Yakuza syndicates are composed of groups tiered in a pyramidal structure, where the head family is comprised of members who are bosses of second-tier groups. The senior executives of second-level groups are in turn bosses of third-tier groups. There are an estimated 3,000 yakuza groups and subgroups based in Japan.
Although yakuza membership has declined following an anti-gang law aimed specifically at yakuza and passed by the Japanese government in 1992, there are thought to be about 25,900 active yakuza members in Japan today. The Yamaguchi-gumi is the largest yakuza family, with about 8,200 members.
The largest conglomerate is the Yamaguchi-gumi, founded about 1915 by Yamaguchi Harukichi but fully developed and aggrandized only after World War II by Taoka Kazuo. Similar to that of the Italian Mafia, the yakuza hierarchy is reminiscent of a family.
The Yamaguchi family is successful to the point where its name has become synonymous with Japanese organized crime in many parts of Asia outside Japan. Many Chinese or Korean persons who do not know the name "Yakuza" would know the name "Yamaguchi-gumi", which is frequently portrayed in gangster films.
The largest Yakuza syndicate today is the Yamaguchi-gumi, based out of Kobe. They currently number around 8,000 and focus primarily on gambling, trafficking, and the sex industry. Despite their gradual decline, many members of the Yamaguchi-gumi still rank among the world's wealthiest gangsters.
While the Yakuza, Japan's organized crime syndicate, often plays a role in movies, they are not likely to target tourists. While in Japan, simply exercise common sense and don't make yourself a target. Keep valuables in a safe place and exercise caution.
Kenichi Shinoda (篠田 建市, Shinoda Ken'ichi, born January 25, 1942), also known as Shinobu Tsukasa (司 忍, Tsukasa Shinobu), is a Japanese Yakuza, the sixth and current kumicho (supreme kingpin, or chairman) of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest yakuza organization.
Yes, you can join the Yakuza as an American. That's because the Yakuza have the traditional Japanese warrior spirit that sees the foreigner as a threat. However, if you succeed, you'll have to carry out criminal activities since it's a criminal group.
A Great game but not for kids!
Which should be enough to keep kids away from the title. The story is great, it is about a young guy who is framed for murder and is trying to find his way in the world of the Yakuza, big buisness and trying to figure out what like is about.
The men of yakuza follow a strict code of conduct and hierarchy. They sport irezumi (a distinctive style of Japanese tattooing), slick back-combed hair, tailored suits, and are most avidly known for following unconventional rituals like yubitsume, the amputation of the left little finger.
But it should not mask the reality that, for the foreseeable future at least, the yakuza still runs Japan's criminal underworld.
1. Kazuma Kiryu. Kazuma Kiryu, nicknamed the Dragon of Dojima, is the single most legendary and accomplished character in the Yakuza universe.
Tadamasa Goto was a prominent figure in the Yamaguchi-gumi syndicate, and is considered one of the most notorious and controversial Yakuza bosses of all time.
Takemoto. The process of leaving the yakuza traditionally costs a finger joint. For those who had been gangsters, though, the team's rules were clear: New members must prove they have quit the yakuza. The process of leaving can be difficult; traditionally, it cost a finger joint.
"For the last 20 years, young people in Japan have had little interest in joining a gang because it's poorly paid, long hours and a violent way of making a living; people don't want that and they would rather have a proper job," he added. "So gang members are inevitably getting older and not being replaced."
Members of the Yakuza are strictly prohibited from hurting civilians. It's part of their core rules.
In Yakuza: Like a Dragon, there are six female NPCs that Ichiban can romance by chatting outside of their normal occupation. You can improve your relationship with these NPCs by giving them gifts.
For a series known for its larger-than-life displays of machismo, Yakuza 5 changed things up by introducing the series' first playable female protagonist.
One has to say no, because the Yakuza is an exclusive all-male organization. Within the organization many women can have business or managerial positions for different functions while working for the Yakuza but they cannot be members of the Yakuza.
As all yakuza members are required to have tattoos, people tend to associate tattoos with them.
If the gamblers are all yakuza, they can bet at least ten thousand dollars for one play. Sometimes they make more than a million dollars a day.
Do yakuza have wives? Contrary to the Western mafia wives, Yakuza wives have remained outside the sphere of criminal activity in this organized crime structure, limited to the emotionally receptive and financially supportive role.
Masayoshi Tanimura
He is the youngest of the four protagonists in Yakuza 4, and regrettably did not return for any of the sequels, though he is sometimes mentioned.
In the 1900's, American occupation forces in postwar Japan saw the yakuza as a primary threat to their work and realized they were well-organized and operated with support from some government officials. Between 1958 and 1963, the number of group members rose by more than 150 percent to 184,000.
Tattoos as a mark of unity
The yakuza select them based on their meaning: the carp represents courage, the dragon symbolises wisdom, the tiger embodies strength, the snake is a symbol of healing… The members of a clan often have the same tattoos, with a strict requirement: that they are not visible in everyday life.