I have a couple of articles about Ninja and the origin of the term
Oniwaban, and they mention the origins of the Yakuza. I'll paste
both relevant parts, hoping to help clarifying the issue (Hijikata
fans: notice the term tekiya):
NEW HEROES AND VILLAINS
The Koga and Iga Ninja who remained at the capital were soon
promoted.
Some where assigned to an elite gun corps, others became personal
guards,
and some even joined the local police force. Some of the most
prominent
Ninja and Samurai became "Hatamoto," or "Direct vassals to the
Shogun."
These positions were fleeting. In all respects, they were unemployed,
forcing many of them to become "Ronin," or "Masterless warriors."
Many
became known as "Kabuki-mono," which meant "Crazy ones". These
eccentric
Ninja and Samurai took on colorful names, wore strange clothing, and
took
pleasure in terrorizing any who crossed their path. They were
extremely
loyal to one another, and in time, the Kabuki-mono numbered over
500,000,
many of whom wandered throughout Japan looting towns and villages.
However,
to every coin there are two sides. Another group emerged
simultaneously.
These people were called "Machi-yakko," or "Servants of the town,"
and they
consisted of merchants, laborers, fishermen, renegade Ninja and
Ronin who
had become professional gamblers as a means of earning a living.
Everyone in
this group took up arms against the Kabuki-mono, serving as
protectors
against their tyranny. The Machi-yakko became heroes, praised by
town and
villages across the country for their bravery.
ELITE NINJA
In 1716 Tokugawa Yoshimune was named Shogun. When he assumed the
title, he
brought in many of his own people to run the government. Among those
in his
employ were Kishu-Ryu Ninja who were descendants of the Ninja who
fled to
the Kii province after the battle of Iga 135 years earlier. The
Shogun
organized the Kichu Ninja into a group called "Oniwaban," which was
to be a
large scale intelligence unit that would serve as the countries
internal
security network. The agents in this network were called "Metsuke,"
which
literally meant "Eyes." This new breed of Ninja was no longer
restricted to
the shadows. Their positions were very high profile and respectable.
The
Shogun assigned a Metsuke to serve a Daimyo in every province in the
land.
These agents were very polite, diplomatic and most importantly,
attentive to
the events of the province. This made it very difficult for any
Daimyo to
plot against the Shogun without the risk of being discovered. In
essence,
the Metsuke, because of their elite status, could openly map all the
details
of a castle in full view of everyone, noting its strengths and
weaknesses.
They could keep track of the number of Samurai employed by the
daimyo, and
they could investigate any issue that seemed suspicious to them. This
information would then be sent directly to the Shogun reference.
A SECRET UNDERWORLD
By the late 1700's the Machi-yakko (servants of the town) had
evolved into
a group known as Yakuza. This word, which roughly translated means
"worthless" comes from a card game called "Hanafuda," or "Flower
cards". The
goal of the game is to gather three cards that total 19 or under.
Anything
over 19 is a losing hand. The word YA meant 8, KU meant 9 and ZA
meant
three. This hand would total 20, which is a worthless hand, thus the
name
signifies someone who is an outsider of society. This group was
mostly made
up of the poor, landless misfits of society, which was perfect for
many
renegade Ninja and Ronin who could use their skills to attain high
positions
of power within the Yakuza hierarchy.
The Yakuza families were based on a Father (oyabun) Child (kobun)
relationship. The leader of a Yakuza family was considered to be the
parent
to all those in his group. Initiation into a Yakuza family was a
very ornate
ritual. Unlike a classical martial tradition which required a blood
oath
written on a scroll in the applicants own blood and then burned at
an alter,
the Yakuza simply exchanged sake (rice wine) cups, filled to a level
consistent with their rank, to symbolize their Oyabun-Kobun
relationship.
This act was performed before a Shinto alter, which gave it religious
significance. The Kobun position, although always subservient to the
Oyabun,
consisted of many levels. These levels included; under-boss,
officers,
enlisted and apprentices. Again, this structure was not unlike the
hierarchy
used by the Ninja families of Iga and Koga.
***********
Second article:
The Yakuza Introduction
Italy has the La Cosa Nostra. America has the Mafia. The Irish and
Jews have their own crime organizations in America. Southeast Asia
has the Triads. China, Hong Kong and Taiwan have the Tong. Truly
well-known organized crime organizations indeed.
However, there is one organization that was not mentioned in the
above list, a group that has been around for over 300 years. A group
that has as much honor and principle as the Mafia, and is just as
strong, if not stronger.
