Even today, specific yakuza gangs may identify themselves as tekiya or bakuto, depending on how they make the majority of their money.
They also retain rituals used by the earlier groups as part of their initiation ceremonies. Since the end of World War II , yakuza gangs have rebounded in popularity after a lull during the war. The Japanese government estimated in that there were more than , yakuza members working in Japan and abroad, in 2, different families.
Despite the official end of discrimination against burakumin in , more than years later, many gang members are descendants of that outcast class. Others are ethnic Koreans, who also face considerable discrimination in Japanese society. Traces of the gangs' origins can be seen in the signature aspects of yakuza culture today. For example, many yakuza sport full-body tattoos which are made with traditional bamboo or steel needles, rather than modern tattooing guns. The tattooed area may even include the genitals, an incredibly painful tradition.
The yakuza members usually remove their shirts while playing cards with each other and display their body art, a nod to the bakuto traditions, although they generally cover up with long sleeves in public. Another feature of yakuza culture is the tradition of yubitsume or severing the joint of the little finger. Yubitsume is performed as an apology when a yakuza member defies or otherwise displeases his boss. The guilty party cuts off the top joint of his left pinkie finger and presents it to the boss; additional transgressions lead to the loss of additional finger joints.
This custom originated in Tokugawa times; the loss of finger joints makes the gangster's sword grip weaker, theoretically leading him to depend more on the rest of the group for protection. Today, many yakuza members wear prosthetic fingertips to avoid being conspicuous. The largest yakuza syndicates operating today are the Kobe-based Yamaguchi-gumi, which includes about half of all active yakuza in Japan; the Sumiyoshi-kai, which originated in Osaka and boasts about 20, members; and the Inagawa-kai, out of Tokyo and Yokohama, with 15, members.
The gangs engage in criminal activities such as international drug-smuggling, human trafficking, and arms smuggling. However, they also hold significant amounts of stock in large, legitimate corporations, and some have close ties with the Japanese business world, the banking sector, and the real estate market.
Interestingly, after the devastating Kobe earthquake of January 17, , it was the Yamaguchi-gumi who first came to the aid of victims in the gang's home city. Likewise, after the earthquake and tsunami, different yakuza groups sent truck-loads of supplies to the affected area. Another counter-intuitive benefit from the yakuza is the suppression of petty criminals. Kobe and Osaka, with their powerful yakuza syndicates, are among the safest towns in a generally safe nation because small-fry crooks do not trespass on yakuza territory.
Despite these surprising social benefits of the yakuza, the Japanese government has cracked down on the gangs in recent decades. In , the Osaka Securities Exchange purged all of its listed companies that had ties to the yakuza. Since , police across the country have been arresting yakuza bosses and shutting down businesses that cooperate with the gangs. Although the police are making serious efforts to suppress yakuza activity in Japan these days, it seems unlikely that the syndicates will disappear entirely.
They have survived for more than years, after all, and they are closely entwined with many aspects of Japanese society and culture. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.
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Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Toshihiro Nagoshi, the creator of the Yakuza franchise, has officially left Sega after 32 years at the company.
The announcement came today October 8 via a statement from RGG Studio , which is transitioning with a new structure and new leadership. To achieve that, they too need to continue to learn, challenge themselves, and grow. As marks RGG Studio's 10th anniversary, we look forward to new beginnings. Please see the link below for a message from the RGG Studio team about staff changes and our exciting future. Having been with Sega since , Nagoshi is one of the last veteran developers at the Japanese company, responsible for pioneering games like Virtua Racing and Super Monkey Ball , although his most successful creation has been the Yakuza series, first released in in Japan, which has resulted in multiple entries and spin-offs, including legal detective thriller Lost Judgment.
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