Yakuza

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[Usagi Yojimbo]

I wonder what the Yakuza would have to say about Aikido, just curious and doped up on caffeine

[Charles Hill]

Many years ago, I visited Tanabe, the birthplace of O'Sensei. I went to the seashore where there is a very large sculpture erected in his honor. I was taking pictures of it when I noticed there were several yakuza nearby having a picnic. They called me over, gave me a plate piled with BBQ, and handed me the first of many beers. They seemed to think that it was great that a foriegner was interested in Japanese culture (meaning Aikido.)

Charles

[PeterR]

Remind me to tell you about me and the Yakuza at the Shirahama public hot bath.

[Thalib]

Please Rehse-san... tell us...

[Charles Hill]

Yeah Peter, tell us. And remember to keep it clean, children may be reading.:)

Charles

[PeterR]

Please Rehse-san... tell us...
I was visiting Shirahama Onsen which is a wonderfull free public bath on the Kii peninsula (Wakayama Prefecture). It's a sulfur spring and you can tell which old men visit nearly every day by the colour of their hair. Anyhow - on that particular day it was quite crowded but there was one man sitting alone. Naturally I plopped down beside him and he glances over and grunts. I notice this but think to myself "whatever" as I lower myself deeper into the water. After 15 minutes or so he gets up and he is got the full tatoo suit - you known the type - it looks like he has on a pair of shorts and a tee shirt. Well I look to my side and up and grunt just as loud as he did. He gave me the look of death and proceeded to dry off and get dressed - like you would. After he left no one sat beside me either.

[darin]

My teacher told me that when he was a kid in the Yoseikan Hombu in Shizuoka he often trained with a few oyabun (Yakuza bosses). These guys were probably close friends of the late Minoru Mochizuki.

Mas Oyama's Kyokushinkai and Seidokan also has its share of yakuza students. A few years ago I met a former high ranking Japanese Kyokushinkai teacher. He told me that when Oyama died they had to bribe the police to allow all the Oyabuns with their bodyguards to come to the funeral. He said that even in his school he has a few yakuza students. According to him they are lazy and don't keep themselves in good shape but I guess these guys pay their fees and keep their private business at the door.

[darin]

I heard some interesting stories from Australian girls who used to work as hostesses in Osaka.

Actually my former boss loves hostess bars. He once asked me to meet him at this 5 storey hostess bar "complex". When I got there I could see 40 year old out of shape Yakuza all over the place hanging around like guards. Anyway I called my boss as I exited the taxi. He initially told me to just come in but being a caucasian thats rather difficult in these establishments. Well after I called him he came out and we went in together. The yakuza there were very friendly.

[Thalib]

Cool stories...

I wonder if anybody else have true experiences with the Yakuza.

[darin]

By the way has anyone every been to a school which was run like it was a Yakuza hood?

My brother and I went to the Kyokushinkai Hombu a few years ago. The place has a constant guard and they are so rude. "Who are you?!!!" Who is he?!!!" What do you want?!!!". Then "osu" "osu" "osu" everytime the students bump into each other.

[PeterR]

Yeah Peter, tell us. And remember to keep it clean, children may be reading.:)
We are talking about Onsen - keeping it clean is what they are all about.

[batemanb]

Cool stories...

I wonder if anybody else have true experiences with the Yakuza.
Not for print in any kind of electronic form, certainly not with my name on it. Let's just say that I worked in Tokyo for 2 years, and they are as involved in corporate business as much as anywhere else.

[jk]

Can't see the pic...is this a picture of Peter naked or something?

[PeterR]

Can't see the pic...is this a picture of Peter naked or something?
Shreik - quickly clics on image and sighs with relief.

No not that one.

It's a picture of Shirahama Onsen - I got it by typing Shirahama Onsen into google.

[Usagi Yojimbo]

It sounds like the Yakuza have a very prominent influence and presence in Japan. I've never herd stories like that bout American Mafia members. I herd the Yakuza was starting to legitimize (if that isn't a word it is now!) their "buisness". And I wonder what sort of reactions I could get by walking around Japan with a full body tatoo...

[PeterR]

Not a very good one. The Yakuza are there but - at least I don't see them that often. Apparently they are on the decline or at least becoming more hidden. Still they have headquarters buildings that everyone knows about.

By the way more Onsen have signs saying "No Tattoos" - even the Shirahama (above story) did but in this case it was ignored.