The group is yakuza.
History of the Yakuza --- Feudal Japan Kabuki-Mono
The yakuza can trace its origins back to as early as 1612, when
people known as kabuki-mono ("crazy ones"), began to attract the
attention of local officials. Their odd clothing and haircuts and
behavior, along with carrying long swords at their sides, made them
quite noticeable. Kabuki-mono made a habit of antagonizing and
terrorizing anyone at their leisure, even to the point of cutting
one down just for sheer pleasure.
The kabuki-mono were eccentric samurai, taking outrageous names for
their bands and speaking heavily in slang. Their loyalty to one
another was remarkable. They would protect each other from any
threat, including against their own families. In fact, the kabuki-
mono were servants of the shogun, also taking the name of hatamoto-
yakko ("Servants of the shogun"). The groups were comprised of
nearly 500,000 samurai that were forced into unemployment during the
time of peace during the Tokugawa era, forcing them to become ronin
("Wave man," a master less samurai). Many had turned into bandits,
looting towns and villages as they wandered throughout Japan.
The hatamoto-yakko cannot truly be seen as the forebears of that
yakuza. Instead, the yakuza see the machi-yokko ("Servants of the
town") as their ancestors. These people were the ones who took up
arms and defended the villages and towns from the hatamoto-yokko.
These people consisted of such occupations as clerks, shopkeepers,
innkeepers, laborers, homeless warriors and other ronin. Everyone
who was part of the machi-yakko was an adept gambler, which helped
them develop a closely-knit relationship with each other and their
leaders, much like today's yakuza.
The machi-yakko soon became folk heroes, praised by the townspeople
for their actions against the hatamoto-yakko, though they were, for
the most part, untrained and weaker than the hatamoto-yakko. They
were very similar to England's Robin Hood. Some of the machi-yakko
were even subjects of stories and plays.
The early yakuza did not surface until the middle to late 1700's.
These members include the bakuto (traditional gamblers) and the
tekiya (street peddlers). These terms are still used today to
describe yakuza members today, although a third group, gurentai
(hoodlums) has been added in the post World War II era. Everyone in
those groups came from the same background: poor, landless,
delinquents and misfits. The groups stuck closely in the same small
areas without problems, as the bakuto remained mostly along the
highways and towns, and the tekiya operated in the markets and fairs
of Japan.
The yakuza began organizing into families, adopting a relationship
known as oyabun-kobun (father-role/child-role). The oyabun was
the "father," providing advice, protection and help; the kobun acted
as the "child," swearing unswerving loyalty and service whenever the
oyabun needed it. The initiation ceremony for the yakuza also
developed in this period of time. Instead of the actual bloodletting
that was practiced by the Mafia and the Triads, the yakuza exchanged
sake cups to symbolize the entrance into the yakuza and the oyabun-
kobun relationship. The amounts of sake poured into each cup
depended upon one's status, whether the participants were father-
son, brother-brother, elder-younger, etc. The ceremony was usually
performed in front if a Shinto altar, giving it religious
significance. Tekiya
The tekiya's history is still widely debated. The most widely
accepted theory was that the tekiya came from yashi, an earlier word
meaning peddler. The yashi were travelling merchants of medicine,
much similar to the American West's snake oil merchants. Over time,
yashi became a catch-all for all merchants and peddlers.
They tekiya united with each other for protection and mutual
interest from the Tokugawa regime. They began to control the booths
at fairs and markets. Their reputation for shoddy merchandise was
well known and well-deserved. Their salesmanship was deceptive. They
lied about origins and quality of products. The would act drunk and
make a show of selling their wares cheaply, so it would appear that
they were unaware of what they were doing. They would delude the
customer.
The tekiya followed the usual yakuza organization: oyabun,
underboss, officers, enlisted and apprentices. The oyabun controlled
the kobun and the allocation of stalls along with the availability
of the goods. He also collected rents and protection money, and
would pocket the difference between the two. Everything they did was
legal work. In the middle 1700's, the feudal authorities recognised
and therefore increased the power of the tekiya. Oyabun were given
the authority of supervisor, now being able to have a surname and
carry two swords similar to samurai, in order to reduce the threat
of turf wars due to widespread fraud. However, the tekiya still
embraced some criminal traits, such as protection rackets, the
harboring of fugitives and known criminals, and brawling with other
tekiya and gangs.
