The Enigmatic World of the Yakuza: Unraveling Japans Notorious Criminal Underworld

The Yakuza Culture Student’s Name Institution Affiliation Instructor’s Name Course Number Date Introduction Yakuza is of Japanese origin, meaning gangster or a mafia-like criminal organization. The Yakuza are tied to 400 years of Japanese history. The Yakuza is a Japanese criminal syndicate that was a powerful criminal gang. They formed a Japanese criminal gang in general and performed extortion, drug trafficking, smuggling, prostitution, gambling, loan sharking, and blackmail. The Yakuza performed all types of criminal activities, enacted businesses in big Japanese cities, owned feet of cars and were involved in criminal activities worldwide. The Yakuza was a tedious gang that reigned in the 16th century. The community grew in numbers increasing its fame and jurisdiction. According to (Moorman), in the 1960s, the Yakuza were almost 184,000, attributed to a large number of all times. The Yakuza have a traditional Japanese warrior spirit that enhances their confidence and capacity. The Japanese society regarded this group with fear and contempt. The history and Origin of the Yakuza According to (Thomas, 2014), The Yakuza originated from two separate groups of outcasts during the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603 - 1868). The two groups were tekiya and bakuto. The tekiya belonged to the Japanese social class called burakumin, an isolated group in society termed outcasts and non-humans. They were wandering peddlers who moved around the village selling low-quality food during festive seasons and market days. The tekiya became a renowned group and acted as security during the Shinto festivals. The tekiya, later in the 1700s, began organized crimes under the leadership of their bosses and started participating in turf wars and protection rackets.