"TOEI COMPANY PRESENTS" "Shozo Hirono and a group ofyoung men who returned from the battlefield afterthe warended in 1945 joined the underground world." "They built up a yakuza family under Boss Yoshio Yamamori at Kure in Hiroshima Prefecture." "With Hirono and his men putting their lives on the line, the Yamamori family gradually grew into a great kingdom." "As their powerexpanded, they were split into factions from within." "Underbosses were felled, one after another, by Yamamori's design, and Hirono himself left Yamamori's gang." "Time passed, and by 1960, the struggle against US security dominance, the Kishi Cabinet's demise," "Asanuma's assassination and othertumultuous events reflected the actual chaotic conditions ofJapan in those days." "Similarconflicts were simultaneously erupting all overthe globe." "As all these wars reflected the interests of eitherthe US orthe Soviets, such regional conflicts began to be referred to as proxy wars." "These tendencies also began to appear inJapanese yakuza society, asJapan gradually emerged from its postwarchaos." "BATTLES WITHOUT HONORAND HUMANITY PROXYWAR" "Concept by GORO KUSAKABE" "Original Story by KOICHI IIBOSHI Screenplay by KAZUO KASAHARA" "Cinematography by SADAJI YOSHIDA" "Art direction by YOSHIMITSU AMAMORI" "Music by TOSHIAKI TSUSHIMA" "Cast:" "BUNTASUGAWARA" "AKIRA KOBAYASHI" "TSUNEHIKO WATASE SHINGO YAMASHIRO" "REIKO IKE, MITSUE HORIKOSHI EIKO NAKAMURA" "NOBUO KANEKO,TOSHIE KIMURA MIKIO NARITA,TAKESHI KATO" "KUNIE TANAKA TETSURO TANBA" "TATSUO UMEMIYA" "Directed by KINJI FUKASAKU" "HIROSHIMA, SEPTEMBER 1960" "BOSS OF THE HIRONO FAMILY IN KURE SHOZO HIRONO" "BOSS OF THE UCHIMOTO FAMILY IN HIROSHIMA NOBORU UCHIMOTO" "SWORN BROTHEROF BOSS OF MURAOKA FAMILY, FUMIO SUGIHARA" "Hirono,you're getting nowhere here in Kure City, are you?" "Why don'tyou go to Tokyo?" "The Uchimoto family has a large circle of acquaintances there." "Yes, but I'm just released on parole." "I can't leave Kure City limits due to residential restrictions." "Come to think of it,we haven't celebrated your release yet." "Why don'twe have a pro wrestling show and celebrate?" "Wakamatsu, this is the fellow who's been like a brotherto me." "All of you remember him, don'tyou?" "Yes.Welcome." "Then I'll ask and look for a booth." "I leave itentirely to you." "Hello, Mr. Sugihara!" "Who's he?" "He's justa punk." "You bastard!" "Move!" "Move!" "Damn it!" "Sugihara!" "In September 1960," "Fumio Sugihara, a memberofthe Muraoka family, the largestyakuza family in Hiroshima, was shot to death in a bold daylight attack." "Sugihara was the sworn brother ofthe boss ofthe Muraoka family and held the reins ofthe family while Muraoka was under medical treatment." "He had been its virtual leader." "CAPTAIN OF THE MURAOKA FAMILY HIROSHI MATSUNAGA" "UNDERBOSS OF THE MURAOKA FAMILY AKIRATAKEDA" "Excuse me." "What's wrong?" "Who the hell is that?" "Kuriyama from Kyushu." "He came to see our ailing boss." "Kuriyama?" "I heard Sugihara beat him bad over some gambling incident." "So that guy planned all this!" "It's all his doing, and he dares to puke?" "Mr. Uchimoto, you have to handle this problem as a sworn brother." "If you do it, I'll help you." "Hirono, he's Muraoka's guest." "Mr. Uchimoto, we are indebted to Mr. Sugihara," "and if you do it, we'll pretend to know nothing of it." "Well, but," "I can't revolt against brother Muraoka." "Uchimoto is in second place to Sugihara, and his weak-kneed attitude at this time will cause complications in the Muraoka family's inheritance later, and will also be the future cause ofthe biggeststruggle in WesternJapan." "KURE CITY, HIROSHIMA" "Meanwhile, Hirono had set up a small family in Kure, Hiroshima, guarding scrap metal." "Idiot!" "A MEMBEROF THE HIRONO FAMILY KATSUHARU SAIJO" "You're supposed to be guarding againstthieves, notstealing yourself!" "." "Howmuch did you make from the scrap you stole?" "More than 200,000 yen." "Fucking shithead!" "Hand overthe money." "Butmywoman asked me to buy a TVset, and I bought ityesterday." "Dumb fuck!" "ATVset?" "You damned idiot." "Boss!" "Letme go!" "BOSS OF THE UEDA FAMILY TOSHIO UEDA Hirono,what happened?" "Hey, let him go." "What do you want?" "Mr. Okubo's asking you to come to see him." " Mr. Okubo?" "Yes." "The chief parole officer and your sponsor are at his house." "At this time, Hirono was still on parole for murder, and elder Kenichi Okubo, who had resigned, was his only advisor." "Yasuda,your guarantor has to take care of many other people besides you." "So I talked with Mr. Okubo aboutyour guarantor," "ELDER KENICHI OKUBO and decided to ask" "Mr.Yamamori to be your guarantor." "What do you say?" "Mr.Yamamori?" "He's trusted among members ofthe business community." "We can leave this to him withoutany anxiety." "Can we expect him to agree, even ifwe ask?" "Yamamori suggested it himself." "He understands now he needs a fellow like you for his family." "And itmakes yourworld narrow to hold a grudge against him in such a small town." "And untilyou can geton in the world, why don'tyou reconcile with him foryour own future?" "Yes." "Since I recommended it, you needn't hesitate, unless you plan on giving up the yakuza world." "I don't intend to do that, but letme think itover fortwo orthree days." "Hey, Hirono." "BOSS OF THE YAMAMORI FAMILY IN KURE YOSHIO YAMAMORI" "UNDERBOSS OF THE YAMAMORI FAMILY MASAKICHI MAKIHARA" "I gota summons,too." "What's the deal?" "Nothing special, in my case." "Is thatso?" "Come to my house and have dinner sometime." "You must knowthat Mr. Muraoka resigned from his position due to his physical condition." "Butwho will be his successor?" "I don't know." "My boss has a branch in Hiroshima." "That's why it's on my mind." "You have a large circle of acquaintances." "If you've heard something, letme know." "Oh, I get it." "That's why you need me." "You're always scheming." "Hi, boss." "What happened?" "I told him to cutoff his finger, but he said two orthree fingers aren'tenough." "We tried to stop him." "He cutoff his own hand with a hatchet." "Shitbrain!" "Thatwas a fuckin' stupid thing to do!" "Howyou gonna