The Japanese yakuza group known as Yamaguchi-gumi began as dockyard workers and unionists in 1910s Kobe. They rose to dominate the Japanese underworld in the 1980s Bubble Economy. They challenged the police, survived the Yakuza’s twilight in the early 2010s and remain the largest Yakuza syndicate.
That said, the so-called Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi is a shadow of its former self, suffering from factionalization and infighting. In August 2015, the organization split, leading to the formation of the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi. Two years later, a faction within that group broke away to form the “knightly” Kizuna-kai.
As the dust settles over a truce in 2025, we see parts of the organization still active in everything from nuclear materials smuggling in 2024 to interest in establishing private military ventures that goes back to 2017, but its future is uncertain.
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Context
The Yamaguchi-gumi organized crime group are part of a larger underground network, the Yakuza. The Yakuza has changed over the 300 years of its existence. From gamblers and village peddlers, to organized groups of salesmen in the 1700s, they moved into construction fields and politics during the 1800s, and eventually rose through the ruined slums of post-WW2 Japan into an established illegal power. The Yamaguchi-gumi account for a large piece of the 20th century history of the yakuza. Therefore, they embody its rise and decay with their own unique story.
1.2 History
1.2.1 First Yamaguchi-gumi 1915-1925: Harukichi Yamaguchi
The Yamaguchi-gumi was founded by Harukichi Yamaguchi in 1915 in Kobe, Japan. Harukichi fought in the Russo-Japanese War and, after demobilization, worked as a fisherman in his hometown and as a port laborer under the Kobe-based Kurahashi and Oshima Groups. He rose to prominence due to his impressive physical strength and leadership. Climbing up the ranks and acquiring loyalties, in 1915, Harukichi gathered 50 stevedores and created the Yamaguchi-gumi as a group providing labour and, later, a form of comedic storytelling performances known as rakugo. [source, source]
1.2.2 Second Yamaguchi-gumi 1925-1946: Noboru Yamaguchi
In 1925, Harukichi’s eldest son, Noboru Yamaguchi, took over as second boss at the age of 23. Noboru expanded the group’s operation into port labor supply and the entertainment districts, sumo wrestling, rokyoku, and pop music. Noboru oversaw the growth of the Yamaguchi-gumi and its consolidation into the entertainment and port business spaces. In spring 1940, Noboru was attacked by a rival crime syndicate, the Kagotora-gumi (currently Godda family), and died in 1942. [source]
1.2.3 Third Yamaguchi-gumi 1946-1981: Kazuo Taoka
Following Noboru’s death and the end of WW2, the Yamaguchi-gumi were headless. War-torn Kobe was drenched in anarchy. Rampant Korean and Chinese sankokujin gangs ravaged the black markets and slums of the port city. In 1946 young Kazuo “the Bear”, then a grunt in the 30-man Yamaguchi-gumi, rose to lead the group against the sankokujin. This prompted the group’s elders to elect him as the third boss. Kazuo revolutionized the Yamaguchi-gumi, bringing legal business in, diversifying it into entertainment promotion and surviving the attempted police purges in the 1960s. Kazuo built the group into a national criminal power, both feared and respected. [source, source]
1.2.4 Fourth Yamaguchi-gumi 1984-1985: Masahisa Takenaka
The Bear’s death in 1981, and the death of his successor due to liver failure, plunged the Yamaguchi-gumi into an internal war. In 1984, Masahisa Takenaka was elected boss by the elders, but a faction of the group called the Ichikawa-kai broke off with 3,000 members. The ensuing assassination of Takenaka led to the Yama-Ichi War between the two factions. Assassinations, brawls and destruction of property littered the news columns for the next few years. [source]
1.2.5 Fifth Yamaguchi-gumi 1989-2005: Yoshinori Watanabe
In the heat of war, Yoshinori Watanabe was chosen to lead the Yamaguchi-gumi through the Yama-Ichi conflict. Watanabe ended the war with external yakuza aid from the Inagawa-kai, then the third major yakuza syndicate. A dyarchy was formed as Watanabe ruled along with his subordinate, Masaru Takumi. Watanabe retired to civilian life in 2005, an end very uncommon for Yakuza bosses, who usually die in the job. [source, source]
1.2.6 Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi 2005-present: Kenichi Shinoda
In 1997, Takumi was assassinated. For 8 years the Yamaguchi were unable to choose a replacement until Kenichi Shinoda was chosen, and eventually inherited the position as Watanabe stepped down in 2005. Shinoda inherited a 40,000-strong syndicate with tight internal faction control. Under Shinoda, the Yamaguchi expanded into Tokyo by absorbing local gangs. Internal splits and internal conflict reduced it in size and turf. As of the start of 2025, the group had 3,300 members and approximately 3,800 associate members. [source, source, source]
1.2.6.1 Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi 2015: Kunio Inoue
