Yakuza
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Yakuza, also known as gokudō, or simply the Japanese mafia, are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media call them bōryokudan, while the
An early example of irezumi tattoos, 1870s
The Kabukicho district of Shinjuku has historically been known as a popular yakuza hangout in Tokyo.
Yakuza often take part in local festivals such as Sanja Matsuri, where they often ride the shrine through the streets proudly showing off their elaborate tattoos.
Poster for the 1948 Akira Kurosawa film Drunken Angel, a yakuza eiga-genre film
Fundoshi
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Fundoshi is a traditional Japanese undergarment for men and women, made from a length of cotton.
Yakuza
…ritual practices such as yubitsume, the amputation of the left little finger. Members are often portrayed with heavily tattooed bodies and wearing a fundoshi, sometimes with a kimono or, in more recent years, a Western-style "sharp" suit covering them. At their height, the yakuza maintained a large presence…
Participants receiving purification by water at the Hadaka Matsuri in Okayama
Participants at the Hakata Gion Yamakasa in Fukuoka
Japanese traditional swimwear FUNDOSHI red rokushaku front photomodel fthong 1
Japanese traditional swimwear FUNDOSHI red rokushaku back photomodel fthong 1