Editing Yakuza (section)

=== Structure ===
[[File:Typical hierarchie of Japanese yakuza family.svg|thumb|A simplified organizational chart of the Yakuza. At the top of the image is ''oyabun'' (''kumichō'', 組長), the pseudo-father of the organization; to the lower right of ''oyabun'' are ''oyabun'''s pseudo younger brothers ''shatei'' (舎弟), and directly below ''oyabun'' is ''wakagashira'' (若頭), oyabun's pseudo first son. Below ''wakagashira'' are ''kumiin'' (組員), pseudo younger brothers of ''wakagashira'' who are pseudo children of ''oyabun'', and they are called ''wakanaka'' or ''wakashū''. ''Kumiin'' can refer to any member of the organization, regardless of position.]]
[[File:Cascade structure of Japanese yakuza families.svg|thumb|Large yakuza organizations have a multi-layered structure, with executives and members running their own organizations.]]
During the formation of the yakuza, they adopted the traditional Japanese hierarchical structure of oyabun-kobun where ''kobun'' (子分; lit. foster child) owe their allegiance to the {{nihongo|''oyabun''|親分||lit. foster parent}}.  In a much later period, the code of {{nihongo|''jingi''|仁義||justice and duty}} was developed where loyalty and respect are a way of life. The oyabun-kobun relationship is formalized by ceremonial sharing of [[sake]] from a single cup. This ritual is not exclusive to the yakuza – it is also commonly performed in traditional Japanese [[Shinto]] weddings, and may have been a part of sworn brotherhood relationships.<ref name="trutv.com">{{cite web|last=Bruno|first=Anthony|title=The Yakuza – Oyabun-Kobun, Father-Child|url=http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/gang/yakuza/2.html|publisher=[[truTV]]|access-date=28 February 2012}}</ref>

The structure of yakuza organizations is characterized by a multi-layered hierarchical structure. The {{nihongo3|pseudo child||kobun}} of an organization become {{nihongo3|family head and pseudo parent||oyabun}} and run their own subsidiary organizations, and the ''kobun'' of the subsidiary organizations also become ''oyabun'' and run their own subsidiary organizations. A large yakuza organization such as [[Yamaguchi-gumi]] is made up of five or six layered organizations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npa.go.jp/hakusyo/h01/h010102.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230708062115/https://www.npa.go.jp/hakusyo/h01/h010102.html|script-title=ja:第2節 暴力団の構造と活動|language=ja|publisher=National police Agency|date=|archive-date=8 July 2023|access-date=12 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://president.jp/articles/-/9722?page=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026123712/https://president.jp/articles/-/9722?page=1|script-title=ja:開拓した会社がヤクザのフロント企業だったら|language=ja|publisher=President Online|date=19 June 2013|archive-date=26 October 2021|access-date=12 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://friday.kodansha.co.jp/article/251723?page=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240512123217/https://friday.kodansha.co.jp/article/251723?page=1|script-title=ja:駅に初詣、出所…山口組司忍組長ら暴力団が報道写真に納まるワケ|language=ja|publisher=[[kodansha]]|date=2 July 2022|archive-date=12 May 2024|access-date=12 May 2024}}</ref> In other words, the heads of subsidiary organizations are often executives of the parent organizations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npa.go.jp/hakusyo/h27/honbun/html/rf121000.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323145720/https://www.npa.go.jp/hakusyo/h27/honbun/html/rf121000.html|script-title=ja:第2節 暴力団の構造と活動|language=ja|publisher=National police Agency|date=|archive-date=23 March 2023|access-date=12 May 2024}}</ref>

The ''oyabun'' of the organization is generally called a {{nihongo3||組長|kumichō}} or {{nihongo3|chairman|会長|kaichō}}, the person corresponding to pseudo younger brother of the ''kumichō'' is called a {{nihongo3||舎弟|shatei}}, and the person corresponding to pseudo child of the ''kumichō'' (''kobun'') is called a {{nihongo3||若中|wakanaka}} or {{nihongo3||若衆|wakashū}}.<ref name="zak101015">{{cite web|url=https://www.zakzak.co.jp/society/domestic/news/20151010/dms1510101530002-n1.htm?view=pc|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240512133953/https://www.zakzak.co.jp/society/domestic/news/20151010/dms1510101530002-n1.htm?view=pc|script-title=ja:【続・山口組分裂の深層】ヤクザ組織を支える「直参制度」　若頭、舎弟が意味するものとは (1/2ページ)|language=ja|publisher=[[Sankei Shimbun]]|date=|archive-date=12 May 2024|access-date=12 May 2024}}</ref> {{nihongo3||舎弟|Shatei}} means younger brother, and its status varies greatly depending on whose brother it is. From the perspective of the organization as a whole, ''shatei'' generally refers to the younger brother of an ''oyabun'', and thus to a high-ranking person in the organization,<ref name="zak101015"/> but it is also possible for a lower-level member to refer to his pseudo younger brother as a ''shatei''.<ref name="matsue8">[https://web.archive.org/web/20240825174425/https://boutsui-matsue.jp/mini08.html 暴力団ミニ講座 8)兄弟盃] 松江地区建設業暴力追放対策協議会</ref>

