Yukuza--Japanese+Mafia

__ Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia __

Created By: Kurt
 * __ Quick Facts __**

As shown in this picture, the man is missing part of his pinky finger. Many members of the Yakuza have done this aweful deed as a sign of apology to a boss. They will bring the tip of their finger to their bosses or an obayun to save a member of their gang from further fighting. This is all because of how you handle a Japanese sword. The bottom three fingers always hold the sword tightly, while the thumb and pointer finger are looser. If you lose more and more fingers due to an offense, you will not be able to hold a sword correctly.
 * Yakuza is one of the largest crime groups world wide. Sometimes, Yakuza is referred to as a local violence group, but they are more than just that. Members of this criminal organization do not like this title, because any criminal could be called violent groups.
 * Yakuza has had two main leaders, Yoshio Kodama and Kazuo Taoka. Yoshio Kodama reigned during and after WWII, while Kazuo Taoka took over from 1946-1981.By this time, Yakuza had about 184,000 members, and 5,200 different gangs.
 * Yakuza was founded in the early 17th century, by men who did not fit in with the rest of the villagers. They dressed differently, and then began to steal and do more more crimes. They were immediately known by the authorities, and were known as the Kabuki-mono. Before they began to commit crime, they were samurais for the shoguns in Japan.
 * Almost all of the Yakuza members have distinctive tattoos that usually have a samurai or some kind of animal.

This picture shows a tattoo on a Yakuza member. It illustrates a Koi Fish, and some water around it too. Most of the Yakuza have tattoos, even some that go across their whole body. They usually have a soldier or an animal, like this one. The most common animal, however, is the dragon, a traditional Asian serpent.

Click Here for yakuza's hierarchy structure Click Here to find out about Current crimes. Click Here to go to the Yakuza bibliography page