fight now?" "I have a weapon." "Letme go!" "I'm sorry." "Itwas all because of me that he sold thatscrap." "Forget it!" "Justtake him home!" "See thata doctor looks afterthat." "Thank you." "Thank you very much." "I appreciate it." "Call Mr. Okubo." "The next day, Hirono returned to the Yamamori family through Mr. Kenichi Okubo." "Hello!" "Please come in." "Full house." "Yes,thank you, but it's a little flat." "Shoutatthem." "Leftto themselves, they don't really fight." "Hi." "Howwas the match?" "I loston a foul." "UNDERBOSS OF THE UCHIMOTO FAMILY HIDEO HAYAKAWA Idiot!" "Does the audience like to see you lose on a foul to a foreign wrestler?" "Go fight him again." "Tell him it's a grudge match." "Butthat's notallowed." "Whatthe fuck!" "Nowyou've gotyour grudge." "We'll letyou fuck Miss Hiroshima later." "Now getyour ass back outthere!" "Please." "Hirono." "Iwai,thank you for coming." "UNDERBOSS OF AKASHI FAMILY IN KOBE SHINICHI IWAI I was just passing through and dropped in." "How are you?" "I'm getting by." " Here's a little something." "Thanks." "Have a seat,willyou?" "I hear Iwai's the leader ofthe Akashi family's shock troops." "You sure have a lotoffriends." "I envy you." "I traveled a lot when I was young." "So I made friends all over." "All the guys I hook up with seem to getthemselves killed." "I feel like I haven't got anyone to turn to." "Hirono, could you ask Iwai for someone from his family to be my sworn brother?" "I'll ask, butthe Akashi family is much bigger than families here, so you betterthink itover before you ask." "I already have." "Mr. Muraoka's in such a bad way, he's gonna have to name a successor soon." "Who could manage the family besides me?" "Having an Akashi brother would make me thatmuch stronger, and nota bad deal forthe Akashis either." "Uchimoto, if you cozy up to outsiders justso you can be boss, itcould come back to bite you later." "You're so old-fashioned." "These days,you gotta have a wide circle offriends." "It's the age of international relations." "You gotta be smart." "Is thatso?" "I'm content being simple-minded." "Mr.Yamamori must have his sights on Hiroshima,too." "Isn'tthatwhy he wanted you back, Hirono?" "Hayakawa,you being sarcastic?" "How should I know what he has in mind?" "Damn it!" "She ain't no Miss Hiroshima!" "I'm leaving!" "Waita second!" "Saijo!" "I made him a promise, so get him a good-looking girl!" "Pretend to be Miss Hiroshima?" "No way!" "You're always full of shit!" "I refuse!" "You have to." "It's mud on my face if you don't." "Uh, Miss Hiroshima." "No way!" "I'm not letting that ugly monsterfuck me!" "His dick's just like all the others." "Check itout." " No!" " Hey,think ofthe boss's kindness." "Come on." "Ouch!" "Whatthe fuck?" "You gota problem?" "Bastard!" "Stop!" "Stop it!" "Whatare you looking at?" "This isn'ta show!" "You bastard!" "Get up!" "I'll killyou!" "AWORKERAND FUTURE MEMBEROF THE HIRONO FAMILY,TAKESHI KURAMOTO" "Look!" "There it is!" "Hurry up!" " Is Hirono in?" " Hirono?" "Who are you calling Hirono?" "Come on in." "Don't be afraid." "Their idiotof a boss used to be a studentof mine." "He was going to give himself up to the police, but he said wherever he went, he'd be retaliated against." "That's why he asked formy help." "Since you're both my students, it's like you're the big brother." "Please help him." "I understand." "The guywas hurt, but he didn't die." "I'll settle the problem." "Don'tworry about it." "Oh,that's fine." "You're lucky, Kuramoto." "Say thank you." "Go on, say it!" "Now,then... about his future." "Could you let him train underyou?" "He's a firecracker, but he might have a future in yourworld." "I recommend him." "That's hardly the way I expecteducators to talk." "Whatwere you?" "Awelder in Osaka." "You can'tsupportyourself as a welder?" "I don'tcare aboutmoney." "Then why don'tyou live an honest life?" "I don't know." "Maybe I shouldn'tair his dirty laundry, but his fatherwas a yakuza in Fuchu and was killed fighting." "Really?" "That's the kind offather he grew up with." "So, his mother seems to have given up on him already." "You're his mother, right?" "If he becomes a yakuza, he has to desert his own mother." "Is thatokay by you?" "Yes, halfthe responsibility for his sins lies with me." "So please take care of him." "Your bellyband is also inside." "Turn her sandals!" "Thank you." "Be patient." "Say good-bye and see her off!" "." "Mother!" "Thatsummer, Shoichi Eda was released from Hiroshima prison." "He was one of Muraoka's most energetic underbosses" "UNDERBOSS OF THE MURAOKA FAMILY SHOICHI EDA who'd played a key role in the family's rise." "Soon, at Uchimoto's suggestion," "Uchimoto, Hirono and others exchanged vows as sworn brothers with underbosses ofthe Muraoka family, and Uchimoto stood at the top of a new generation in Hiroshima." "What's this about Boss Yamamori hauling away some scrap?" "He said you'd approved it." "Took two truckfuls." "Two truckfuls?" "It'll costfive million yen." "I wasn'tsure I believed him, but I couldn't refuse an orderfrom your boss." "I can't have you hauling away scrap withoutmy approval." "You could ruin my reputation." "Don't getall angry." "One of my friends couldn't pay his bills, so I had to help him out." "Then I'll go talk to him." "Who is he?" "Mind your own business!" "Don'tforgetwho gotyou this job guarding scrap." "I did!" "If you're gonna complain," "I can getyour ass fired any time I want." "Listen, Hirono." "The boss is your guarantor." "If you so much as speak against him, you'll be thrown in jail again." "Forget it." "He trusts Uchimoto more than he trusts me." "Whata joke!" "That idiot Uchimoto already fancies himself Muraoka's successor." "There's no way that bastard's gonna be the next boss." "Tell him it's ten years too soon!" "Go to Hiroshima." "You're an eyesore here in Kure." "Oh,yeah?" "If you mess with my job again, I'll take care ofthings my own way." "Beat it!" "I can'tstand the sightof you." "What's all the shouting about?" "Mr. Eda came to see you." "Thanks fortaking care of my men while I was away, boss." "Eda,thanks for coming." "Nowthatyou're back, everything