Aoyama-Gumi
Written by: Tahoma
Ah, the yakuza. Like the mafia, but with pensions and a PR department. It's rare to see a fully-fledged clan so far from Japan, but wouldn't you know it, the winds of fortune care for neither borders nor cultures. What was once an underwhelming scouting-party for one of the larger alliances spreading its feelers for potential new feeding-grounds have became power-players in the city of Raleigh by virtue of their professionalism and sheer persistance.We really can't overstate that last word: If you look at the businesses under their belt, some of the foundations of their takover go back almost a decade from when it became (semi) public knowledge. Aoyama likes playing the long-game, chummers.In spite of some more 'open minded' policies than most Yakuza clans, the Aoyama-Gumi rarely enter the spotlight and remain content with maintaining their holdings in traditionally low-key Yakuza activities, in part due to their distance from the bulk of the Yakuza's assets and Mitsuhama's limited presence in the North Carolina area. On the rare occasion that they do decide to get more involved, it's gonna be through a proxy: namely, you. Aoyama's recruiter Mr. Tanaka tends to be less hostile to shadowrunners than the usual yakuza headhunters, but they'll still keep you in the dark as much as possible. Payment is usually straight cash, but bigger gigs are sometimes compensated with favors, particularly in the form of magical assistance. Word of judgement chummer: These guys are friendlier than the norm for Yaks, but don't mistake that for benevolence. I'd expect them to get a tad more 'traditional' as soon as they consolidate any major power in Raleigh.
Structure
All the usual trappings of a Yakuza clan are present, with an Oyabun sheltering multiple subordinate Kobun in exchange for their complete loyalty, and those Oyabuns serving further superiors until it centralises in old-man Aoyama himself.
Culture
This being the CAS and not Japan, Aoyama's clan has had to take some artistic liberties with the usual traditions and codes of the Yakuza to keep itself alive in a nation that doesn't have the same tolerance as Japan for gangs handing out business-cards: Non-Japanese and metahumans can be set up as kobun underlings, but with the exception of Aoyama's star-pupil Yasuke, who is the exception that proves the rule, advancing any higher than a lowly grunt isn't likely.
I'd put money on Yasuke's exception being an intentional one: Gives the illusion that the gaijins doing the bitch-work might make it higher in rank someday, encourages them to do more than the bare minimum.
The Yaks have always been a little more tolerant of metahuman and gaijin presence in their lower ranks - those sorta people tend to be the demographics that get stuck with the drek-work in Japan - but it's pretty rare for any of them to rise higher than a legbreaker or accountant, and the Aoyamis don't stray as far as they'd like you to think. Sure, Mr. Tanaka's polite during negotiation, but if they're sure you can't speak Japanese they can't resist making their contempt for you apparent.Women are also given a little more leeway to climb the hierarchy without having to marry in, which opens the clan to a few more Awakened members by virtue of Shintoism's shamans being predominantly female, which in turn partially overcomes the Yakuza's traditional weakness in magical support, with sources showing at least four 'onee-samas' as having sufficient magical aptitude to bring the hurt down on interlopers by themselves.
Identifiers
Like any good Yakuza clan, the Aoyami like to put on airs of legitimacy in their appearances, and so a lot of the rank-and-file goons and accountants prefer to dress in business-casual digs to blend in with Raleigh's retro tastes, while the higher-ups tend to either go for formal business-attire or even the occasional kimono for the ritzier get-togethers. Tattoos are a given fpr the made members, of course, and Aoyama Fudo himself even went so far as to import a legitimate Irezumi artist from the JIS for the authentic Irezumi look.The looks are old-school, but the techniques sure ain't: Fudo and the old-guard still go for classic inkjobs, but a lot of the younger generations got his blessing to have LCD and nanoware tattoos, which got the old man in some hot water with more traditional-minded clans, who thought that being able to 'switch off' their ink signified a lack of dedication. Not sure how Fudo got out of that one...
Probably by showing them the tats. Ever seen an Irezumi piece that's animated? That drek's awesome!
Public Agenda
The clan's official stated reason for its presence in Raleigh is to 'improve the relationship between Raleigh NC and its Japanese demographic. And to its credit, they actually walk the walk a tad, putting down money and pulling strings to give their associates a leg-up when they can. It's all about the usual Yak dealings of money and power under the hood, mind you, but still.
Assets
As of this write-up, Mr Aoyama has over two-hundred fully iniitiated yakuzas under his name, along with a handful of outside associates from various Japanese-owned businesses. Most of their recent numbers are recruited from Kurabokko's warehouses, which means most of the clan's muscle are walking around with cyberware made for hauling heavy cargo on foot. The number of people working out of the warehouses means the Aoiyama-Gumi also have an impressive selection of ware that were 'lost in transit', industrial-grade drones, and one of the most robust smuggling networks in all of Raleigh.
History
Before touching down in Raleigh, Fudo Aoyama and his associates were an administrative arm of the Yamaguchi Syndicate, and weren't exactly high on the proverbial totem-pole despite their usefulness to the Yakuza. Around early '64, one of the big names in the Yamaguchi by the name of Morishige Sukejuro wanted to expand the Yakuza's spheres of power into the Confederated American States, which historically has been pretty resistant to Yakuza influence compared to its neighbors up north. Small handfuls of Yakuza were smuggled to major and minor settlements across the CAS's territories, with the goal of identifying opportunities for the Yamaguchi clan to gain a foothold and establishing a rapport with local Japanese workers.