Although positions in yakuza organizations vary from clan to clan, the three most important yakuza positions are ''kumichō'', {{nihongo3|second-in-command and pseudo eldest son of the ''kumichō''|若頭|wakagashira}}, and {{nihongo3|pseudo oldest younger brother of the ''kumichō''|舎弟頭|shateigashira}}. {{nihongo3|general manager|本部長|Honbuchō}}, {{nihongo3|deputy ''kumichō''|副組長|fuku-kumichō}}, and {{nihongo3|secretary general|事務局長|jimukyokuchō}}, are also important positions.<ref name="bungei280522">{{cite web|url=https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/41017?page=4|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528021022/https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/41017?page=4|script-title=ja:「やっぱり殺られてしもうたか…」　神戸山口組幹部・死へのカウントダウン|language=ja|publisher=[[Bungeishunju]]|date=27 October 2020|archive-date=28 May 2022|access-date=12 May 2024}}</ref><ref name="shogaku10424"/> In general, the {{nihongo3|executive office|執行部|shikkōbu}} of an organization is run by the ''wakagashira'', ''shateigashira'', and ''honbuchō''. Since the ''shatei'' are the pseudo-younger brothers of the ''kumichō'', they are generally older and have higher nominal positions but relatively little real authority.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://shokugyou.biz/page/63|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240403042402/https://shokugyou.biz/page/63|script-title=ja:ヤクザの役職・階級一覧｜組織図や年収、序列を明解に解説|language=ja|publisher=Shokugyou datebase|date=|archive-date=3 April 2024|access-date=12 May 2024}}</ref> In the Yamaguchi-gumi pecking order as of 2024, the order is ''kumichō'', ''wakagashira'', ''shateigashira'', and ''honbuchō''.<ref name="shogaku10424">{{cite web|url=https://www.news-postseven.com/archives/20240110_1933317.html?DETAIL|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240411234646/https://www.news-postseven.com/archives/20240110_1933317.html?DETAIL|script-title=ja:【六代目山口組の餅つきに密着】参加者は「PCR検査必須」、会場はさながら高級ブランドのファッションショー、高山若頭は50万超のフランス製ダウンジャケット|language=ja|publisher=[[Shogakukan]]|date=|archive-date=11 April 2024|access-date=12 May 2024}}</ref>

Yakuza groups are headed by an ''oyabun'' (''kumichō'' or ''kaichō'') who gives orders to his subordinates, the ''kobun''. In this respect, the organization is a variation of the traditional Japanese [[senpai]]-[[kohai|kōhai]] (senior-junior) model. Members of yakuza cut their real family ties and transfer their loyalty to the ''oyabun''. They refer to each other as family members—{{nihongo3|fathers|親父|oyaji}}, {{nihongo3|uncles|叔父貴|ojiki}}, and {{nihongo3|elder and younger brothers|兄弟|kyōdai}}. Among brothers, it is common to refer to a person equal to oneself as ''kyōdai'', a younger brother as ''kyōdai'' or ''shatei'', and an older brother as {{nihongo3|older brother|兄貴|aniki}}.<ref name="matsue8"/> The yakuza is populated almost entirely by men and the very few women who are acknowledged are the wives of bosses, who are referred to by the title {{nihongo|''ane-san''|姐さん||older sister}}. When the 3rd Yamaguchi-gumi boss ([[Kazuo Taoka]]) died in the early 1980s, his wife (Fumiko) took over as boss of Yamaguchi-gumi, albeit for a short time.

During the [[World War II]] period in Japan, the more traditional tekiya/bakuto form of organization declined as the entire population was mobilised to participate in the war effort and society came under the control of the strict military government. However, after the war, the Yakuza adapted again.

==== Rituals ====
[[File:Beato, Felice (1834 – 1907) - Tattooed japanese men - ca. 1870.jpg|thumb|right|upright|An early example of [[irezumi]] tattoos, 1870s]]

[[Yubitsume]], also referred to as ''[[yubitsume|otoshimae]]'', or the cutting off of one's finger, is a form of penance or apology. Upon a first offence, the transgressor must cut off the tip of his left little finger and give the severed portion to his boss. Sometimes an underboss may do this in penance to the oyabun if he wants to spare a member of his own gang from further retaliation. This practice has started to wane amongst the younger members, due to it being an easy identifier for police.<ref name="cnn.com">{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/15/asia/yakuza-yamaguchi-gumi-explainer/ | publisher=CNN | title=The Yakuza: Inside Japan's murky criminal underworld}}</ref>

Its origin stems from the traditional way of holding a [[Kenjutsu|Japanese sword]]. The bottom three fingers of each hand are used to grip the sword tightly, with the thumb and index fingers slightly loose. The removal of digits starting with the little finger and moving up the hand to the index finger progressively weakens a person's sword grip.

The idea is that a person with a weak sword grip then has to rely more on the group for protection—reducing individual action. In recent years, [[prosthetic]] fingertips have been developed to disguise this distinctive appearance.<ref name="trutv.com"/>

Many yakuza have full-body tattoos (including their [[genitalia]]). These tattoos, known as [[irezumi]] in Japan, are still often "[[hand-poked]]", that is, the ink is inserted beneath the skin using non-electrical, hand-made, and handheld tools with needles of sharpened bamboo or steel. The procedure is expensive and painful, and can take years to complete.<ref>''[[Japanorama]]'', [[BBC Three (former)|BBC Three]], Series 2, Episode 3, first aired 21 September 2006</ref>

When yakuza play [[Oicho-Kabu]] cards with each other, they often remove their shirts or open them up and drape them around their waists. This enables them to display their full-body tattoos to each other. This is one of the few times that yakuza display their tattoos to others, as they normally keep them concealed in public with long-sleeved and high-necked shirts. When new members join, they are often required to remove their trousers as well and reveal any lower body tattoos.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}