Yakuza Moon

Yakuza Moon
Author: Shoko Tendo
Publisher: Kodansha USA
Total Pages: 183
Release: 2010-07-15
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 4770050062

Yakuza Moon is the shocking, yet intensely moving memoir of 37-yearold Shoko Tendo, who grew up the daughter of a yakuza boss. Tendo lived her life in luxury until the age of six, when her father was sent to prison, and her family fell into terrible debt. Bullied by classmates who called her "the yakuza girl," and terrorized at home by a father who became a drunken, violent monster after his release from prison, Tendo rebelled. A regular visitor to nightclubs at the age of 12, she soon became a drug addict and a member of a girl gang. By the age of 15 she found herself sentenced to eight months in a juvenile detention center. Adulthood brought big bucks and glamour when Tendo started working as a bar hostess during Japan’s booming bubble economy of the nineteen- eighties. But among her many rich and loyal patrons there were also abusive clients, one of whom beat her so badly that her face was left permanently scarred. When her mother died, Tendo plunged into such a deep depression that she tried to commit suicide twice. Tendo takes us through the bad times with warmth and candor, and gives a moving and inspiring account of how she overcame a lifetime of discrimination and hardship. Getting tattooed, from the base of her neck to the tips of her toes, with a design centered on a geisha with a dagger in her mouth, was an act that empowered her to start making changes in her life. She quit her job as a hostess. On her last day at the bar she looked up at the full moon, a sight she never forgot. The moon became a symbol of her struggle to become whole, and the title of the book she wrote as an epitaph for herself and her family.

Yakuza Moon

Yakuza Moon
Author: Shoko Tendo
Publisher: Kodansha Amer Incorporated
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2011
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 9784770031464

Born into the family of a wealthy yakuza boss, Shoko Tendo lived her early years in luxury. But labelled the yakuza kid, she became the victim of bullying and discrimination from teachers and classmates at school, her father's drunken rages at home. This title presents an account of one woman's experience of growing up in Japan's yakuza society. The story of a yakuza's daughter is tellingly recreated in a mature manga format, illustrated by a female Japanese manga artist in a lively and inspired fashion. A poignant and eye-opening true-life memoir, 'Yakuza Moon' is a

Yakuza

Yakuza
Author: David E. Kaplan
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 438
Release: 2003-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780520215610

"A fascinating study of how criminal enterprise can infect the very heart of modern capitalism. Here is the backstage world of political influence and organized crime in the world's second largest economy... by far the most detailed and even-handed study of this important and neglected subject."—John W. Dower, author of Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II Reviews of original edition: "A superb study of Japan's underworld that is both entertaining and revealing. The authors miss none of the color and curious detail of the yakuza style, but at the same time go far beyond surface observations."—Far Eastern Economic Review "The book is laden with fascinating information, some of it heretofore unavailable in English."—Washington Post "Blend the Mafia with the Masons. Let them simmer a while, then fold in the Ku Klux Klan and you'll have the yakuza…. Important and timely…Yakuza will serve for years as the source document on Japanese organized crime."—San Jose Mercury News "State-of-the-art investigative reporting…must reading for those who consider themselves already highly conversant with yakuza activities…disturbing."—Journal of Asian Studies

Moon & Sun, Vol. 1 (Yaoi Manga)

Moon & Sun, Vol. 1 (Yaoi Manga)
Author: Akane Abe
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Total Pages: 184
Release: 2022-07-12
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 197473336X

Masahiro, heir to a yakuza syndicate, has been skating through life without much purpose. When he stumbles one night into the drag club where his childhood friend Hana works, the drunk and obnoxious Masahiro causes such a stir that the beautiful owner of the club is forced to deal with the yakuza brat themself. Is one good spanking all it will take to put the heir apparent on the right path in life...and love? -- VIZ Media

Confessions of a Yakuza

Confessions of a Yakuza
Author: Dr. Junichi Saga
Publisher: Kodansha USA
Total Pages: 197
Release: 2010-08-05
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 4770050097

This is the true story, as told to the doctor who looked after him just before he died, of the life of one of the last traditional yakuza in Japan. It wasn’t a "good" life, in either sense of the word, but it was an adventurous one; and the tale he has to tell presents an honest and oddly attractive picture of an insider in that separate, unofficial world. In his low, hoarse voice, he describes the random events that led the son of a prosperous country shopkeeper to become a member, and ultimately the leader, of a gang organizing illegal dice games in Tokyo's liveliest entertainment area. He talks about his first police raid, and the brutal interrogation and imprisonment that followed it. He remembers his first love affair, and the girl he ran away with, and the weeks they spent wandering about the countryside together. Briefly, and matter-of-factly, he describes how he cut off the little finger of his left hand as a ritual gesture of apology. He explains how the games were run and the profits spent; why the ties between members of "the brotherhood" were so important; and how he came to kill a man who worked for him. What emerges is a contradictory personality: tough but not unsentimental; stubborn yet willing to take life more or less as it comes; impulsive but careful to observe the rules of the business he had joined. And in the end, when his tale is finished, you feel you would probably have liked him if you'd met him in person. Fortunately, Dr. Saga's record of his long conversations with him provides a wonderful substitute for that meeting.

