Yakuza Database - ヤクザ

Yakuza (Japanese: ヤクザ, IPA: [jaꜜkɯza]), also known as gokudō (極道, "the extreme path", IPA: [gokɯꜜdoː]) are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan (暴力団, "violent groups", IPA: [boːɾʲokɯꜜdaɴ]), while the Yakuza call themselves ninkyō dantai (任侠団体/仁侠団体, "chivalrous organizations", IPA: [ɲiŋkʲoː dantai]). The English equivalent for the term Yakuza is gangster, meaning an individual involved in a Mafia-like criminal organization.[2] The Yakuza are notorious for their strict codes of conduct, their organized fiefdom nature, and several unconventional ritual practices such as "Yubitsume".[3] Yakuza members are often described as males with heavily tattooed bodies and slicked hair,[4] yet this group is still regarded as being among "the most sophisticated and wealthiest criminal organizations."[5]