Japan Organized Crime Boss

Japan Organized Crime Boss (Japanese: 日本暴力団 組長, Hepburn: Nihon boryoku-dan: Kumicho)[1] is a 1969 Japanese yakuza film directed by Kinji Fukasaku.

Japan Organized Crime Boss
Japanese release poster
Directed byKinji Fukasaku
Produced byKoji Ohta
Koji Shundo
Written byKinji Fukasaku
Fumio Konami
Norio Osada
StarringBunta Sugawara
Kōji Tsuruta
Noboru Ando
Music byMasanobu Higure
CinematographyHanjiro Nakazawa
Edited byOsamu Tanaka
Production
company
Release date
1969
Running time
97 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Plot

The Danno Organization, Japan's largest yakuza family, expands outward from its base in Osaka during the post-war period under the leadership of Danno, the boss, and Chief Executive Tsubaki, the family's finest operative. In Yokohama, the boss of the Hamanaka Family pledges fealty to the Danno Family. In order to ward off Danno's progress, the yakuza families in Tokyo form the Tokyo Alliance with Yato as its head and use the Sakurada Family, the dominant family in Yokohama, to attack the Hamanaka Family in a proxy war between the yakuza in the west and east of Japan.

Hamanaka's right-hand man Tsukamoto Tetsuo is released after spending eight years in prison, during which time his wife has committed suicide. Shortly thereafter, the boss of the Hamanaka family is blown up by dynamite thrown by members of the Sakurada family. With his dying words he passes control of the gang to Tsukamoto, saying that he regrets siding with the Danno Organization and asking Tsukamoto to stand against the Danno and make things right. The funeral is attended by Yato, boss of the Tokyo Alliance, and Danno himself from Osaka. Kamiyama, the retired boss of the Hamanaka, offers to help Tsukamoto if he needs it.

Tsukamoto wishes to call a truce with the Sakurada family and break ties with the Danno Organization but knows that his men demand retribution for the murder of their boss so he resolves to kill Sakurada that night. Leading Hamanaka member Kazama is unwilling to let Tsukamoto return to jail after just getting out so he murders Sakurada instead and dies from his wounds when he returns to Tsukamoto. Tsubaki tries to convince Tsukamoto to remain with the Danno Organization and Danno himself warns Tsukamoto that he could wind up dead in the gutter. Meanwhile, Kazama's sister is left with no one in her life so Tsukamoto offers to help her if she ever needs it.

The Hokuryu Kai, led by its drug addict boss Miyahara, was working for the Tokyo Alliance but has lost favor with them by flaunting formalities and is convinced by Tsubaki to change alliances and replace Hamanaka as the proxy for Danno in the war for Yokohama. The vicious Hokuryu gang repeatedly defeats the Sakurada family in their confrontations and take Hamanaka member Taki hostage when he tries to intervene during a disturbance at a club. Tsukamoto is told to come alone to retrieve him. Tsukamoto arrives at the club and discovers Kazama's sister working there as a singer. In a back room he finds Taki beaten and held by Miyahara and his men. Miyahara punches Tsukamoto then slices his head open with a knife but Tsukamoto refuses to fight back so the distraught Miyahara allows him to leave with Taki. Kazama's sister follows and nurses Tsukamoto while his headwound heals. They discuss that they are both alone now and become lovers.

Yato uses Ooba, a man already holding a grudge against Danno after losing his organization and his left arm in Wakamatsu the previous year, to carry out an attack on Danno. Ooba finds Danno coming out of a meeting with political kingmaker Kita Bokudo at a historic Japanese house and shoots Danno in the shoulder but fails to kill him and is shot in the chest in return. An American tourist behind him is also shot. Ooba flees and is found by the Hamanaka family but Tsubaki and Danno deny any ties to him. Tsubaki discovers that the Hamanaka family is shielding Ooba when Ooba's wife is seen arriving. Ooba and his wife try to leave to start a new life but Ooba is caught by members of the Danno organization and shot dead. His wife chases after the killers and is also shot dead.

When the American tourist dies from her wound, Kita Bokudo tells Danno that it is time to make peace with the Tokyo Alliance to support the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty. The Tokyo Alliance agrees to the truce on the condition that Danno forces the Hokuryu Kai out of Yokohama. Miyahama refuses to leave so Danno severs ties with the Hokuryu Kai. Miyahama tells his men to leave the city but he remains and makes a phone call to Tsukamoto in which he says that he wanted to become blood brothers. Members of the Tokyo Alliance shoot Miyahama dead and Tsukamoto is arrested by the police when he rushes to Miyahama's aid. The Danno Organization attacks and kills the rest of the Hamanaka at night. The police berate Tsukamoto for his involvement in the turf wars and the deaths it has caused. Kazama's sister begs Tsukamoto not to retaliate and accuses him of putting the gang before her just like her brother but Tsukamoto insists on retaliating.

Tsubaki, disgusted by the truce ceremony, walks outside to take a cigarette break and notices Tsukamoto approaching. He knows that he must give the appearance of fighting so he gets close to Tsukamoto and lets himself be stabbed in order to let Tsukamoto complete his mission. Tsukamoto stabs Danno and Yato to death but lets Kita Bokudo live. One of the yakuza shoots Tsukamoto dead in retaliation, ending his story.

Cast

Production

This was Fukasaku's first film about modern yakuza after his return to the Toei Studio.[4]

Release

The film was released in 1969. Sometimes referred to as Japan's Violent Gangs - Boss,[5] it was the first in a series of four Nihon boryoku-dan (Japan's Violent Gangs) films. It was followed by Nihon boryoku-dan: kumicho to shikaku (Japan's Violent Gangs - The Boss and the Killers) (1969) by Junya Sato, Nihon boryoku-dan: kumicho kuzure (Japan's Violent Gangs - Degenerate Boss) (1970) by Shin Takakuwa, and Nihon boryoku-dan: koroshi no sakazuki (Japan's Violent Gangs - Loyalty Offering) (1972) by Yasuo Furuhata.

Planned sequel

Fukusaku biographer Sadao Yamane stated that the Fukasaku film Sympathy for the Underdog, a film that was released a short time later in 1971 and that also stars Tsuruta and Ando, was originally developed as a sequel to Japan Organized Crime Boss until the director saw The Battle of Algiers. According to Yamane, it was then that Fukasaku decided to make a film about "foreigners" and "resistance groups" within a yakuza film.[6]

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References
  1. Sharp, Jasper (13 October 2011). "Historical Dictionary of Japanese Cinema". Scarecrow Press – via Google Books.
  2. III, Harris M. Lentz (7 May 2015). "Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2014". McFarland – via Google Books.
  3. III, Harris M. Lentz (25 August 2017). "Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2016". McFarland – via Google Books.
  4. "Japan Organized Crime Boss". 4 September 2015.
  5. Chris, D. (27 May 2005). "Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film". I.B.Tauris – via Google Books.
  6. Yamane, Sadao (2004). Interview with Sadao Yamane (Video). Home Vision Entertainment.
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