Yakuza

Named for the worst hand in the card game Oicho-Kabu, the Yakuza (literally ya8-ku9-sa3) see themselves as an honorable organization, providing service to those members of society that the government or elite cannot, or will not, help. When a crooked gambler cheats a desperate man out of the rent money, for instance, the police will do nothing since the entire activity was illegal, but the Yakuza can be asked for aid. These favors require repayment, of course, creating a circle of dependent persons who can only turn to the Yakuza for aid and who, in turn, protect them from the authorities. Prospective members of the Yakuza are drawn largely from teenaged gangs and “adopted” into the Yakuza family. Indeed, the core Yakuza model is based on the creation of a stand-in family, with the oyabun referred to as “father,” while the kobun call one another elder brother/younger brother as appropriate, a tradition that is extended to the rare big sisters/little sisters who join as well. This intense family loyalty binds the organization tightly, and the son-to-father bonds, created over shared cups of sake, continue to the very top of the organization. There is no true “boss of bosses” atop the Yakuza families; instead, the five largest families meet in concert and try to defuse situations between their subordinates. As Japan replaced the United States as the greatest economic force in the world, and Japanese corporations spread out in a form of economic empire, the Yakuza followed in their wake. This has established the Yakuza across the world, operating in the shadows (and some boardrooms) of their corporate benefactors. The corps, in turn, have “working arrangements” with the Yakuza that protect their businesses and allow for the exchange of goods and services between the two (such as corporate money buying drugs or the Yakuza providing young women for executives). Mitsuhama Computer Technologies is the most famous cousin of the Yakuza, and persistent rumors circulate that one or more of the major stockholders are Yakuza leaders. The Yakuza consider themselves to be an honorable organization and strictly enforce this by never preying on the innocent. They make offers, such as gambling, drugs, or revenge, but if rebuffed they are forbidden from lashing out. Those who enter a bargain with the Yakuza, by definition, are no longer innocent, but this restriction prevents the Yakuza from engaging in theft, and several other crimes. In contrast, those who enter into Yakuza business, such as gambling at pachinko parlors, understand that they’re dealing with criminals and accept being cheated from time to time. Those found guilty of violating someone’s innocence can be expected to engage in Yubitsume, or finger-cutting, at the very least. Yakuza members undergo an extensive tattooing process, starting from when they’re first accepted into the gang and carried on for the rest of their career. These tattoos are unique to each member and are ordinarily applied in ancient ways. The upper torso, lower body, and genitals are all appropriate areas to tattoo but the face, upper neck, hands, and center of the chest are generally left untouched, allowing members to still wear long-sleeved shirts in public without betraying their gangster status. When in private and dealing with fellow Yakuza, tattoos are frequently on display as a show of trust between brothers. Those worried about dealing with Yakuza members often hold meetings in bathhouses or similar areas where shirts cannot be worn as a way of keeping the criminal element out.