was one of the most prominent

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 ...

godfathers.History and Culture of the Japanese Yakuza
Known as the "Godfather of Godfathers" and "The Japanese Godfather", Taoka was third ''kumicho'' 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 ...

, Japan's largest yakuza organization, from 1946 to 1981.

Early life

Taoka, an

orphan An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...

, grew up as a young street fighter in Kobe under the guidance of Noboru Yamaguchi, the Yamaguchi-gumi's boss. "I never wanted to be a yakuza. I used to work at Kawasaki Shipyard, but I got into a fight with my boss and quit the company, so I couldn't go home." He earned his lifelong nickname "''Kuma''" ("the Bear") because of his signature attack of clawing at an opponent's eyes.

Career

He was

imprisoned Imprisonment is the restraint of a person's liberty, for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is "false imprisonment". Imprisonment does not necessari ...

for murder from 1937 to 1943 and assumed the role of ''kumicho'' three years later, at the age of 33. A suggestion from a friend made Taoka realize that economic activities in the back alleys would come to a dead end. If you spread your hands, you will get into trouble and be interrogated by the police. High cost, low profit. After that, Taoka started a full-fledged port cargo handling business. In his time as boss, Taoka expanded the Yamaguchi-gumi from a small strikebreaking gang on the Kobe docks to the world's largest criminal syndicate, with over 10,000 members during its peak. Notoriously suspicious and wary of rival yakuza clans, he notably refused to join the Kanto-kai, an inter-yakuza confederation in 1963. In 1972, following a period of tension between both gangs, Taoka forged an alliance between the Yamaguchi-gumi and the Inagawa-kai at a sakazuki ceremony at his home. He had survived a 1978 assassination attempt when he was shot in the back of the neck by a member of the Matsuda-gumi (松田組), a rival gang to the Yamaguchi-gumi, during a limbo dance exhibition at a nightclub in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...

. His attacker was found dead several weeks later in some woods near Kobe.

Death

He led the Yamaguchi-gumi until his death from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

in 1981. His wife, Fumiko, briefly filled the gang's leadership role until a new ''kumicho'', Masahisa Takenaka, was chosen in 1984.

Personal life

From 1983 to 1990, his daughter, Yuki (1964–), was married to

Kitarō , born (February 4, 1953), is a Japanese recording artist, composer, record producer, and arranger noted for his electronic-instrumental music, and is often associated with and regarded as one of the most prominent musical acts of new-age musi ...

, a noted Japanese new-age musician. His son Mitsuru Taoka (1943–2012) was a producer of films in Japan and was married to actress Eiko Nakamura until her suicide at their home by

gas poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide ( chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists o ...

in 1975.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Taoka, Kazuo Yakuza members Yamaguchi-gumi 1913 births 1981 deaths Japanese crime bosses People from Tokushima Prefecture