will be fine in Hiroshima." "Here's a little something to celebrate your release." "Take it." "That's very thoughtful of you." "Come on." "Come on inside." "Thank you." "Hirono,you come in,too." "No,thank you." "JUNE 1961 --KOBE The followingJune," "Hirono visited the Akashi family in Kobe with Uchimoto at Uchimoto's insistence." "Hirono also knew that helping Uchimoto now, could be a crucial step in ensuring his own future." "The Akashi family approved Uchimoto's proposal." "BOSS OF THE AKASHI FAMILY IN KOBE TATSUO AKASHI Shigeo Aihara, the sworn brother" "SWORN BROTHEROF AKASHI FAMILY BOSS SHIGEO AIHARA of Boss Tatsuo Akashi ofthe Akashi family," "AKASHI'S CAPTAIN OF YOUNGER RANKS TERUO MIYAJI became a sworn brotherto Uchimoto." "That fall, a big celebration was held." "At the time, one obstacle stood in the way of Akashi dominance acrossJapan.:" "Their major rival in Kobe, the Shinwa Group." "CHAIRMAN OF THE SHINWAGROUP KUMASHIRO UNOKICHI The struggle in WesternJapan" "UNDERBOSS OF THE SHINWAGROUP GIICHI ITAMI became more and more violent." "OSAKA" "JUNE 1961 THE OSAKAGIYU FAMILY INCIDENT" "Outofthe way!" "NARA" "JULY 1961 BOSS OF ISHIKAWA FAMILY KILLED" "KYOTO" "AUGUST 1961 STRUGGLE IN KYOTO" "Where are you guys from?" "TOTTORI" "OCTOBER 1961 --THE BOSS OF THE HIYAMA FAMILY IN TOTTORI KILLED" "FUKUOKA" "MAY 1962 THE HAKATA INCIDENT IN KYUSHU" "In a battle that became known as the Hakata incident, the Akashi family sent Iwai and some 300 men to Kyushu." "Due to police mobilization, the conflictwas held in check." "But the gangland strife did not cease." "Underthese conditions," "Hiroshima became a flash point for both the Akashi family and Shinwa Group." "I heard itwas a big event in Kyushu." "Iwai wentto help them and was jailed." "Ijustcame back from the jail in Fukuoka." "He said he needed your help." "I see." "So I came to consultwith you." "Will Mr. Uchimoto be Mr. Muraoka's successor?" "I can't really say yet, but I intend to do what I can to help." "Good." "And one more thing." "Whatconnection does Uchimoto have with Muraoka?" "Why?" "Mr. Muraoka is his boss." "Fully formalized?" "Yeah, butwhy?" "The impudentson of a bitch." "He wants to swear loyalty to Mr.Akashi as boss, and he's gotsomebody talking to Mrs.Akashi about it." "Which is fine, but he's gone behind my back to do it." "Who in the world would hide such an important issue from me, his sworn brother?" "Firstof all, in this yakuza society of ours, you never swear loyalty to two bosses atthe same time." "What does he think a loyalty oath is?" "He's a yakuza, but he's also a businessman." "Please forgive his rudeness." "I apologize on his behalf." "Excuse me." "Hello, Mom." "Is itokay foryou notto be working?" "I'm here with my boss." "He's talking with someone in thatshop." "American cigarettes." "Thank you." "Give these to yourfriends." "Takeshi,take care of yourself." "Sure, sure." "What do you want?" "Tell me." "Well, as a matter offact, the boss has finally decided to retire." "Yeah?" "I suppose it's about time." "We talked with the boss last night, and we're gonna ask Yamamori to be his successor." "What do you think?" "Yamamori?" "That's nota good idea." "Make a man like that boss and you're sure to regret it later." "Why don'tyou ask Uchimoto?" "Between you and me, the boss is angrywith Uchimoto because he became a sworn brother with an Akashi man." "The boss thinks he sold out Hiroshima to Kobe." "I helped Uchimoto in that deal, so I can say nothing." "Why don'tyou guys figure itout?" "Look." "We don'twanta fuss overthis." "We'd just like you to talk to the men." "If not Uchimoto, why don'tyou choose someone from the Muraoka family?" "Why notyou?" "Eda did all thattime in the joint, so I can'tverywell step up." "Then how about Eda?" "He's too much of a ladies' man, and the boss doesn'tagree." "How aboutyou?" "I've got health problems, plus I don't have the kind of record a leader needs." "We won'taccept Yamamori as boss forever." "Eventually, one of us will take over, maybe even you." "Butfor now,we thought it'd work better if Yamamori took the postfor a year or so." "What?" "Whatare the three of you talking about?" "Hello." "Hirono." "You opened your big mouth to Aihara." "What do you mean?" "You said I'd sworn loyalty to Muraoka as boss." "Yes, I did." "Idiot!" "Damn you!" "You should have said you knew nothing." "But it's true." "I don't know howto say anything butthe truth." "You had to shootoff yourtrap, and now Aihara's pissed." "The ceremonywith Mr.Akashi is putoff indefinitely." "Howwillyou restore the face I lost?" "You know, bro, you really shouldn't be selling yourself cheap" " here,there, and everywhere." "What're you talking about?" "Getting in with Mr.Akashi will raise my prestige." "Then I can sell myself higher." "If you've ruined my chance to getahead, you're gonna answerfor it." "Why should I?" "If you want prestige,then you should make things rightforthe late Sugihara." "That's howyou earn prestige in yakuza society." "I'm not interested in your hick opinions." "Keep your nose outof my business nexttime!" "Fine!" "I won'tsay a word even if you ask me!" "Should we have told him?" "He told me to buttout, didn't he?" "Fuck him." "He's turned outto be a real disappointment." "I'll try talking to Mr.Yamamori." "Betterthe devilyou know than the angelyou don't." "Two months later, the Muraoka family in Hiroshima and the Yamamori family in Kure joined forces, and Yamamori became the boss ofthe newly combined family, with 200 members." "CHAIRMAN OF THE TOYODA FAMILY RYOHEI TOYODA" "Hello, Mr. Chairman." "Thank you for coming." " Makihara." " Hi!" "BOSS OF HAMAZAKI FAMILY IN IWAKUNI SHIRO HAMAZAKI Congratulations!" "I heard you've been having trouble with Komori in Iwakuni." "Don'tworry." "We're taking care of it." "Really?" "That's good." "This way, please." "Hirono." "You scheming asshole." " Boss!" " It's okay." "I was born to be a boss." "I'm a lucky man." "Nowthat I control Hiroshima, we're not gonna have outsiders meddling in our business." "That's fine, butyou don'twant to make too many enemies, either." "Yes." "By the