Moon & Sun, Vol. 2

Moon & Sun, Vol. 2
Author: Akane Abe
Publisher: SuBLime
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2022-10-11
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 9781974732289

A laid-back yakuza heir and a striking cross-dressing beauty start an unlikely love affair. A yakuza heir indifferent to the family business butts heads with the stunning proprietress of a nearby drag club. When his yakuza grandfather starts putting on the heat regarding the family business, he runs straight into the arms of the masculine beauty! Masahiro, heir to a yakuza syndicate, has been skating through life without much purpose, but that all changers when he meets makeup artist Tsubaki. Attracted not only to Tsubaki's outer appearance but also his inner strength, Masahiro can’t help but be affected by the statuesque beauty’s influence. But he’s not the only one growing from their relationship—the seemingly put-together Tsubaki can’t help but learn a little something too!

Hagakure

Hagakure
Author: Yamamoto Tsunetomo
Publisher: Vertical Inc
Total Pages: 143
Release: 2021-02-17
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 1568366051

Based on William Scott Wilson's definitive translation, adapted by scriptwriter and comic book/manga author Sean Wilson, and with lively drawings by well-known illustrator Chie Kutsuwada, this first-ever graphic treatment of what's considered the most influential of all samurai treatises is sure to delight manga fans, martial arts enthusiasts, and students of Japanese culture. Reminiscent of The Arabian Nights in structure, Hagakure is a collection of tales and anecdotes that offer instruction and insight into the philosophy and code of behavior that foster the true spirit of Bushido—the Way of the Warrior. A young, upcoming samurai seeks the advice of an older, seasoned warrior who has become a Zen monk. The ambitious young samurai humbly begs to learn from the old master, who consents. So begins a series of eventful meetings. At each sitting. the master tells his young student tales of samurai past. Tales of famous warriors are recited, as well as ignoble gaffs. With brutal, unrelenting samurai justice, wrongs are righted and judgment is enacted. With each incident, the young novice learns what it means to be a samurai. Learns what courage and right thought are. Learns the harsh realities and subtle wisdom of his age. Writer Sean Wilson and illustrator Chie Kutsuwada both bring ample experience in the genre to this project. And, as an added bonus, William Scott Wilson, the translator of the original Kodansha International version of the book, provides an illuminating Afterword.

A Companion to the Gangster Film

A Companion to the Gangster Film
Author: George S. Larke-Walsh
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 510
Release: 2018-11-20
Genre: Art
ISBN: 111904166X

A companion to the study of the gangster film’s international appeal spanning the Americas, Europe, and Asia A Companion to the Gangster Film presents a comprehensive overview of the newest scholarship on the contemporary gangster film genre as a global phenomenon. While gangster films are one of America’s most popular genres, gangster movies appear in every film industry across the world. With contributions from an international panel of experts, A Companion to the Gangster Film explores the popularity of gangster films across three major continents, the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The authors acknowledge the gangster genre’s popularity and examine the reasons supporting its appeal to twenty-first century audiences across the globe. The book examines common themes across all three continents such as production histories and reception, gender race and sexuality, mafia mythologies, and politics. In addition, the companion clearly shows that no national cinema develops in isolation and that cinema is a truly global popular art form. This important guide to the gangster film genre: Reveals how the gangster film engages in complex and contradictory themes Examines the changing face of the gangster film in America Explores the ideas of gangsterism and migration in the Hispanic USA, Latin America and the Caribbean Discusses the wide variety of gangster types to appear in European cinema Contains a review of a wide-range of gangster films from the Americans, Europe, and Asia Written for academics and students of film, A Companion to the Gangster Film offers a scholarly and authoritative guide exploring the various aspects and international appeal of the gangster film genre.

Toppamono

Toppamono
Author: Miyazaki Manabu
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Total Pages: 490
Release: 2005-06-15
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

Shot, stabbed, and beaten, Miyazaki Manabu somehow emerged intact from his first fifty years to put his astonishing life story down on paper. Born the son of a yakuza boss in 1945, he grew up in a household of gang members and social misfits before his conversion to Marxism launched him into the violent world of 1960s student radicalism. After dropping out of university and spending a brief sojourn in South America, he became a reporter on a fast-rising weekly magazine. Called back home to Kyoto to take over the family demolition business, he was plunged into a maelstrom of bankruptcy and debt, forcing him to raise funds however he could. Along the way, he became the chief suspect in one of Japan's most sensational criminal cases----still unsolved----before getting caught up in the crazy years of Japan's bubble economy, when land speculators tipped their favorite bar hostesses millions of yen and Dom Perignon flowed like water. More than just one man's incredible story, unflinchingly told, Toppamono is a sophisticated analysis of Japan's postwar half-century that will astound and enlighten. Devastatingly critical of banks and bureaucrats, questioning of Japan's understanding of democracy, and cogent on the role played by the yakuza in Japanese society, this underground best-seller, first published in 1996, will keep you enthralled until the very last page. toppamono n: a person with a devil-may-care attitude, who pushes ahead regardless.

Yakuza Diary

Yakuza Diary
Author: Christopher Seymour
Publisher:
Total Pages: 212
Release: 1996
Genre: Crime
ISBN: 9780871136046

A writer who infiltrated the Yakuza, the Japanese organized crime syndicate, reveals their wealth and power, four-hundred-year-old code of conduct, and a cast of characters including bosses and underlings