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Bakuto
''Bakuto'' (博徒) were itinerant gamblers active in Japan from the 18th century to the mid-20th century. They were one of two forerunners (the other being ''tekiya'', or peddlers) to modern Japanese organized crime syndicates called ''yakuza''. History Beginning around the 17th century, ''bakuto'' plied their trade in towns and highways in feudal Japan, playing traditional games such as hanafuda and dice. During the Tokugawa shogunate, violent ''bakuto'' ''ikka'' (families) rose to power with the gambling spaces they ran, occasionally hired by local governments to gamble with laborers, winning back worker's earnings in exchange for a percentage. They had varying qualities of relationships with the villages in which they lived, often as well with the government, despite their connection. In the 18th century, the tradition of elaborate tattooing was introduced into ''bakuto'' culture. Dealers of card or dice games often displayed these full-body tattoos shirtless while playin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ''yakuza'' is gangster, meaning an individual involved in a Mafia-like criminal organization. The ''yakuza'' are known for their strict codes of conduct, their organized fiefdom nature and several unconventional ritual practices such as '' yubitsume'' or amputation of the left little finger. Members are often portrayed as males, wearing "sharp suits" with heavily tattooed bodies and slicked hair. This group is still regarded as being among "the most sophisticated and wealthiest criminal organizations". At their height, the ''yakuza'' maintained a large presence in the Japanese media and operated internationally. At their peak in the early 1960s, police estimated that the ''yakuza'' had a membership of more than 200,000."Police of Ja ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shimizu Jirocho
was a famous yakuza and entrepreneur. He is considered a folk hero in Japan. Born , he was adopted by his uncle Jirohachi Yamamoto who was a rice wholesaler. Due to the fall of his adoptive family he became a bakuto (gambler) and thereafter the biggest yakuza boss of the Tōkaidō region. Jirocho was also a philanthropist, business leader, and a patriot. In the late 19th century, Jirocho dominated the port of Shimizu and two main routes; Tōkaidō and Nakasendō, which connected the two former capitals, Kyoto and Edo. He had henchmen such as Omasa (大政), Komasa (小政) and Mori no Ishimatsu (森の石松). His life is distinguished as a violent crime boss, but also in his later years humane, political and economic development. There are multiple accounts about his life which makes it difficult to distinguish fact from legend. His legendary status is depicted in many movies and TV dramas. Early life Jirocho birth name was Chogoro Yamamoto (山本 長五郎). He was born o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tekiya
''Tekiya'' ( or ; "peddlers") are itinerant Japanese merchants who, along with the ''bakuto'' ("gamblers"), historically were predecessors to the modern ''yakuza''. A loose American equivalent of the ''tekiya'' could be seen in carnies. History ''Tekiya'' ranked as one of the lowest social groups during the Edo period. As they began to form organizations of their own, they took over some administrative duties relating to commerce, such as stall allocation and protection of their commercial activities. During Shinto festivals, these peddlers opened stalls and some members were hired to act as security. Each peddler paid rent in exchange for a stall assignment and protection during the fair. The ''tekiya'' were a highly structured and hierarchical group with the ''oyabun'' (boss) at the top and ''kobun'' (gang members) at the bottom.Raz, Jacob. "Insider Outsider: The Way of the Yakuza." Kyoto Journal. Last modified 17 April 2011. https://kyotojournal.org/society/insider-outsider ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ken Takakura
, born , was a Japanese actor and singer who appeared in over 200 films. Affectionately referred to as "Ken-san" by audiences, he was best known for his brooding style and the stoic presence he brought to his roles. He won the Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role four times, more than any other actor. Takakura additionally received the Japanese Medal of Honor with purple ribbon in 1998, the Person of Cultural Merit award in 2006, and the Order of Culture in 2013. Life and career Takakura was born in Nakama, Fukuoka in 1931. He attended Tochiku High School in nearby Yahata City, where he was a member of the boxing team and English society. It was around this time that he gained his streetwise swagger and tough-guy persona watching ''yakuza'' movies. This subject was covered in one of his most famous movies, ''Showa Zankyo-den'' (''Remnants of Chivalry in the Showa Era''), in which he played an honorable old-school yakuza among the violent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chō-han
''Chō-Han Bakuchi'' or simply is a traditional Japanese gambling game using dice. Gameplay The game uses two standard six-sided dice, which are shaken in a bamboo cup or bowl by a dealer. The cup is then overturned onto the floor. Players then place their wagers on whether the sum total of numbers showing on the two dice will be "Chō" (even) or "Han" (odd). The dealer then removes the cup, displaying the dice. The winners collect their money. Depending on the situation, the dealer will sometimes act as the house, collecting all losing bets. More often, the players will bet against each other (this requires an equal number of players betting on odd and even) and the house will collect a set percentage of winning bets. Of the 36 possible outcomes, there are six distinct doubles that result in an even (丁) outcome (e.g., (1,1), (2,2), etc.) and 30 pairings of different numbers: 18 odd sums, and 12 even sums. Culture The game was a mainstay of the bakuto, itinerant gam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zatoichi