way, yourfamily's growing too." "Yes,thank you." "We have an excellent boss, and ouryoung men work hard forthe family." "That's right." "Without good men at his side, a boss can't do much." "In ourfamily, this Takeda is the best, and has about60 million yen." "This guy here is next, with about 40 million yen." "Eda here just gotoutof prison, so nextwould be this guy, who's got 30 million -- no, more like 27 million." "The others are aboutthe same." "And howmuch do you have, boss?" "Me?" "I have yourtwo favorite golden balls." "The guestoverthere is asking foryou." "Bro, that's Komori." "The one we've had trouble with." "Okay, keep quiet." "You asked forme?" "You and that Hamazaki are sworn brothers, right?" "Whatabout it?" "There's been some friction between Hamazaki and Komori here in Iwakuni." "Since Komori is my sworn brother," "I'm planning to mediate, and I don'twantyou meddling." "I'm notso old yet that I need your help." "So long as they can settle things withouttrouble." "What's this, Mr. Uchimoto?" "When did you get here?" "Why notcome see the boss and our guests from Kobe?" "You come too." "Verywell." "I'm sorry." "I had another guestto see to." "Do you have a more important guest in Hiroshima than me?" "He has no common sense,you see?" "That's why Mr. Muraoka gave up on him." "Now, now." "Let's all be friends." "Did you hear what Mr.Aihara said, Uchimoto?" "Why don'tyou come work forme?" "If you're asking me to swear loyalty as an underboss to you, I refuse." "I regard Mr.Akashi as my boss." "Who said anything aboutthat?" "All I'm saying is I'll take you on if you wantto be one of mywater carriers." "Do you believe this guy?" "Have you ever seen such an idiot?" "He's so devoted to Mr.Akashi, he bows toward Kobe from morning till night." "Butfool that he is, I do hope you'll take good care of him." "Are you crying?" "Come now, don'tcry." "Here, drink up." "Go on." "I think we'll be excusing ourselves." "Wait." "Uchimoto, why don'tyou invite us all to your bar?" "Mywife has a bar." "Please stop by there first." "Verywell." "You come too." "Staywith Uchimoto." "Listen." "He's gotthe Kobe people with him." "Just grityourteeth and come along." "Leave me alone!" "I'm not drinking with a black-hearted schemer like you." "What're you talking about?" "You keep calling me a schemer." "What did I do?" "Don'tyou understand?" "No,tell me." "Fine, I'll tellyou." "You knew Muraoka would retire, butyou keptmum to me while you kissed Yamamori's ass." "Itwas Mr. Muraoka's decision." "I didn't know a thing about it." "Besides,you told me to buttout." "Remember?" "Even if I'd supported you, you were claiming you didn'towe loyalty to Muraoka then." "If you aren't loyal to him now, whatqualifies you to be his successor?" "You justwait!" "I'm gonna smash Yamamori eventually, and you'll be firston my list for payback!" "Whywait?" "You wanna kill me, kill me now!" "Hirono, stop it." "You don't need an appointment." "Come forme anytime you like." "I'll be waiting." "Bro." "A few days later, Uchimoto's vehement rancoragainst Yamamori" "SEPTEMBER 1962 --IWAKUNI BASE BAR DISTRICT IN YAMAGUCHI led to the outbreak ofthe proxy war between the Komori and Hamazaki families in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture." "This struggle naturally aggravated the Yamamori family in Hiroshima." "Boss,we're all here now." "Where's Takeda?" "He's in the hospital with his chronic problems." "I called you here for a word about the fight between Hamazaki and Komori." "Regard thatfightas our own." "Hamazaki is a sworn brother to Makihara, so we'll destroy Komori and squash that piece of shit Uchimoto." "He fancies himself a mediator, but he's entirely on Komori's side." "Firstof all,fortomorrow's funeral, send a detachmentoftrucks loaded with men from each of yourfamilies." "Makihara,you're in charge." "That's all." "Dismissed." "Hold on a second." "Ourtwo families have only recently merged." "We need more time to consolidate our strength." "Komori has ties to the Toyoda family, and Uchimoto is supported by Kobe." "Do you seriously wantto pick this fight?" "This is great." "I've never had one of mywater carriers offerme advice before." "And a fine one he is!" "I guess thatshuts me up." "If you don'twantto do it,fine." "I'll do it by myself." "I've suffered Uchimoto's insults long enough." "And forthe sake of all the young men from the Muraoka family,too, there comes a time when you have to make a stand." "Can'tyou see how I feel?" "Don'tcry, darling!" "You mustn't." "Not in frontof all these people." "You had to open your big mouth." "Now apologize!" "I was outof line." "I'll listen to others from now on." "Please forgive me." "All right,then." "So long as you understand." "I'll remain in overall command, so come talk to me anytime." "I've gota lotof experience undermy belt." "Now let's go eat!" "Come on." "I'll getthe trucks." "You prepare the troops." "Whata crock!" "Today's tears certainlyweren't one of his better performances." "What do you mean?" "He'll cry on you every time." "The boss wants to see Makihara become a man so he can putthe screws on the restof us." "That's why he's pushing this stupid fighton us." "It's fucking bullshit, man!" "Hi, bro!" "Thanks for coming all this way." "We'll supportyou." "You hold your ground." "We'll go to Komori right now!" "Let's go!" "Hold on." "What's your plan when you getthere?" "We'll crush him!" "Who's ""we"?" "We're not joining you." "Uchimoto is our sworn brother." "We can'tfight him." "Whatcan I do on my own?" "One leader is enough, no?" "If you're killed, we'll see you're buried with honor." "Please go crush them." "Then I'm not going either!" "Bro!" "Ifthe leader calls itoff, then no need for us to go." "Let's go back to Hiroshima." "Hey, Hirono!" "Please wait!" "Please!" "They talked big but didn'ttake any action." "I knewfrom the start I couldn'ttrustthem." "Let's change the plan." "Whatare you going to do?" "Don'tyou know why I come here so often?" "Boss." "Are you going to fight the Uchimoto family?" "You needn'tworry." "My husband Hayakawa isn'tso loyal to Uchimoto." "He oversees the