Osaka, being a port town, they are more prevalent but then we have Steven Segal claiming to have to deal with them. His dojo was so far out in the suburbs that this was laughable.

[Charles Hill]

A few years ago I was participating in Endo Shihan's gasshuku in Nagano prefecture. A young man from one of the northern European countries named Klaus and I were invited by some of the local members to go to a nearby sento for a nice relaxing bath. Klaus took off his shirt in the changing room and freaked out all the old men that were there with his extensive tattooing. The funny thing was that Klaus was one of the nicest, most mild mannered people I have ever met. And he had no idea of the effect he was causing. I was the only one who found the whole thing funny.

Charles

[Adrian Smith]

I have a tattoo on my ankle (an anklet that wraps all the way around). It's one color - standard tattoo blue green. When I walk around Yokosuka in shorts I get almost *constant* sideways glances at my ankle, then people shy away - but just a little.

-(the other) Adrian

[Don_Modesto]

...there were several yakuza nearby having a picnic. They called me over, gave me a plate piled with BBQ, and handed me the first of many beers.
I hitchhiked around Izu once and everyone who picked me up was an 893...

[Don_Modesto]

The Yakuza are there but - at least I don't see them that often. Apparently they are on the decline or at least becoming more hidden.
I love that story that ran a few years ago about the picketing housewives that drove them out of town (Hamamatsu?)

How are the Chinese gangs faring in the news? When I left, they'd moved into Kabukicho big-time and even knife a you policeman in a KOBAN to death.

[Usagi Yojimbo]

Just curious cause of an interest in the Yakuza, and I've been wanting to get a tatoo of a Chinese serpant dragon, big un too, I wanna have it start on the back of my hand, wrap up my arm, down around back of my neck across my chest, up my back, rearing its head between my shoulder blades, course this is AFTER I get in the Marines or find a good job first...

[Charles Hill]

Izu peninsula!

The bosozoku are just horrible on the west side of Izu peninsula. For two years my wife and didn't have air conditioning which meant that we were often woken up early in the morning by those idiots on their stupid bikes as they'd roar up and down highway 136. (Can't you just feel my hate?)

Don,

When and why were you in Izu?

Charles

[Don_Modesto]

The bosozoku are just horrible on the west side of Izu peninsula....we were often woken up early in the morning by those idiots on their stupid bikes as they'd roar up and down highway 136. (Can't you just feel my hate?)

DJM: Yup. Been there myself. They used to roar down Yamate Dori near my apartment in Higashi Nakano.

Don,

When and why were you in Izu?

DJM: Probably around '83.

Charles

[PeterR]

We got a lone Bozo in my village making noise around 4 am.

The guy is in serious need of a girlfriend.

[batemanb]

How are the Chinese gangs faring in the news? When I left, they'd moved into Kabukicho big-time and even knife a you policeman in a KOBAN to death.
When I left last November, the Koreans were big in Kabukicho, that's not to say that the Chinese aren't. Didn't stop my Japanese boss from owning two "clubs" there though.

[batemanb]

DJM: Yup. Been there myself. They used to roar down Yamate Dori near my apartment in Higashi Nakano
I lived in Nakano Ku for 2 years, in between Yamate Dori and Nakano Shinbashi eki.:)

[Goye]

Hi Aikipeople!

I have a question about this,.. (I donn´t know much about Yakuza, never been a Yakuza Member:D ),... Well,...I heard about a High Rank Aikido Sensei / Shihan that before starting Aikido was a Yakuza Member, dont remember where or the name,... do you know who he is?,... I also heard that if you are Yakuza You can never get out of this unless you are death,..It is that true?,...

thanks!!

:ki:

[PeterR]

I also heard that if you are Yakuza You can never get out of this unless you are death,..It is that true?,...
Speaking of which - have others living in Japan noticed that many people arrested for shady dealings or killed under mysterious circumstances are reported as ex-memebers of assorted gumi. You rarely hear of current members being done. Am I missing something?

[C. Emerson]

I hitchhiked around Izu once and everyone who picked me up was an 893...

Whats a 893?

[Don_Modesto]

Whats a 893?
8-HA chi

9-KU

3-SA n

Variant pronunciation YA-KU-ZA.

[C. Emerson]

Thanks for the translation.

[Thalib]

never knew that... cool