THINGS JAPANESE: Yakuza

Yakuza. The mere mention of the word, for many, conjures up images of tattoo clad gangsters with permed hair and fingers missing taking part in various criminal activities. But is this really true or are they infact just a misunderstood, misrepresented group of people who play an important role in Japanese society?

The word yakuza comes from the Japanese version of the popular card game, Black Jack - known as 'Oicho Kabu' in Japanese. The idea of the game is to reach 19 (as opposed to 21 in Black Jack) and anything above this number is worthless. 8-9-3 or(ya-ku-za) was used to describe 20. 8-9-3 (ya-ku-za) totals 20 and that is where the word originally came from and was used to describe people seen as worthless.

It was first used in the early 17th Century to describe men known as 'kabuki mono', or 'crazy ones'. These men earned a reputation for their odd style of clothing, strange haircut and bad behaviour. During the Shogun period these people, also known as Ronin (masterless samurai) travelled around Japan in small groups, robbing and pillaging small villages and towns.

Another group that emerged at about the same time were the Machi-Yakko (city servant) who were made up of shopowners, traders and ronin, defended their village, or town, from the marauding Kabuki-Mono.They were popular among the people of Japan at the time for their acts and it is this group of people that many latter day Yakuza regard as their true 'ancestors'. Many modern day Yakuza would like to preceived as the peoples helper and saviour, just as the Machi-Yakko were, 200 years ago.

At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th Century, Japan underwent great industrial and social change and the Yakuza were not slow in adapting to, and exploiting these changes. They began recruiting heavily within the shipping and construction industry and also began to co-operate with authorities in return for more favourable treatment from police. The number of Yakuza members continued to rise steadily up until Japan's involvement in WWII. During the American occupation of Japan after WWII food was rationed and this led to a flourishing black market in a variety of goods and the emergence of a new kind of Yakuza (gurentai - or street hustler). The Yakuza began to take many of their cues from the Italian Mafia that was operating in America at the time and would dress in dark suits, withshoes and short�Acropped hair.

Between 1958-1963 the number of Yakuza members rose to a record 180,000 people, in approximately 5,000 gangs throughout Japan. This increase in gangs also led to an increase in violence as the gangs began to mark out their territories. From this high of 180,000 members in the early 1960's numbers have continued to decline. In 1988 the National Police Agency estimated that there were 3,400 organized crime groups operating with roughly 100,000 members (this compares to an estimated 30,000 members of organized crime in the US).

More recently the Yakuza has begun to branch into legitimate society through businesses that are easily accessable for them, such as finance, real estate and investment banking. There is even concern that the Yakuza is developing the kind of financial power that could threaten the whole economy. In 1992 steps were taken to reduce the Yakuza's increasing politcal and financial influence by passing the Act for the Prevention of Unlawful Activities by Boryokudan (Yakuza or criminal gang) Members in 1992. So incensed by this new law, wives and daughters of Yakuza members marched through Ginza in Tokyo in protest.

The new law has appeared to make little inroads into the perceived problem and the Yakuza are still ever present in Japanese society. An example of this was shown in 1995 when a large earthquake hit Japan. The city of Kobe, home to Japan's largest Yakuza organization the 'Yamaguchi-gumi', was hit the hardest and in the immediate aftermarth, with local authorities slow to respond to the devastation the local Yakuza provided food and clothing for thousands of people in need. This was not only an embarrassment for the local authorities but also a PR coup for the Yakuza.

Before I came to Japan the word 'Yakuza', for me, meant - gangster, a member of the Japanese Mafia who was indistinguishable in his criminal activities from his Russian, Italian or American counterparts. Many people think the same and regard the Yakuza as a detriment to Japanese society. But the longer I am in Japan, I begin to understand that the Yakuza perform a type of social service on the streets of Japan. It is often in the Japanese nature to shy away from conflict and to not go through legal measures in order to settle a dispute or when they have difficulties. In these cases they may seek help from the local Yakuza as opposed to the police. The situation may be solved in a crude or brutal manner but is often quicker and more effective than conventional means. This goes some way to perhaps explaining why Japan's crime rate is so low. Another argument is that the Yakuza are simply gangsters who have perfected the art of exploiting the Japanese tendancy to utilize personal relations, rather than legal methods so resolve disputes.

Membership: There are no specific requirements in order to become a member although individual gangs may have their own rules. Yakuza members can come from youths abandoned by their parents, people who haven't managed to, or are unwilling to, fit into the high pressure, rigid education system and refugees from other countries close to Japan.

Tattoos: Tattoos are seen as a symbol of Yakuza membership and are still frowned upon by many people in Japan. People with tattoos who try to go to onsens (hot springs), swimming pools and other public bathing facilities may not be allowed to enter, or may be required to cover up the offending tattoo and this can apply to foreigners not just Japanese, such is the stigma attached to tattoos. Normally, Yakuza members will sport a group or clan symbol. It is said that the reason Yakuza had tattoos was because the Bakuto (gamblers) would tattoo a black ring around their arm each time they committed a crime. Later, it came to signify the unwillingness to comply to the rules and norms of society.

Yubitsume: This is when you cut off one of your fingers and send it to the 'Kamicho' (boss) as an apology for disobedience, or to spare one of your 'children'. The first time it happens, the tip of the smallest finger is cut off, and then to the next finger and so on. This practice is said to originate from when the Bakuto. When a gambler couldn't pay back a debt, the tip of his little finger was cut off and this made it difficult for the person to hold a sword in the future.

Books on Yakuza: If you want to find out more about the Yakuza then have a look at the following books:

Yakuza Diary : Doing Time in the Japanese Underworld by Christopher Seymour.

Yakuza : The Explosive Account of Japan's Criminal Underworld by David E Kaplan, Alec Dubro.

The Photography : Yakuza, Portraits of Japanese Gangs by Michael Soejima.

The Tattooed Men : An American Woman Reports on the Japanese Criminal Underworld by Florence Rome.

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