Less then a week after Aoyama's touchdown in Raleigh, Crash 2.0 happened. Good news for Aoyama and his boys was that the effects of the crash didn't directly inconvenience him and his subordinates, but the bad news was that the crash ruined Sukejuro, who allegedly lost his entire fortune and numerous important accolades that at the time only existed in digital form. According to testimony from his superiors, Sukejuro committed suicide shortly after this loss, but not after pulling out his commlink and destroying as much legitimate and illicit data as he could get his hands on in his position, seemingly in an act of retaliation for having lost what was important to him.
This naturally caused problems for Aoyama's group, who suddenly found proof of their very membership gone, much less any meaningful way of contacting the Yamaguchi or explaining their reason for being an entire ocean away. What was supposed to be a month-long recon was looking like it's gonna be a whole lot longer. Most of the amenities the group had set up for their month-long stay were prepaid (and some of that was lost in Crash 2.0 as well), with a little change on hand for additional expenses and the assumption that if they needed more they could just request some liquid funds from overseas. With so much of that thrown out the window, Aoyama had no choice but to set up shop and make do for the time being.
The Lucky Sailor sushi-hut was their first real opportunity to take root. As it turns out, the owner was a former Yak himself who fled to Raleigh under the new identity of Jonas Sable after an incident that made a fool out of some of the higher-ups in his clan. When Aoyama and his boys showed up at the front counter, Jonas caved immediately and quietly begged for his death to be a quick one. Aoyama, amused, explained that he'd overlook Sable's previous dishonors and even consider sponsoring his re-initiation into the clan, in exchange for his cooperation and loyalty. Mr. Sable wasn't in any position to negotiate, andd so his business became the main base of operations for Aoyama's group.
The group's expansion was glacial, as Aoyama stuggled to acquaint himself with the differences between Japanese and American criminal-organisations and their relations with the public. But what was supposed to be simply getting by until secure communications could be reestablished eventually turned into a foundations of a legit yakuza enterprise, in part because Aoyama was able to suck his pride up and recruit local talent for their knowledge on the CAS' underworld - including his future golden-boy Yasuke - and in part because the Kurabokko Metahuman Technologies corporation's habit of importing employees from Japan gave Aoyama a slow but steady pool of disenfranchised labourers to hire on as muscle.
By the time the Yamaguchi finally got into contact with Aoyami, it had been three years since Crash 2.0, and the higher-ups of the syndicate were understandably curious as to what the hell Aoyama had been doing for that period of time. When a reply came in the form of a secure wiring of NuYen in the seven-digits range however, they suddenly found themselves more than forgiving of Aoyama's lateness in reporting his findings. In fact, they were so pleased with the old man's performance - especially compared to many of the other groups sent overseas who either fell apart or dissapeared entirely - that they gave him carte blanche to consolidate his manpower in Raleigh as he sees fit and found a new clan underneath the Yamaguchi. Aoyama thought it would be rude not to accept, and so the Aoyama-Gumi was formed.
As of this write-up, the Aoyama-Gumi have dipped their fingers into plenty of pies in the upscale areas of Raleigh, focussing on establishing footholds in white-collar crimes while keeping a safe distance from the more established power-players. I'll be keeping an eye on 'em, and if you're smart, so will you.
Founding Date
2067
Type
Illicit, Syndicate
Alternative Names
Raleigh-Gumi, the clan, Aoyama's Sons
Demonym
Yakuza
Leader
Location
Notable Members
Peace
The Aoyama might be a little more egalitarian than most Yak clans, but old habits die hard, and the latest rumor is that old-man Fudo himself is on a first-name basis with William Black. More cynical sources, however, claim that the two have a mutual perception of the other as being full of useful idiots.
Ongoing Contracts
The Aoyama clan instinctively look down on anyone that isn't one of them, but their relationship with the Corsairs remains polite, albeit a tad condescending, on the grounds that while the latter have next to no respect or appreciation for how the Yakuza go about things, their talents and aid in the former's logistics routes can't be ignored.
Parley
Aoyama Fudo isn't exactly chirpy about having to have any major plans in white-collar crime approved by the current top dogs, and the feeling is mutual with the boys in the Black Unicorn barking about having another gang to keep an eye on, but without either of them being sure of the full potential of the other they've both been left with little choice but to tolerate oneanother's existence for the time being.
Unfriendly
The Aoyama-Gumi previously acted as middlemen for NeuSec's arms-procurement, but a few soured deals and NeuSec's growing threat as a competitor in organised crime led to relaitonships souring. Deals are still made under the table, but any semblance of politeness or courtesy are merely a pretense for the time being.
Hostilities
The Aoyama used to think of the CMNG as being another group of useful idiots, until the latter took advantage of the former's underestimation and made off with some prime product. The two are keeping it out of the public eye for their own reasons, but the violent clashes speak for themselves.
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