was the founder of the
Yamaken-gumi 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 ter ...
gang, who were based in
Kobe,
Japan. It is the largest affiliate of the
Yamaguchi-gumi
is Japan's largest '' yakuza'' organization. It is named after its founder Harukichi Yamaguchi. Its origins can be traced back to a loose labor union for dockworkers in Kobe before World War II.
It is one of the largest criminal organizations i ...
.
Biography
Yamamoto was the eldest son in his family. His father was an engineer working for
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
(or simply Kawasaki) is a Japanese public multinational corporation manufacturer of motorcycles, engines, heavy equipment, aerospace and defense equipment, rolling stock and ships, headquartered in Chūō, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It is ...
. In 1942, he graduated from Osaka Electric School, where he worked shortly in the
Yokosuka Naval Arsenal
was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy, and was located at Yokosuka, Kanagawa prefecture on Tokyo Bay, south of Yokohama.
History
In 1866, the Tokugawa shogunate government established the ...
before being drafted into the Japanese military Tottori Unit in January 1945.
After the war ended, Yamamoto returned to Kobe. He met up with
Hara Masao
Hara may refer to:
Art and entertainment
* Hara (band), a Romanian pop-band
* ''Hara'' (film), a 2014 Kannada-language drama film
* ''Hara'' (sculpture), a 1989 artwork by Deborah Butterfield
* Goo Hara (1991-2019), South Korean idol singer
...
who was an affiliate of the Yamaguchi-gumi. He was involved in attacking
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 ...
in January 1953 and was arrested. Shortly after, he was involved with attacking the Tanizaki-gumi in September 1954, for which he was imprisoned for three years in
Kakogawa prison. After being released, he received praise from
.
He then formed the Yamaken-gumi in 1961.
Kenichi Yamamoto was considered a likely successor to the Yamaguchi-gumi's third godfather
, but he died of liver disease on February 4, 1982. His last position at the Yamaguchi-gumi was as wakagashira (the number-two).
[''The Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi Complete Databook 2008 Edition'', p.37, 1 February 2009, Mediax, ]
References
1925 births
1982 deaths
People from Kobe
Japanese crime bosses
Yakuza members
Yamaguchi-gumi
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