In 2015, strong dissatisfaction with the management of the group, led internal factions numbering up to 2,800 individuals, to splinter off and create the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi under Kunio Inoue, the boss of the Yamaken-gumi faction, which was one of the most powerful and important factions in the syndicate. This resulted in a violent internal war. The Yamaken-gumi, one of the factions that split from the original Yamaguchi-gumi and Inoue’s own men, eventually left Kobe-Yamaguchi and returned to Sixth. As of 2025, the Kobe-Yamaguchi have 120 members. [source, source, source]
1.2.6.2 Kizuna-kai 2017: Yoshinori Oda
Displeased with management and the collection of membership fees, Kizuna-kai—originally Ninkyo-dantai Yamaguchi-gumi—broke off from Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi in 2017 with 400 members. As of 2025, the Kizuna-kai has 60 members. Yoshinori Oda, Kizuna-kai’s boss, told reporters that he wants the group to move to more legitimate methods of income, mentioning coordination for the creation of a private military company staffed by yakuza. He visited South Sudan in 2017, where the JSDF maintained troops to see for himself what provisions for security he could and should aim for. This turn towards protecting Japanese nationals operating abroad, particularly in South-East Asia, as well as the protection of Japan from ‘foreign delinquents’ is what gave the Kizuna-kai their former title “Ninkyo”, meaning “chivalrous.” [source, source, source, source]
1.2.6.3 Ikeda-gumi 2020: Takashi Ikeda
The Ikeda-gumi is a small splinter group from the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, which split from the parent group after the Kizuna-kai. It numbers approximately 60 members and is led by Takashi Ikeda. Though the group was founded in the 1960s, it always existed as a subsidiary gang within the Third Yamaguchi-gumi. It operates primarily in Okayama City, where it is allied with the Kizuna-kai, staging bombings against the Yamaguchi-gumi until the recent 2025 truce. [source]
1.2.7 2025 Truce
On 7 April 2025, the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi declared an end to the factional conflict. A senior member of the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi visited the Hyogo Prefectural Police Headquarters and submitted a written pledge to the Hyogo Prefectural Police to end the conflict with the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, Kizuna-kai, and the smaller split faction Ikeda-gumi. [source, source, source]
2.0 Motto and Symbols
2.1 Motto
“Help the weak, fight the strong” is the motto for the yakuza overall, which the Yamaguchi-gumi’s factions also use. [source]
2.2 Symbols
The “yamabishi” (mountain diamond), is the de facto daimon (crest) of the Yamaguchi-Gumi.
3.0 Organisation
The Yamaguchi-gumi is not generally referred to as three separate entities. The Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi and the Kizuna-Kai claim descent from the original syndicate, but the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi itself remains as a fully functioning entity, and the de facto “heir” organization to the original First Yamaguchi-gumi.
3.1 A Federation of Gangs
The Yamaguchi-gumi is not a centralized organization in the strictest sense. It is a federation of factions, with different sizes and scopes.
The various factions that make-up the Yamaguchi-gumi are a mix of marginalized individuals, including Korean-Japanese of slave labor descent and members of the former outcast class of Japan, the burakumin.
Before the 2015 split, the group had 72 factions. As of 2025, the number of internal factions is unclear, as the split caused the absorption, dissolution and reorganization of many. This faction-based order still is in effect, though the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi claims authority and sovereignty over these various groups.
Headquartered in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, the crime syndicate has expanded across the island nation, maintaining turf even in Tokyo and further south in Kansai and Kyushu. It also operates internationally. [source, source]
3.2 Structure and Hierarchy
Structurally, the Yamaguchi Group is multilayered and follows a traditional yakuza structure, including a host of loose associates, businesses, fronts, grunts, fanatics and bosses.
The head of the organization is a kumicho (組長) or ‘father.’ This is the first boss and de facto leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi. Below him is a wakagashira (若頭), or ‘eldest brother,’ who is the second in command and oftentimes is as powerful as the kumicho. Additionally, there are the oyabun (親分) or ‘elders.’ Below them is a network of senior executives (最高幹部), executives (幹部) and standard group members (組員) and ‘soldiers’ (兵補), amongst whom are delegated the various duties of security, administration, and membership.
Aside from this rigid hierarchy, there is a large network of peripheral and business associates, associated families and groups, factions and gangs, all of which coexist under the umbrella of the Yamaguchi-gumi and serve the purposes of the group in legal or illegal ways.
Since this hierarchy exists in a federal-style syndicate, the various factions within the Yamaguchi-gumi are oftentimes structured in a very similar way, including specifically multiple levels of wakagashira and other elder yakuza as advisor-type figures.
