Overview
Over the centuries, Eiennohanan yakuza have grown into a role very different from their historic origins on Earth. Although sometimes still engaging in criminal activity, the standard Eiennohanan yakuza organization concerns itself more with unifying labor and resisting exploitation by the Eiennohanan kazoku (nobility).
Origins
Yakuza, also known as
gokudō, were transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan on Old Earth. These organizations began as two social groups which emerged during Japan's Edo period (1603–1868 AD): the tekiya, street peddlers who fought each other for territory; and bakuto, who controlled illegal gambling dens. The dynamics of this dual heritage are important to understanding the nature of the modern day yakuza of Eiennohana.
During the Edo period the tekiya, as nomadic and often poor street merchants, were one of the lowest ranked social groups in the nation. In order to protect themselves, the tekiya began to organize, taking over administrative duties such as the allotment of stall locations in markets and fairs or managing disputes between members. In contrast to the bakuto (whose gambling activity was illegal in Japan for centuries), the tekiya's line of work was generally honest, supplying castle towns with a variety of goods not offered by more established merchants. However, the tekiya also engaged in illicit activities ranging from such as fencing stolen goods to gang wars over territory to demand protection money.
The tekiya were a highly structured and hierarchical group with with members falling into one of five ranks: the oyabun (boss) at the top, and the underboss, officers, enlisted men, and apprentices (kobun) beneath him. These ranks formed relationships similar to that found in a family, with the oyabun acting as a surrogate father, and the kobun as surrogate children. Towards the latter half of the Edo period, the government formally recognized the tekiya with the oyabun of different groups appointed as supervisors and granted near-samurai status.
Even lower in the social hierarchy than the tekiya, the bakuto operated illegal gambling houses in abandoned temples or shrines all over Japan. These gambling houses often ran loan-sharking businesses as well, maintaining their own security personnel that doubled as debt collectors. Despite the strong disdain society held for bakuto, they were sometimes used by the government to perform tasks that required discretion. For example, during the infrastructure projects of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the bakuto were hired by government officials to get back the substantial sums of money paid to irrigation and construction workers by luring them into the bakuto's gambling halls and cheating them out of their money.
From the bakuto came the yakuza gambling tradition, its customs of finger-cutting (yubitsume) to settle debts of honor, and even the name yakuza itself (taken from the name of losing hand in the hanafuda card game, 8-9-3; meaning "good for nothing"). Although tattoos were originally used by the government to mark criminals, the bakuto (many of them convicted and tattooed already) adopted full-body
irezumi tattoos. These would be outlawed during the Meiji Restoration, but survived and remain in use by yakuza organizations throughout the colonies established during the
The Great Diaspora.
As the tekiya and the bakuto organizations came into increasing contact over the centuries, these different societal roles and organizational practices melded into one shared heritage.
Arrival on Eiennohana
Although the Eiennohana colony was funded in large part by the
Stellar Monarchist League, colonial expeditions were too expensive for any one organization to finance. One of the largest alternative sources of funding came from different small yakuza organizations operating in the Sol system, eking out niches in space industries like asteroid mining. In return for selling cheap building materials to the Eiennohanan Colonial Expedition (ECE) and paying higher ticket prices, the yakuza clans were allowed to join as settlers when few other organizations would accept them. Upon arriving on planet most of the yakuza became homesteaders in the more remote regions being settled.
Conflict with the Kazoku
While Eiennohanans, as members of the Stellar Monarchist League, had established a constitutional monarchy in their founding charter, the founding colonists had still grown up in largely democratic (at least on paper) governments. As such, it took decades for the commoners and the nobility to grow into and understand their new roles. Some of the Kazoku wanted a return to the power the great Japanese family had wielded prior to the
Meiji era, and began using their legal authority and economic clout to grow their power.
