Yamaken-gumi explained
is a yakuza gang based in Kobe, Japan. It was the largest affiliate, followed by the Nagoya-based Kodo-kai, of the largest known yakuza syndicate in Japan, the Yamaguchi-gumi until 2015.[1]
Yoshinori Watanabe was kumicho (Godfather) of the Yamaken-gumi from 1982 to 1989 before becoming kumicho of the Yamaguchi-gumi.[2] Watanabe retired from that post in July 2005, but the Yamaken-gumi remains largely loyal to him. Many of its members were upset that the sixth Yamaguchi don was not chosen from their ranks, instead, the Nagoya-based Kenichi Shinoda was chosen.
In 2015, the Yamaken-gumi, along with several other organisations, withdrew from the Yamaguchi-gumi and formed the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi. From 2015 to 2020, it was under the umbrella of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi.[3] In August 2020, Koji Nakata, the head of the Yamaken-gumi, declared that the Yamaken-gumi had become independent of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi.[4]
On 16 September 2021, the Yamaguchi-gumi announced that it will be welcoming back Yamaken-gumi members who had disunited from them in 2015. As a result, the Yamagken-gumi once again became the umbrella organisation of the Yamaguchi-gumi.[5] [6]
Before the split, the Yamaken-gumi was estimated to have between 3,000 and 7,000 members. Following the split the number dropped to around 800.[7]
Leadership
- 1st kumicho (1961-1982): who was a of the Third Yamaguchi-gumi. He was a former member of .
- 2nd kumicho (1982-1989): who was wakagashira of the Fourth Yamaguchi-gumi. He was 1st of the, and would later become kumicho of the Fifth Yamaguchi-gumi.
- 3rd kumicho (1989-2005): who is a of the Fifth Yamaguchi-gumi. He was kaicho of the Second Kenryu-kai.
- 4th kumicho (2005-2018): who was a of the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi. He was kaicho of the Fourth Kenryu-kai. He is an adopted son of Kuwata.
- 5th kumicho (2018-): who is a of the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi. He was kaicho of the Fifth Kenryu-kai.
Notes and References
- http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20050819f3.html "Police wary as Yamaguchi-gumi prepares to fete sixth don"
- http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn19990719a5.html "Yamaguchi-gumi don celebrates a decade at the top"
- Web site: 新組織、文書で「神戸山口組」周知 「山菱」も使用 拠点は淡路市の侠友会本部か . sankei.com . 16 August 2021.
- Web site: 「若頭の刺傷からガタガタし始めた」名門・山健組が神戸山口組から独立宣言《勾留中の組長が指令》. Bungeishunju. https://web.archive.org/web/20231002234219/https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/40300. 31 March 2024. 2 October 2023.
- Web site: Yakuza group Yamaguchi-gumi welcomes back gang that split . 17 September 2021 . 21 December 2021 . . According to sources, Yamaguchi-gumi executives notified members on Sept. 16 that they were welcoming back returning Yamaken-gumi members. The same day, executives of Yamaken-gumi met to confirm they were rejoining..
- Web site: 【最新データを入手！】勢力差は25倍に拡大…10年目を迎える山口組分裂抗争「驚きの最新勢力図」. Yahoo News. https://web.archive.org/web/20240324171110/https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/cb04347982b1baddeee4285daff470bdc74c1a82. 30 March 2024. 24 March 2024.
- Book: Mizoguchi . Atsushi . 暴力団 ("Boryokudan: Twenty-two Designated Boryokudan") . 2011 . 978-4-10-610434-3 . 19.
