Masahisa Takenaka

Masahisa Takenaka ( Japanese 竹 中 正 久 , Takenaka Masahisa ; born November 30, 1933 in Mikunino (today: Himeji ), Hyōgo prefecture ; † January 27, 1985 ) was the fourth gang leader ( Kumichō ) of today's largest yakuza group, Yamaguchi-gumi .

Life

Takenaka's father died when he was 12 years old. He attended Rojō Middle School in Himeji, which he left early. After many arrests for various crimes, including assault, he founded Takenaka-gumi in August 1960. Takenaka maintained a blood brotherly relationship with Uno Shōzō, who belonged to the yakuza group Yamaguchi-gumi and who recommended him there, so that in 1961 Takenaka was subordinate to the third gang leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Taoka Kazuo .

After the death of the previous gang leader of Yamaguchi-gumi, Taoka Kazuo, Takenaka was a member of the eight-member committee that temporarily managed the organization under the direction of Taoka's widow Fumiko until Taoka's deputy Ken'ichi Yamamoto was released from prison would. However, when Yamamoto died in February 1982 before his release, it became apparent that the next gang leader would come from the ranks of the body. In the subsequent search process, Takenaka, who enjoyed the trust of Taoka's family and was favored by Fumiko, was able to position himself as one of the last two candidates. His competitor was Hiroshi Yamamoto , a confidante of the late Ken'ichi Yamamoto. Takenaka won the election as the new gang leader and in 1984 took over the leadership of Yamaguchi-gumi. The defeated Yamamoto, however, did not recognize Takenaka's victory and renounced Yamaguchi-gumi with other like-minded people and founded the yakuza group Ichiwa-kai in June 1984 .

When it became apparent that Ichiwa-kai would not be able to confess against Yamaguchi-gumi, Takenaka was assassinated on the evening of January 26, 1985. At least four members of Ichiwa-kai shot dead Takenaka and his two companions in the house of Takenaka's lover , located in Osaka . His companions died instantly. Takenaka himself was hit by three bullets in the stomach and chest. Seriously injured, he managed to flee to his nearby office in his car. An emergency operation carried out in the hospital was unsuccessful. His death led to the " Yama Ichi War " ( 山 一 戦 争 , Yama-Ichi Sensō ), the worst gang war in Japanese post-war history, during which more than 300 shootings occurred and 25 people died.

More than 1,000 yakuzas attended his funeral, which was televised nationwide. In February 1985, Kazuo Nakanishi was determined to be the new leader of Yamaguchi-gumi, but he did not have the title of Kumicho.

literature

• David E. Kaplan, Alec Dubro: Yakuza: Japan's Criminal Underworld ( University of California Press , 2012)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} DER SPIEGEL 10/1985