youngermembers only because he was asked to." "He always says you're the only boss in Hiroshima." "I knew it." "Makihara here was going to kill your husband, but I stopped him." "I've never killed a man." "I'm such a kind little poppa." "Boss!" "Hey, Hayakawa, come join us." "Mr.Yamamori has something to tellyou." "He's waiting." "Listen to him carefully." "Hurry up." "Hello there." "He's going to take Hayakawa overto his side?" "He oversees mostofthe young men in the Uchimoto family." "Our boss said ifwe get him on our side, the Uchimoto familywill lose withoutso much as a fight." "Then what's Hayakawa going to do?" "He'll leave itto us." "That's ridiculous!" "Think about it." "We saywe don'twantto fight, butwe steal Uchimoto's young men then turn and crush him?" "We'll be the laughingstock ofthe yakuza world." "Hayakawa's an idiot." "The moment he's unhappywith one boss, he looks for another." "I don't like a guy who's always working the odds." "If you take him in, I leave the family for sure." "Well, letme tellyou all something." "Our boss says you refuse to take action 'cause your Uchimoto's sworn brothers." "We can'ttrustyou!" "That's whywe're gonna take Hayakawa in." "It's notaboutwhetherwe take action." "This is your sworn brother's fight, so you can go crush Uchimoto by yourself." "This isn'tmy fight!" "This fight is between Hirono and Uchimoto." "Every time something happens, you lay itatmy door!" "Ifthat's howyou feel, I'll severties with Uchimoto and confront him." "But just don't be sneaking away later when the Akashi family confronts you." "Hey, cool down!" "If you're gonna go after Uchimoto, we have to be ready too." "Whatare you guys doing?" "What is it?" "A bomb!" "It's a smoke bomb!" "Hey,watch out!" "Relax!" "Itsays ""smoke bomb."" "Fools!" "Those punks scared us." "Those jerks work forthat damned Uchimoto!" "Howwould I know?" "I can'ttake responsibility forwhata couple meatheads do." "Besides, no one was hurt." "I see." "Moving on to anothermatter, Mr. Uchimoto..." "I've been in your good graces, butyou should treatme like a strangerfrom today on." "We're all returning these, including Takeda." "Well,we'll be going now." "Can we geta fewmore bets?" "We're ready." " Ready here too." "Game!" "Three." "No, don't get up." "What do you want?" "My boss cutoff his finger." "I was asked to deliver itto you." "Shit!" "Thatmoron!" "Afinger ortwo isn'tenough." "If he asks for his life, tell him he has to come in person." "But he's been missing since this morning." "He was tired and ran offto Kobe, leaving his men here." "Really pisses me off!" "." "What kind of boss runs away and leave his men?" "I'm gonna severties with him." "You heard him, boss." "Please help him out." "Nowthat Uchimoto's run off, why nottake charge and disband the Uchimoto family and join ours?" "That's one idea..." "Boss Yamamori... would you supportme if I became boss ofthe Uchimoto family?" "I'll kill Komori." "I promise." "Hayakawa." "Are you a man or a mouse?" "Henchmen should fight even when their boss isn'tthere." "If you're so eager to be on our side, you have to kill Uchimoto first." "Isn'tthat how itworks?" "You shut up!" "Don'twaste yourtime with this guy!" "Ifthis reaches Kobe's ears, you knowwhat'll happen." "Yes,that's right." "I see." "Who was that?" "The Akashi family." "They have something to ask us about Uchimoto." "Aihara and Miyaji will be coming here soon." "Don't look atme!" "You're the ones who severed ties with Uchimoto." "You deal with Akashi." "It's too late." "We have to fightAkashi, right?" "I'll startmaking preparations." "Me too." "I'll be getting back too." "Boss." "Listen." "Keep a watch out." "Hello." "Yes." "Boss, Mrs.Yamamori wants to speak to you." "Hello?" "Yes, it's me." "Shozo,you mustcome over, and hurry!" "There are some men in frontof our house, and they're speaking in Kobe dialect." "I'm sure they've come from the Akashi family to kill my husband." "Please come quickly!" "I'll be there as soon as possible." "Getyourweapons and followme." "Mrs.Yamamori!" "Shozo?" "Yes, it's me." "Shozo,thanks for coming." "It's all right." "Itwas justsome drunken sailors kickin' up a fuss." "Really?" "I was so scared." "I called Makihara and some others." "They said they'd come, but no one did." "You're the only one I can counton, Shozo." "Don'tworry anymore." "I'll leave a few of my men with you." "Shozo,willyou putyour life on the line formy husband?" "He says he can'ttrust anyone these days." "He doesn'tsleep well, and his appetite's been poor." "What's wrong?" "Justwhen I was sound asleep!" "Dear, Shozo said he'll risk his life foryou, so you can geta good night's sleep and stop worrying." "Who said I couldn'tsleep?" "I was justangrywith that damned Hayakawa and had some thinking to do." "Whatabout Hayakawa?" "I'm really angrywith him." "That idiotwentto see Uchimoto in Kobe because he heard that the Akashi family supported Uchimoto." "Thattraitor!" "Nexttime I see him, I'll slice him in two!" "The battle hadn'tyet flared at that point, but a few days later, the underbosses ofthe Akashi family asked to see Hirono secretly." "I'm sorry forthe short notice." "I wanted to speak with you frankly." "Aboutwhat?" "Are you going to oppose us or support us?" "Which will it be?" "With an attitude like that, whatam I supposed to say?" "If you oppose me, I'll oppose you." "Now, now, let's talk calmly." "We all know each other here." "Listen, Hirono." "Could you make peace with Uchimoto?" "Make peace?" "As forthe fight between Komori and Hamazaki, we wentto see Mr.Toyoda in Yamaguchi and persuaded them to reconcile, with Uchimoto acting as go-between." "Butforthat, if you don't reconcile with Uchimoto, itmakes us look bad." "I see." "I can'tmake that decision on my own." "I'll discuss itwith my men." "Frankly speaking, atthis point you're the only one opposing us in Hiroshima." "Makihara came to a Buddhistservice yesterday in Mr.Yamamori's place." "He said some of Yamamori's men are acting like renegades and causing Yamamori trouble in waging this battle." "And as for Makihara, he begged to join us,the Akashi family, and promised to