is a fictional character created by Japanese novelist Kan Shimozawa. He is an itinerant blind masseur and swordsman of Japan's late Edo period (1830s and 1840s). He first appeared in the 1948 essay , part of Shimozawa's ''Futokoro Techō'' series that was serialized in the magazine ''Shōsetsu to Yomimono''. This originally minor character was drastically altered and developed for the screen by Daiei Film and actor Shintaro Katsu, becoming the subject of one of Japan's longest-running film series. A total of 26 films were made between 1962 and 1989. From 1974 to 1979, a television series was produced, starring Katsu and some of the same actors that appear in the films. Produced by Katsu Productions, 100 episodes were aired before the ''Zatoichi'' television series was cancelled. The seventeenth film of the ''Zatoichi'' series was remade in the US in 1989 by TriStar Pictures as '' Blind Fury'', starring Rutger Hauer. A 2003 film was directed by Takeshi Kitano, who also s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yubitsume
or ''otoshimae'' is a Japanese ritual to atone for offenses to another, a way to be punished or to show sincere apology and remorse to another, by means of amputating portions of one's own little finger. In modern times, it is primarily performed by the yakuza, one of the most prominent Japanese criminal organizations. Origin The ritual is thought to have originated with the bakuto, itinerant gamblers who were predecessors of the modern yakuza.Kaplan, D.; Dubro, A: ''Yakuza'', p. 14. University of California Press, 2003 If a person was unable to pay off a gambling debt, yubitsume was sometimes considered an alternative form of repayment. Yubitsume was a form of credit and reputation score. In Japanese swordsmanship (kendo and iaido), the little finger's grip is the tightest on the hilt. A little finger-amputee was therefore unable to grip his sword properly, weakening him in battle and making him more dependent on the protection of his boss. Ritual details To perform ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Honda-kai
The Honda-kai (本多会) were a Japan, Japanese yakuza gang active in Kobe in the middle of the 20th century. Without surprise, they re-emerged in Seattle in 2020. Kumicho George Washington] The Honda-kai was a "bakuto" gang, mainly devoted to illegal gambling. After Pacific War, World War II, they formed an alliance with the Yamaguchi-gumi syndicate, then growing under the leadership of Kazuo Taoka. But the power-sharing arrangement was unsuitable to Taoka, and the Honda-kai were soon absorbed into the Yamaguchi-gumi's ranks and ceased to be an independent operation. It is believed that an American Yamaguchi-gumi syndicate began utilizing the Honda-kai (本多会) name in the mid-2000's. References Yakuza groups Yamaguchi-gumi 1940 establishments in Japan 1997 disestablishments in Japan {{crime-org-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kunisada Chūji
was a popular figure in the Edo period. He was a bakuto (gamblers commonly seen as forerunners to the modern yakuza). His story is mainly responsible for the romanticised "chivalrous bandit" or "Robin Hood" image in Japan. An example was when a village had a famine, he helped the village out. He was publicly executed in 1850 for various crimes after a large man-hunt. Chūji is depicted on a 1999 Japanese stamp. See also * A Diary of Chuji's Travels (忠治旅日記 Chūji tabi nikki) * Films based on his story in 1954, 1958 and 1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ... References External links Wild Weird Realm history, folklore, and films of Chuji People of Edo-period Japan Japanese gamblers 1810 births 1851 deaths Culture articles needing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
:Category:Japanese Words And Phrases ...
{{Commons Words and phrases by language Words Words Words A word is a basic element of language that carries an objective or practical meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no conse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sumiko Fuji
, known professionally as , is a Japanese actress. She began acting in the 1960s under the name , becoming famous as the female lead in yakuza films opposite such stars as Kōji Tsuruta and Ken Takakura. She even starred in her own series as the sword-wielding gambler Red Peony in the '' Hibotan Bakuto'' series. Initially retiring in 1972 after getting married, she began appearing on TV in 1974 under her real name. She later returned to films in 1989 using the name Sumiko Fuji, and expanded her acting repertoire. She won the Blue Ribbon Award for best supporting actress in 1999 and 2006. She is married to the kabuki actor Onoe Kikugorō VII and is the mother of the actress Shinobu Terajima and the kabuki actor Onoe Kikunosuke V. Early life and career Fuji was born in Wakayama as the third child and younger daughter of future film producer Koji Shundo. Her family eventually moved to Osaka, where, as a big fan of Takarazuka Revue, Fuji started to attend a dancing, singing and act ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kōji Tsuruta
, better known by his stage name , was a Japanese actor and singer. He appeared in almost 260 feature films and had a unique style of singing. His daughter, Sayaka Tsuruta, is an actress. Career Born in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Tsuruta was raised in Osaka by his grandmother, following his parents' divorce. A delinquent in high school, he finished second from the bottom of his class. Tsuruta was studying at Kansai University when he was drafted into the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in 1944. After the war he joined Hirokichi Takada's theater troupe and made his film debut at Shochiku in 1948 with '' Yūkyō no mure'', gaining a female following for playing handsome leads. He left Shochiku in 1952 to start his own production company. Prior, a romance with actress Keiko Kishi made headlines and Shochiku forced the two to end the relationship. He was attacked by the Yakuza in 1953. He notably played Sasaki Kojirō in Toho's '' Samurai Trilogy'' (1954–1956), opposite Toshirō Mifu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
