Yama-Ichi War
Encyclopedia
The Yama–Ichi War was a yakuza
conflict mainly fought in the Kansai
region of Japan
from 1985 to 1989, between the Yamaguchi-gumi
and the Ichiwa-kai
gangs.
Kazuo Taoka
was the third boss of the Kobe
-based Yamaguchi-gumi, and he was the boss who made the family into by far the biggest yakuza family in Japan. When he died of natural causes in 1981, then wakagashira (underboss) Kenichi Yamamoto was in prison and the other top lieutenants decided to wait for his release. However, in early 1982, Yamamoto suddenly died of liver failure. After his death, the top lieutenants could not immediately elect a boss, and they temporarily chose Hiroshi Yamamoto as acting boss and Masahisa Takenaka
as wakagashira.
The situation that led to the war began when Hiroshi Yamamoto broke from the Yamaguchi-gumi along with 18 lieutenants and 3,000 other members to form his own organization, the Ichiwa-kai. The split stemmed from professional jealousy: Yamamoto had been seen as a contender for the role of kumicho, or supreme godfather, in the Yamaguchi-gumi, and was unhappy when a rival, Masahisa Takenaka, was elected to the position by other members, and most importantly by Fumiko Taoka, widow of Kazuo Taoka.
On January 26, 1985, Yamamoto sent a team of hitmen to Takenaka's girlfriend's home in Suita. While waiting for an elevator, Takenaka, underboss Katsumasa Nakayma and one other member of the family was shot dead, sparking a bloody nationwide conflict that came to be known as the Yama-Ichi War. The enraged Yamaguchi-gumi and its newly chosen acting boss Kazuo Nakanishi
and wakagashira Yoshinori Watanabe
vowed to wipe out the Ichiwa-kai in revenge.
In the years that followed, 36 gangsters were killed and many more were seriously wounded in an estimated 220 gun battles. At the time, local newspapers carried daily "scorecards" with the latest body counts on both sides.
The war continued for several years, and the Yamaguchi-gumi eventually prevailed. It proved to be a Pyrrhic victory
however, as many of the gang's members, including Masahisa Takenaka's high-ranking brother Masashi, were arrested in the ensuing police crackdowns. Realizing they were outnumbered and outgunned, many Ichiwa-kai members sought police protection. With the help of a neutral Tokyo
gang, the Inagawa-kai
, a peace accord was finally brokered under which the remaining Ichiwa-kai defectors were allowed to rejoin the Yamaguchi-gumi.
In 1989, Yoshinori Watanabe
was elected as fifth kumicho of the Yamaguchi-gumi. Under Watanabe's leadership, the group went on to achieve unprecedented successes in the underworld.
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...
conflict mainly fought in the Kansai
Kansai
The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, and Shiga. Depending on who makes the distinction, Fukui, Tokushima and even Tottori Prefecture are also included...
region of 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...
from 1985 to 1989, between the Yamaguchi-gumi
Yamaguchi-gumi
is Japan's largest and most infamous yakuza organization. It is named after its founder Harukichi Yamaguchi. Its origins can be traced back to a loose labor union for dockworkers in Kobe pre-WWII....
and the Ichiwa-kai
Ichiwa-kai
The Ichiwa-kai was a yakuza gang based in Osaka, Japan.It was formed on June 13, 1984 when Hiroshi Yamamoto, a top lieutenant in the Yamaguchi-gumi, broke from that gang to form his own organization with over 10,000 members...
gangs.
Kazuo Taoka
Kazuo Taoka
was one of the most prominent yakuza Godfathers.Known as the "Godfather of Godfathers", Taoka was third kumicho of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest yakuza organization, from 1946 to 1981....
was the third boss of the Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
-based Yamaguchi-gumi, and he was the boss who made the family into by far the biggest yakuza family in Japan. When he died of natural causes in 1981, then wakagashira (underboss) Kenichi Yamamoto was in prison and the other top lieutenants decided to wait for his release. However, in early 1982, Yamamoto suddenly died of liver failure. After his death, the top lieutenants could not immediately elect a boss, and they temporarily chose Hiroshi Yamamoto as acting boss and Masahisa Takenaka
Masahisa Takenaka
was the short-lived 4th kumicho of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest yakuza gang.He took the role of kumicho in 1984, but was assassinated at a girlfriend's home in Osaka early the next year by a rival faction, the Ichiwa-kai. The killing sparked a massive yakuza war, the Yama-Ichi War, in...
as wakagashira.
The situation that led to the war began when Hiroshi Yamamoto broke from the Yamaguchi-gumi along with 18 lieutenants and 3,000 other members to form his own organization, the Ichiwa-kai. The split stemmed from professional jealousy: Yamamoto had been seen as a contender for the role of kumicho, or supreme godfather, in the Yamaguchi-gumi, and was unhappy when a rival, Masahisa Takenaka, was elected to the position by other members, and most importantly by Fumiko Taoka, widow of Kazuo Taoka.
On January 26, 1985, Yamamoto sent a team of hitmen to Takenaka's girlfriend's home in Suita. While waiting for an elevator, Takenaka, underboss Katsumasa Nakayma and one other member of the family was shot dead, sparking a bloody nationwide conflict that came to be known as the Yama-Ichi War. The enraged Yamaguchi-gumi and its newly chosen acting boss Kazuo Nakanishi
Kazuo Nakanishi
Kazuo Nakanishi was briefly the leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi yakuza syndicate in the chaotic years of the Yama-Ichi War...
and wakagashira Yoshinori Watanabe
Yoshinori Watanabe
was a yakuza, the fifth kumicho of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest yakuza organization. He became kumicho in 1989. He was known for a more low-key approach than his predecessors, partly due to an Anti-Gang law passed in 1992...
vowed to wipe out the Ichiwa-kai in revenge.
In the years that followed, 36 gangsters were killed and many more were seriously wounded in an estimated 220 gun battles. At the time, local newspapers carried daily "scorecards" with the latest body counts on both sides.
The war continued for several years, and the Yamaguchi-gumi eventually prevailed. It proved to be a Pyrrhic victory
Pyrrhic victory
A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with such a devastating cost to the victor that it carries the implication that another such victory will ultimately cause defeat.-Origin:...
however, as many of the gang's members, including Masahisa Takenaka's high-ranking brother Masashi, were arrested in the ensuing police crackdowns. Realizing they were outnumbered and outgunned, many Ichiwa-kai members sought police protection. With the help of a neutral Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
gang, the Inagawa-kai
Inagawa-kai
The is the third largest of Japan's yakuza groups, with approximately 15,000 members. It is based in the Kanto region, and was one of the first yakuza organizations to begin operating overseas.-History:...
, a peace accord was finally brokered under which the remaining Ichiwa-kai defectors were allowed to rejoin the Yamaguchi-gumi.
In 1989, Yoshinori Watanabe
Yoshinori Watanabe
was a yakuza, the fifth kumicho of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest yakuza organization. He became kumicho in 1989. He was known for a more low-key approach than his predecessors, partly due to an Anti-Gang law passed in 1992...
was elected as fifth kumicho of the Yamaguchi-gumi. Under Watanabe's leadership, the group went on to achieve unprecedented successes in the underworld.