quit the Yamamori family at any time." "Eda called me and explained that he's not going to oppose us." "And I heard Matsunaga is off having fun in Shikoku." "None ofthem are gonna fight." "You're the only one." "You could have wound up fighting Yamamori, Uchimoto and the others on your own, only to lose in the end." "Boss, it's time." "I received word from Mr.Toyoda in Yamaguchi that Hamazaki is to be reconciled with Komori,with Uchimoto as mediator." "You guys should attend." "How did you arrange it with the Akashi family?" "Well, I wentto Kobe and we agreed thatwe,the Yamamori family,will have nothing to do with the Hamazaki family." "Thatwould be handing Uchimoto a victory." "That's only a matter for Uchimoto's sworn brothers." "The Yamamori family doesn'twin or lose one way orthe other." "I can't listen to this bullshitanymore." "So you justswallowed the Akashi family's deal hook, line and sinker?" "Who says I did?" "Right in frontof the Akashi underbosses," "I said thatour boss is the best inJapan." "Makihara." "Whatexactly took you to Kobe?" "Some business forthe boss." "What kind of business, boss?" "Well, I was told there was a Buddhistservice." "You make us oppose them alone butyou reconcile with them by yourself?" "." "Hurry up!" "The boss is having trouble with some young renegades." "Is thatwhatyou said?" "Justwho's a renegade here?" "Did you say that?" "No, I didn't." "I heard from Aihara and Miyaji thatyou begged to join them and promised to leave us atany moment." "I heard there's some other shady dealings going on too." "If you wantto save your lives, you'd better reconcile with Uchimoto and getout." "That's the only honestthing to do." "I want no part ofthis fight!" "Come now,you guys work itout." "The reconciliation ceremony for Komori and Hamazaki was held at a restaurant in Yamaguchi soon thereafter." "At the ceremony, Hirono and others apologized to Uchimoto and went through the motions of making peace." "Forgive me if I insist on formalities." "You missed out on being named successor." "But I was named captain." "I hope I'll continue in yourfavor." "This ceremony was a de facto defeat forthe Yamamori family." "And that autumn, the ambitious Uchimoto became the 61stsworn brother ofTatsuo Akashi, boss ofthe Akashi family, signaling his clearopposition to the Yamamori family." "At the end ofthe year," "Yamamori secretly visited underboss Akira Takeda in the hospital." "That damned Uchimoto won'teven say hello to me on the street." "The way he struts around!" "One ofthe young men told me." "This is all Hirono's fault." "He always upends mywell-laid plans." "He's much more Akashi's pawn than Uchimoto's." "I can't relax until he's forced outof Hiroshima." "He seldom visits us." "Takeda, I'm going to revive the post of captain ofthe younger ranks, which was abolished in the merger." "It'll help control the family." "Would you take on that role?" "It's too much forme." "No,you're the only man forthe job." "Matsunaga always sides with Hirono, Eda won't lifta finger, and Makihara doesn't have the guts." "You're the only one who can stand up to Hirono." "I'm begging you." "You have to help me!" "You see how desperate he is, that he even comes to you on your sickbed?" "You needn't beg." "I understand." "Really?" "Willyou do it?" "But if I take the position, I have my pride to uphold." "I must do itmyway." "Of course,whateveryou like." "I'm thinking of naming you successor anyway." "Getting rightto business, someone broughta proposal" "to form an alliance with the Shinwa Group in Kobe." "Itseems a good chance to defeat Uchimoto and putsome spine in ourfamily." "That's well and good, but is the Shinwa Group powerful?" "No one can face the Akashi family on equal footing exceptthe Shinwa Group." "JANUARY 1963 --NEWYEAR'S MEETING OF YAMAMORI FAMILY UNDERBOSSES" "Please continue yourfavors this year again." "As I said before, Takeda has recovered and will now lead you as captain." "Please give him your support." "I appreciate your support." "Getting rightto business, we're going to form an alliance with the Shinwa Group of Kobe." "I'll fillyou in on the details later." "I hope foryour cooperation." "So that's that." "Happy New Year." "Please continue yourfavors toward us." "Beer." "Listen..." "I'd like to ask Mr.Toyoda of Yamaguchi to serve as go-between in orderto form an alliance with the Shinwa Group." "But I don't know him." "Would you go with me?" " I can'tsupport this plan." "Why not?" "If ourfamily forms an alliance in its currentsad state, it'll only mean trouble forthe Shinwa Group and Mr.Toyoda in the future." "Don'tsay that." "I intend to whip this family into shape." "Just how are you going to do that?" "You speak of an alliance with the Shinwa Group, but look overthere." "Who do you think those women are?" "They're all from Hayakawa's bar." "Our boss is trying to use Makihara to lure Hayakawa overto us, and Hayakawa's all ears because the Akashi family doesn'ttreat him well." "Hey, Matsunaga!" "Watch it!" "Ifthe captain says we're gonna do it, cooperate with him." "If you guys say so, it's okay by me." "But it'll getme in trouble with the Akashi family, so I'll have to see how I feel then." "I see." "There's nothing I can do aboutthat." "But until the situation becomes clear, don'tmeetwith the men ofthe Akashi family." "Why not?" "The boss acts freely." "Why should my hands be tied?" "Since he won'ttake a clear stand one way or another," "I have to find safe ground myself." "Then why not just letthe Akashi family take you undertheirwing?" "Hey!" "You're brown-nosing Takeda 'cause you hope to succeed him." "We don't have itso easy." "Listen here!" "When did I say anything about being successor?" "Stop it!" "Back off!" "." "Good evening." "Happy New Year." "You ladies are lovely." "Die!" "Whatare you doing with that?" "The safety's still on." "Boss,who was that punk?" "I've gota pretty good idea." "Are you a sworn brother ofthe boss?" "Notyet." "You should be soon." "Just have to showyour devotion." "Yes, I see." "How aboutyou and me working together?" "Working together?" "The boss was justattacked." "Thatwas