Bakuto --- the Gamblers
The bakuto were first recognized during the Tokugawa era, when the
government hired them to gamble with contraction and irrigation
workers in order to regain a portion of the substantial wages the
workers received.
The bakuto contributed to Japan's tradition for gambling, as well as
the yakuza's traditional "finger-cutting," and the origin of the
word "yakuza."
The word comes from a hand in a card game called hanafuda (flower
cards), similar to blackjack. Three cards are dealt per player, and
the last digit of the total counts as the number of the hand. A hand
of 20, the worst score, gives the score of zero. One such losing
combination is 8-9-3, or ya-ku-sa, which began to be widely used to
denote something useless. This term began to be used about bakuto,
as they were, on the whole, useless to society.
Yubitsume, the custom of finger-cutting, was introduced by the
bakuto. The top joint of the little finger is ceremoniously severed,
signifying a weakening of the hand, which meant that the gambler
could not hold his sword as firmly. Yubitsume was performed was
usually performed as an act of apology to the oyabun. Further
infractions would either mean the severing of the next joint or the
top section of another finger. It is also used as a lasting
punishment just before expulsion.
The use of tattoos also came from the criminal aspect of the bakuto.
Criminals were usually tattooed with a black ring around an arm for
each offense he had committed. However, the tattoos soon became a
test of strength, as they were applied by undergoing 100 hours for a
complete back tattoo. The tattoo also marked a misfit, always
unwilling to adapt themselves to society.
The Restoration Years
The Meiji Restoration, starting in 1867, gave Japan a rebirth and
its first of many transformations into an industrial nation.
Political parties and a parliament were created, as well as a
powerful military.
The yakuza also began to modernize, keeping in pace with a rapidly
changing Japan. They recruited members from construction jobs and
dock workings. They even began to control the rickshaw business.
Gambling, however, had to be even more covert, as police were
cracking down on bakuto gangs. The tekiya, unlike the bakuto,
thrived and expanded, as their activities were not illegal, at least
not on the surface.
The yakuza began to dabble in politics, taking sides with certain
politicians and officials. They cooperated with the government so
they could get official sanction, or at least some freedom from
harassment.
The government did find a use for the yakuza --- as aid to ultra
nationalists, who took a militaristic role in Japan's adaption into
democracy. Various secret societies were created and trained
militarily, trained in languages, assassination, blackmail, etc. The
ultra nationalist reign of terror lasted into the 1930's, consisting
of several coups d'etat, the assassination of two prime ministers
and two finance ministers, and repeated attacks on politicians and
industrialists. The yakuza provided muscle and men to the cause and
participated in "land development" programs in occupied Manchuria or
China.
Things changed, however, when Pearl Harbor was bombed. The
government no longer needed the ultra nationalists or the yakuza.
Members of these groups either worked with the government, put on a
uniform, or were put into jail.
--- In
SHQ@yahoogroups.com, "Bonnie Johnston"
wrote:
>
> Hi, everyone!
>
> I'm reading "Yakuza Diary," by Christopher Seymour, and came
across a
> reference to the Shinsengumi. Seymour was interviewing a yakuza
who serves
> as the historian for the Aizu Kotetsu, a clan in Kyoto. Speaking
of the
> founder of the Aizu Kotetsu, Ubesaki Senkichi, and Senkichi's
boss, Senhachi
> (who was from another gang; apparently the yakuza gangs would
occasionally
> spawn offshoots, and the sub-gang remained loyal to the leader of
the main
> gang), the yakuza historian says:
>
> "In the years right before the 1868 Meiji Revolution, there was
turbulance
> in the samurai class. There was also trouble among the lower
ranks of
> guardsmen. They were losing their jobs protecting damiyo (sic),
feudal
> lords, residing in Kyoto. A gang called Shinseigumi, headed by a
man named
> Isao Kondo, found itself unemployed.
>
> "Isao Kondo asked the gambling boss Senhachi for employment for
the
> redundant Shinseigumi men. Though Senhachi accepted these men
into his
> organization, he decided to put his favorite understudy (Senkichi)
in charge
> of these newcomers. Senkichi accepted the position and brought
along three
> friends from his youth to assist him.
>
> "This reorganized gang was now called Aizu Kotetsu-kai. Aizu, for
the
> region where the gang originated, and Kotetsu, after Senhachi's
favorite
> brand of sword."
>
> (p.72)
>
> Don't know how accurate this is, but thought I'd throw it out
there for
> discussion or further research, if anyone is interested.
>
> _________________________________________________________________
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