cousins. Japanese Mobsters after World War II From 1945 until about 1949, Japan’s war-devastated economy was dominated by black markets. The extreme shortages of the immediate postwar period forced ordinary citizens to depend on the black market for basic necessities. Organized gangs often played a central role in managing the black markets—profiting from protection fees and commissions extracted from sellers. Many of these gangs, such as the famous Matsuda-gumi, were dominated by demobilized soldiers. While most gangsters are men, female hoodlums are not unheard of. In 1946 Tokyo authorities arrested the leaders of a group call “The Blood Cherry Gang.” This gang consisted entirely of women. These enterprising ladies of vice divided themselves into two separate units. One group of women worked as prostitutes, while the other group extorted money from rival prostitutes. Atonement for Failure in Yakuza Organizations The Japanese gang member who fails in an assignment or commits a breach of loyalty may have to perform a painful act of atonement. The gang members boss, (oyabun / 親分) may require him to atone by cutting off one of his fingers (usually the pinky) just above the top joint. (This practice was d in the 1989 American film about the Japanese mob, Black Rain.) A missing fingertip is therefore a telltale sign of yakuza membership.