Makihara's doing." "The boss doesn'twantto cause Mrs.Yamamori grief by striking back." "Why don'twe get him?" "Let's prove we're men and earn some points." "All right, bro, I'm with you!" "I have a little problem with my hand... but I can take you to Makihara." "Why don'tyou do it?" "You're hurting me!" "Come on, hurry up!" "He's in that room." "Go on." "No, I won't." "I can't pull this off withoutyour help." "He doesn't know about us." "Just pretend you know nothing." "It's a one-time thing." "Hurry up!" "Keep itto 30 minutes, eh?" "Good evening." "Good evening." "Aren'tyou going to hold me?" "It's cold." "Let's get itoverwith." "The light." "Your pants." "That hurts!" "Watch it!" "No!" "That's enough!" "You don't listen!" "The boss wants to talk to you." "Willyou meetwith him?" "Fine with me, but I heard Hirono's squawking." "Don'tmind him." "He'll be outofthe picture soon." "While you were gone, he tried to force me to disband ourfamily." "Hirono did that?" "I was rightthere." "That bastard!" "I'll give him a taste of my mind!" "Makihara!" "Congratulations on your release from prison." "I'm only outon bail." "I've still gotthe trial coming up." "Whata drag." "By the way, is ittrue that the Yamamori family is going to form an alliance with the Shinwa Group?" "Takeda and the boss say so, so it'll probably happen." "Can'twe stop them?" "I can't do it by myself." "I've been on the outs with the family recently." "In thatcase,would you consider being reconciled with Uchimoto?" "Thatway,the Akashi family could make inroads in Hiroshima." "I'm notsure..." "Hirono,this is a momentoftruth foryou." "If Yamamori forms an alliance with the Shinwa Group, you'll be a thorn in their side 'cause you're close with us." "I heard Yamamori tried to killyou." "How aboutthis?" "Whataboutyou driving Yamamori into retirement and taking control of Hiroshima?" "We'll supportyou." "The truth is... we let Uchimoto hold ourflag, butwe're not really counting on him." "Iwai..." "I'm happy here in Kure." "No one gets a bed of roses in yakuza society." "It's a dog-eat-dog world." "Am I wrong?" "I see." "But how can I betray my boss?" "How do you expect to drive him out if you don't?" "You just gonna sitthere and do nothing?" "Anyway,would you mention Uchimoto to Takeda and the others?" "There's no turning back now." "I'm counting on you." "Hello.Yes, it's me." "Yes, he's here." "What?" "Boss!" "Goddamn you!" "Fucking idiot!" "Damn you!" "Who the fuck told you to do that?" "He said he acted on his own." "Shithead!" "You wantto bring down ourwhole family single-handedly?" "Don'tyou knowmy situation?" "Boss, give me another chance." "I'll kill him nexttime." "You fucking idiot!" "You gotshitfor brains orwhat?" "Shithead!" "Get up!" "Boss!" " Please stop!" " Letthe fuck go of me!" "You'll kill him, boss!" "Then letthe bastard die!" "How is he?" "The fever's gone down." "It's okay." "Don't get up." "Wiping outyour rivals doesn'tmean you win the game these days." "Just getthatthrough your head and I'll be happy." "Boss, Mr.Takeda wants you on the phone." "Takeda?" "I heard you metwith Iwai from the Akashi family." "What did he have to say?" "You gota network of spies orwhat?" "He didn'tsay anything in particular." "He's outon bail from Kyushu and dropped by to say hello." "Is thatall?" "All right." "Listen,Takeda." "I've given itsome thought." "I agree to the alliance with the Shinwa Group." "I'll go see Mr.Toyoda with you." "You will?" "That'll be a big help." "Please do that." "See you tomorrow." "Boss, if you help them do this, howwill the Akashi family react?" "I'm gonna drive Yamamori out." "Mark mywords." "ThatJune, the Yamamori family and the Shinwa Group from Kobe formed an alliance of equals, with Toyoda as mediator." "One week later, the Akashi family formed an alliance with the Kojima family, the biggestyakuza gang in Okayama, revealing theirconfrontational stance." "Moreover,Akashi underbosses were sent to Hiroshima shortly thereafter to try and pressure Yamamori family underbosses to be reconciled with Uchimoto." "Hirono." "I heard you knew about Iwai's proposal thatwe reconcile with Uchimoto." "Why didn'tyou mention that?" "What difference would it have made?" "You were busywith the alliance with the Shinwa Group." "I see." "In any event,we can't be reconciled with Uchimoto." "Willyou go tell them that?" "If you tell me to, I will." "The restof you okaywith that?" "It's too late to listen to the Akashi family!" "They're trying to cripple our alliance with the Shinwa Group." "Whatare you gonna do?" "I'll convey your decisions, but I myself may not be able to refuse." "I'll think itoverthere atthattime." "You can't be so selfish." "I can't permit itas captain." "Then why don'tyou all go and refuse together?" "Then I'll go with whatyou decide." "But ifwe go to refuse their offer, you should knowthat itmay come to blows on the spot." "Welcome." "Come in, please." "Thanks for coming all this way." "Though I asked my colleagues' opinions, they refuse to be reconciled with Mr. Uchimoto." "What happened?" "It's a blackout." "I'll getsome light." "Make itsnappy!" "I'm sorry ittook so long." "Here you are." "We'll speak our piece first." "This all started with the conflict between Komori and Hamazaki." "You severed yourties with Uchimoto because ofthat." "In response, Mr. Uchimoto cutoff his finger, yeteven then you have not been reconciled to him.Why not?" "If you won't be,we can't keep the peace." "What do you think?" "We already apologized once to Uchimoto, so we thought thatwas already settled." "Yes,you made up forthat, butthe fact Mr. Uchimoto cutoff his finger hasn't been addressed." "You need to be reconciled and become sworn brothers again." "That's the yakuza way." "Given our situation, that's the one thing we cannot do." "Well,then... ourties will be completely severed." "Matsunaga, you sure that's whatyou want?" "I didn'texactly say I refused." "I was justfollowing my boss and captain." "Mr. Eda,what do you think?" "Well..." "I haven't really given itmuch thought." "Well, itseems the captain's the only one who opposes it." "Mr.Takeda, are