Mafia Wars Bangkok – The Yakuza

Mafia Wars Bangkok pits the Chinese Triad against the Japanese Yakuza and you will have to choose a side. While the game is fictional the groups that are featured in it are quite real.

The Yakuza which are also known as “gokudo” are members of the organized crime syndicates in Japan. Law enforcement often calls them “Boryokudan” which literally means “violence group”. The Yakuza members refer to themselves as “ninkyo dantai” which translates to “chivalrous organizations.”

The origin of most modern Yakuza organizations is derived from two classifications emerging in the mid Edo Period.

Tekiya were peddlers of stolen, shoddy, or illicit goods. This group was considered one of the lowest groups in the Edo. As they began to form organizations they took over administrative duties relating to commerce. During Shinto festivals the Tekiya set up stalls and provided security. Merchants who had stalls at the event had to pay a fee for the stall as well as protection money.

Bakuto were those who were involved in illicit gambling.

As gamblers the Bakuto were of much lower social status than traders and business people. Gambling was of course illegal in Japan but the Bakuto made use of abandoned temples as well as many other locations to host games all over the country.

The Yakuza, like their counterparts all over the world are purveyors of nearly every type of crime that one might think of.

When the Yakuza formed they adopted the traditional structure of the oyabun-kobun.

Like other criminal organizations the Yakuza have many superstitions and rituals. One such ritual, Yubitsume involves the cutting of fingers when a member commits an offense that the leadership deems serious. The ritual starts with the removal of the little finger and moves up to the next finger for each successive offense.

Yakuza like their Russian brethren in Moscow utilize tattoos. While the Russian mafiya and Vory use individual tattoos the Yakuza often display full-body designs.

Principal Yakuza Families

Yamaguchi-gumi

This family was created in 1915 and is the largest and comprises approximately 45% of the Yakuza in Japan. The family has more than 45,000 members and is divided into 720 clans.

Sumiyoshi-rengo

With around 10,000 members the Sumiyoshi-rengo is the second largest family in the Yakuza with 177 clans.

Inagawa-kai

This family has approximately 7,400 members and 313 clans.

Aizukotetsu-kai

This family is based in Kyoto with 4,500 members.

Toua Yuai Jigyo Kumiai

This family was founded in 1948 and is made up of about 1,000 members and 6 clans.

I enjoy Mafia Wars and I enjoy history. In a round about way Mafia Wars is an excellent way to learn about the criminal organizations of the world. In New York we were introduced the traditional mafia found in the United States, in Cuba we were treated to organized crime Caribbean style, Moscow brought us the Vory and Mafiya, and the Bangkok expansion has introduced us to the Triad and Yakuza.

While it is fun to play the game you should take a little time to learn about the factions that fill the roles.