Under Eiennohanan law, all land in the star nation was owned by the monarchy who then assigned land to the kazoku based on their rank. The kazoku in turn had the authority to either work the land themselves or to sell land to private owners, with a portion of property taxes going being paid to the kazoku clan. The constitution allowed Kazoku to seize land from owners who were unproductive or environmentally destructive, although these claims had to be proven in court. While most kazoku used this authority responsibly, others did not. Malicious kazoku would pack the courts, seizing land on petty charges such as flaky paint or overgrown yards. Sometimes kazoku loyalists were employed to destroy equipment or crops, leaving a property in a state that could be used as pretext for seizure. Although the constitution allowed the monarchy to mediate in land disputes or rescind titles from corrupt nobles, they dared not due to the growing coalition of kazoku that desired to turn the monarch into a figurehead role similar to the shogun/emperor relationship of Old Earth Japan.
As the emboldened kazoku increased their abuse of power, they eventually came into conflict with the yakuza and their descendants. When the kazoku attempted to seize farms and industries from these families, local mobs beat officials and destroyed government property. When the local police forces attempted to mobilize they found their equipment sabotaged and the roads destroyed. This response motivated the commoners to protest the abuses they had suffered, threatening to trigger into planetwide revolt. Using the political support created by the protests, the king launched several investigations against the kazoku and passed laws that more specifically defined under what conditions land could be seized. At the law's signing, the king recognized the yakuza descended families, naming them the "Nobility of the Night". These families quickly grew into a force among the commoners able to consistently compete on a political level with the kazoku, a state of affairs that has continued until the present day.
Differences from Traditional Yakuza
While the kazoku and police often refer to yakuza as bōryokudan (violent groups), the yakuza themselves often prefer the term ninkyō dantai (chivalrous organizations). Whereas the yakuza of Old Earth had devolved into simple criminal cartels (or always had been), Eiennohanan yakuza consider themselves as protectors of both the commoners and Eiennohanan tradition. Shortly after their resurgence, the heads of the first yakuza clans established seven rules of conduct, broadcasting to the rest of Eiennohanan society on how they would act from now on.
- Treat the Oyabun with respect.
- Don't steal from the everyday man.
- Don't disrupt the harmony of the Family or touch the partner of a fellow member.
- Never involve yourself with drugs.
- Root out those that would target children.
- Always act chivalrously.
- Never turn a Yakuza over to the authorities.
— The Seven Laws of the Eiennohana Yakuza
While more than willing to use violence to achieve their goals, the yakuza clans take the moniker given to them by the King, Nobility of the Night, seriously. The yakuza donate generously to the arts and religious institutions, and are the main organizers of festivals and holiday celebrations. Their lawyers and specialists are always available to help organize labor in fights against monopolies, and the clans are the most vocal supporters of the Eiennohanan monarch. This results in strong yakuza representation among labor unions, artistic communities, and localized markets.
Where the yakuza of Old Earth cut their family ties and transfer their loyalty to the clan head, such a policy makes little sense on a developing world with low population. Instead, the Eiennohanan yakuza member is expected to marry and produce a family. Additionally, whereas Old Earth yakuza were male dominated, on Eiennohana both men and women are considered full members of the organization. There is also an expectation for members to eventually retire, a move that does not remove them from the organization entirely but instead has them serve as liaisons between the local populace and active members. These retired members outnumber active members by a significant margin, and also serve as a reserve in times of large protests or as extra help in organizing festivals.
Divide between Planet and Space
Not all yakuza respect these principles however. Certain yakuza, largely among the non-land-owning clans in the space mining industries, sneer at the pretensions of their planet bound counterparts. These spacer yakuza fully embrace crime and violence in their struggle against the kazoku, far away from the oversight of the press and the monarch. On the space habitats they control, commoners and nobility alike can find a wide range of pleasures hard to come by on planet, from high stakes gambling, to narcotics, and extreme forms of prostitution, all industries looked upon with disdain from the yakuza clans planet side. This has produced leverage against members of the kazoku who yearn for esoteric pleasures not offered in polite society.
As hyperspace technology proliferates and trade with other star systems begins, these spacer yakuza have seen their influence grow as they smuggle illicit goods in and out of the system.
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