you feeling bad because ofthe Shinwa Group?" "As a matter offact, I often speak with the Shinwa Group in Kobe." "They made itquite clear their alliance with Mr.Yamamori was little more than a business matter." "In otherwords should you really need their help, theywon't be easily moved to action." "If you'd like," "I'll call Mr. Itami ofthe Shinwa Group to confirm." "You needn't do that." "I understand whatyou're saying." "The blackoutcame atan awfully inconvenienttime!" "Mr. Okubo." "You young men are always up to something!" "So, did you come to a decision?" "Thank you for joining us." "Mr.Takeda, we had asked Mr. Okubo to come actas go-between, assuming you would be willing to reconcile." "With Mr. Okubo's participation, Mr.Yamamori is sure to say yes." "We can acceptyour decision, but if you cause Mr. Okubo to lose face," "you'll lose standing in Hiroshima." "Sir, I leave itentirely up to you." "Well,then, in thatcase, I'll be happy to help you." "We're in your hands." "Allowme to say something!" "I'll be reconciled with the others, but notwith Hirono!" "Are you still harping on that?" "That's enough now." "I'm no one's puppet!" "I don't do things halfway!" "Besides, I know Hirono caused trouble for Hayakawa!" "I refuse!" "Come now." "We'll discuss this some othertime." "Our business here is finished." "Let's go someplace a bit brighter and have some fun." "Okay, Mr. Okubo?" "Yeah, it's gloomy in here." "Let's go flirtwith the ladies." "Let's go." "No, I'm not going." "I'm staying here." "Leave me alone." "He tried to" "Inviting Mr. Okubo was your doing,wasn't it?" "There's no way the Akashi family could have known him." "You knewwhatwas going to happen, yetyou brought us here anyway." "That's why you cooperated to form the alliance with the Shinwa Group." "Believe that if you like." "I see I can'twin." "Wait." "Takeda..." "I'm nottrying to putyou in a bind." "I'm going after Yamamori." "Hiroshima can never be united while he's atthe top." "So..." "I'm going to drag him into the struggle between Akashi and Shinwa, leading him to irreparable shame and forcing him to retire." "Why don'tyou be Yamamori's successorwhen he retires?" "Then I'll supportyou wholeheartedly." "Ifwe're gonna be burned by the sparks, let Yamamori roast in the flames." "The Akashi family, who sought to penetrate Hiroshima by means of Uchimoto's resurgence, convinced Uchimoto to expel the dissenting Hayakawa and then enacted a reconciliation, as planned." "On the otherside, when the Shinwa Group heard the news, they sentvice chairman Itami to call Yamamori to account." "Everything transpired just as Hirono expected, and Yamamori was backed into a corner." "However, after Toyoda was brought in as mediator, the state of affairs took an unexpected turn." "Takeda has come with the decision ofthe Yamamori family and the Shinwa Group." "They requestyou retire and give up this life." "Give up this life?" "Yes,the Shinwa Group agreed on thatcondition." "They're resolving this by sacrificing you." "You say it's been decided." "But if I refuse,whatwill they do?" "That's why I told them Hirono's notaboutto give up this life." "Then they handed me this." "LETTEROF EXPULSION" "You have to make up yourmind." "This guy says he'll supportyou." "Listen, bro." "I agree with Mr. Okubo." "You're close with the Akashi family." "Ifwe join forces, we could take Kure easily." "It's abouttime we showthat bastard Yamamori!" "Everything went justas you planned." "Dragging Mr. Okubo into it was a nice touch." "You dragged him into this first." "Itserves you right." "I was wrong to trustyou." "The family can onlywork ifwe're united." "Only thing a guy like you can do is getout." "Serves you right!" "Don't like it?" "Then put up a fight!" "Ijustmight do that." "Bring Yamamori along and challenge me anytime!" "Prepare to die!" "Move!" "I'm gonna killyou!" "That bastard!" "Aren'tyou gonna do anything?" "Go on!" "Get him!" "Leave itto me." "I'll kill him." "Matsunaga, I hear you're real tightwith Hirono." "Whose side are you gonna take?" "Whose side?" "I have no grudge againsteither side." "I'll be neutral." "I don'tallow neutral around here." "If you don'tside with us, you have to retire" "and never come back here again." "Tokyo?" "Why?" "It's betterthan dying in the fight." "Would you run awaywith me?" "No." "Where you gonna get the cash anyway?" "You won'tcome 'cause I have no money?" "I'd never go with you." "I'm with Kuramoto now." "You " "What is it, sir?" "Take this.You'll need it." "Hirono was expelled because of you, so you have to severties with those guys from the Yamamori family." "Please see to it rightaway." "Why should I be involved in the struggle between Yamamori and Hirono?" "If you don't get involved, we can't help Hirono." "It's a directorder from the boss in Kobe too." "Which side?" "What do you mean by that?" "TERMINATION OF RELATIONSHIP We're gonna fight Uchimoto and Hirono." "If you fightfor us,you can join ourfamily.What do you say?" "I'd be happy to join you." "Verywell." "Then let us see some proof of your commitment." "Darling." "Get ready!" "AUGUST 26, 1963 --ATTHE AKASHI FAMILY'S UCHIMOTO BRANCH" "Shoot!" "Kill!" "The police!" "Bro!" "HAYAKAWA,YAMAMORI'S ALLY,ATTACKED THE UCHIMOTO FAMILY,AKASHI'S ALLY" "THE HIROSHIMA BATTLE BEGAN" "What?" "I see!" "Itfinally happened!" "That bastard Hayakawa attacked the Uchimoto office." "Really?" "All right,then." "We'll crush him!" "Tell the office to begin preparations." "Boss, Mr. Makihara is watching a movie atthe Chuo Theater." "I see." "Good work." "The Chuo Theater." "Here it is." "Oh, it's me." "What's the rush?" "One of Hirono's men is on his way." "Keep an eye out." "I'm leaving forTokyo now!" "Get in!" "The police cut him up." "They took outeverything inside and sewed him up again like a sack." "Where are his insides?" "There,there." "Takeshi!" "Boss!" "It's hot!" "When a battle begins, young men are always the first to lose their lives, yet theirdeaths have neveronce been honored." "Fatalities keep piling up as the battle among the yakuza of Hiroshima escalates into an ever more violentstruggle." "THE END"