[source]
3.3 Key Figures
3.3.1 Current (2025) Kumicho: Kenichi Shinoda (also known as Shinobu Tsukasa)
Kenichi Shinoda (born in 1942) joined the Hirota-gumi of Nagoya, an affiliate of the Yamaguchi-gumi in 1962. After its disbanding, he founded the Kodo-kai with future Yamaguchi-gumi wakagashira, Kiyoshi Takeyama. The Kodo-kai became a central faction within the Yamaguchi-gumi, expanding to 18 different branches, and even claiming turf in the Kanto region, which was never traditional Yamaguchi territory. He was arrested multiple times, once serving 13 years in prison for murdering a rival boss, and once in 2005 for gun possession. In 2005, only four months before his imprisonment that year, he took control of the Yamaguchi, as the first non-Kansai originated kumicho.
3.3.2 Sixth (2024) Wakagashira: Kiyoshi Takayama
Kiyoshi Takayama (born in 1947) joined the Sasaki-gumi of Nagoya, another one of the many associated factions of the Yamaguchi-gumi in 1967. He moved and climbed the ranks of Hirota-gumi and from there joined Shinoda’s Kodo-kai as number-three in command. In 2005 he became Yamaguchi’s wakagashira and presided over the Kodo-kai as well. He was arrested in 2010 for extortion, but was released 2 years later. In April 2025, he stepped down as wakagashira and became an advisor to the Yamaguchi-gumi organization. [source]
3.3.3 Current (2025) Wakagashira: Teruaki Takeuchi
Teruaki Takeuchi (born in 1960) joined the Yamaguchi-gumi at age 20 after meeting Takayama. He fought in the Yama-Ichi War during the 1980s against the Ichikawa-kai. Takeuchi assisted Takayama in the Kodo-kai through the 1990s and early 2000s. He eventually became a formal member of the Yamaguchi-gumi, and succeeded Takayama, as wakagashira in the after his senior’s retirement in 2025. [source, source, source]
3.4 Known Ventures and Areas of Operation
The Yamaguchi-gumi operate a variety of income sources. They are outlaws, but not outlawed. The police monitor and regulate them, but allow them to continue to exist, though dwindling in size and influence.
3.4.1 In the Entertainment Districts
In Japan, the crime syndicate exert some control over the entertainment industry. They maintain a grip over popular entertainment via talent agencies, and funding bands and idol groups.
The Yamaguchi-gumi also utilize extensive connections in the host-hostess industry. While not directly operating or owning host clubs, the Yamaguchi-gumi provide protection for some and fund other. In return, information acquired by hosts over wealthy or influential patrons are used by the Yamaguchi-gumi to blackmail businessmen and politicians alike.
3.4.2 Japan’s Second Largest Equity Group
The information and extensive network of intelligence under Yamaguchi control allows them to rig the stock market and fix bets. The group often blackmail company executives, using the entertainment angle as leverage, to favor Yamaguchi investments which become very lucrative for the crime syndicate.
3.4.3 Political Influence
While never completely verified, accusations have been made and suspicions of consorting have emerged between Yamaguchi-gumi associates or senior members and individuals from the ruling LDP to the Democratic Party of Japan. Ministers of Education, Public Safety Commission heads and members of cabinet have been photographed alongside prominent members of the crime syndicate.
The group’s influence and violent methods have also been used by politicians to bury political scandals, provide labor jobs and crush labor unions. The Yamaguchi-gumi have provided labor even for much of Japan’s nuclear industry and the Fukushima-disaster cleanup.
3.4.4 Going Abroad
The Yamaguchi-gumi has extensive transnational networks as well. They maintain connections to international crime groups, and have been categorized by the U.S. Treasury Department as a transcontinental organized crime group. Additionally, they maintain connections to Korean and Chinese gangs in California, Chinese Triads, and Vietnamese gangs. The various factions maintain connections that are not shared across Yamaguchi-gumi as a whole.
4.0 Future of the Yamaguchi-gumi
The Yamaguchi-gumi was reduced in size after the 2015-2020 splits. Thus, the current truce and final outcome of that split has restructured the organization and reshuffled factions. However, the dominance of the Kodo-kai within the federation has been challenged.
The trends indicate that the numbers of the yakuza will continue to dwindle. Some, such as the Kizuna-kai may seek to turn legitimate. On the other hand, some will be replaced. Many will simply cease to exist. Regardless, the vast criminal empire will remain influential, and the likely outcome of the dwindling numbers among the Yamaguchi-gumi and the yakuza at large will simply be a solidification of resources to fewer individuals.
However, without legal ground to allow them to expand, and a decreasing necessity for physical presence and violence, the Yamaguchi-gumi will likely maintain a balance between traditional sources of power and modern criminal enterprise. Cybercrime, fraud, and high-profile smuggling, including arms trafficking, is likely to pick up.
5.0 Conclusion
The Yamaguchi-gumi’s history is one of survival, reinvention, and internal fracture. While their influence wanes and their numbers dwindle, the systems they built remain. Whether as cybercriminals, private military companies, or something else entirely, their next form is difficult to predict.