Tekiya
Encyclopedia
Tekiya were itinerant Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese merchants who, along with the bakuto
Bakuto
Bakuto were itinerant gamblers in Japan from the 18th century to the mid-20th century. They were one of the forerunners of the modern Japanese crime gangs known as yakuza....

 ("gamblers"), were the predecessors to the modern yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...

.

The Tekiya, who first appeared in the early 18th century, would travel around the countryside, setting up portable stalls at markets and festivals. They had a shady reputation, as their goods were typically of low quality and their sales practices were often deceptive and coercive. Many Tekiya came from low castes such as the burakumin
Burakumin
are a Japanese social minority group. The burakumin are one of the main minority groups in Japan, along with the Ainu of Hokkaidō, the Ryukyuans of Okinawa and Japanese residents of Korean and Chinese descent....

.

As the Tekiya began to form organized groups, the groundwork for today's Yakuza was laid. The Tekiya lived by strict codes, and their gangs used the oyabun-kobun system of bosses, underbosses and followers. Unlike the bakuto
Bakuto
Bakuto were itinerant gamblers in Japan from the 18th century to the mid-20th century. They were one of the forerunners of the modern Japanese crime gangs known as yakuza....

 (gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...

 was and still is illegal in Japan), the Tekiya's line of work was generally above board. But they also engaged in illicit activities such as protection rackets and gang wars. In addition, their itinerant lifestyle often attracted fugitives to join their ranks.

Although the Tekiya/Bakuto lines have been blurred with the emergence of the modern Japanese Yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...

 in the 20th century, many of today's Yakuza still identify with one group over the other.

A loose American equivalent of the Tekiya could be seen in carnies
Carny
Carny or carnie is a slang term used in North America and, along with showie, in Australia for a carnival employee, as well as the language they employ...

.
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