This article is part of our ongoing “Introduction Series” that talks about the different genres of Japanese film and how to better appreciate them. The "yakuza", Japan’s outlaws, are the topic of the third installment. We’ve separated it into Part I and Part II to better cover this entertaining genre of films, a favorite of renowned directors the world over including Quentin Tarantino.

The roots of "yakuza" films can be traced back to before World War II. They consist of a diverse collection of works that includes everything from "Battles Without Honor and Humanity" (also known as "The Yakuza Papers") (1973) and the films of director Takeshi Kitano up through "Yakuza and the Family", which was distributed worldwide via Netflix in 2021. They take on a different format with every generation, driven by changes in the film industry as well as differences in how the social standing of "yakuza" has evolved over the years.

We asked Yukio Todoroki and Naoto Mori, two film writers who are experts in the history of Japanese cinema, to tell us about the history of "yakuza" films along with relevant changes in Japanese society. Part I focused on introducing the history around the time that Toei Company, Ltd., a major film company in Japan, began producing "ninkyo" films. Part II discusses the genre from the documentary-like ‘movies based on true crime stories’ starting with "Battles Without Honor and Humanity" by Director Kinji Fukasaku, and continuing to films in recent years that depict a world after the yakuza have been pushed to the edges of society.

Interviewer/Author: Naoto Mori, Editor: Goshi Kuno & Satomi Hara (Cinra, Inc.), Main photo: (c)Ryuzo Saki/2021 "Under the Open Sky" Production Committee

The intensity of documentary-style true crime-based films depicted post-WWII history in Japan

Mori: Then finally, "Battles Without Honor and Humanity" was released in 1973, which kicked off Toei’s true crime-based "yakuza" films. The film’s setting is the turbulent period right after the war, which is reflected by the opening scene showing the mushroom cloud that went up when the atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima. It can be said that the structure of true crime-based "yakuza" films was the portrayal of the raw post-war history through the viewpoint and theme of the ‘individual and organization’ in the "yakuza" underworld.

Todoroki: The ‘true story’ was a format bordering on nonfiction based on reality that was liberally sprinkled with fiction. This format nicely suited the talents of spirited directors such as Kinji Fukasaku and Sadao Nakajima. The creators who didn’t fit into the studio’s mold of artisan directors came to express their own vision.

Mori: As Todoroki said before, if "ninkyo" films are likened to the blues, then true crime-based films can probably be compared to rock music. They use the same three chords, but the philosophy and rhythm differ. Having been impacted by films such as Director Roberto Rossellini’s "Open City" (1945), the incorporation of the documentary-style filming is structurally significant.

One more thing. At the time, the Japanese movie business tended to instantly chase after foreign film trends. That is, "The Godfather" (1972) and" The Valachi Papers" (1972) were popular, so the film companies in Japan began trying to imitate them. So there’s that brutally honest reason, too (laughs).

Todoroki: Actually, the former president of Toei, Shigeru Okada clearly said so. He stated that you could say true crime-based "yakuza" films capitalize on hit foreign movies, but Toei should also make Japanese mafia films. In the end, that insight hit the jackpot. "Battles Without Honor and Humanity" became a five-film series in just a year and a half (1973–1974).

We touched on the interconnection among the six film companies (Shochiku, Toho, Daiei, Toei, Shintoho, and Nikkatsu) in Part I. To expand a little further, that convergence developed a movement that Akira Kobayashi, who played the hero in Nikkatsu action films, and Nobuo Kaneko who often played the bad guy in those action films, turned into a big success in Toei’s films like "Battles Without Honor and Humanity" series.

There’s also the "Outlaw" series (1968–1969) featuring Tetsuya Watari from Nikkatsu that made movies out of an original work by Goro Fujita who transformed from "yakuza" to author. Those were true crime-based films that were before their time. Another film also based on a Goro Fujita original work and starring Tetsuya Watari is "Graveyard for Honor" (1975), an unorthodox masterpiece from Director Kinji Fukasaku that was produced by Toei.

Mori: In "Graveyard of Honor", Tetsuya Watari gave a strange yet impressive performance as an actual "yakuza" member, Rikio Ishikawa who committed suicide at age thirty. That was probably the pinnacle of true crime-based "yakuza" films. It’s so superb it takes your breath away. If you liken it to shifting from the blues to rock…

Todoroki: You can compare "Graveyard of Honor" to punk music. It’s the story of a man living in the moment and dying in desperation. I think in the true crime-based films there was also a deliberate move to squelch the stylistic beauty that safeguarded "ninkyo" films. The acceleration of that fragility resulted in arriving at the breaking point.

The danger of true crime-based "yakuza" films—the line between reality and fiction becomes too blurred.

Todoroki: There’s another point I want to make. In Part I, the name Noboru Ando was fleetingly mentioned. The former "yakuza" leader was a key person in the true crime-based films. He began his acting career at Shochiku in 1965 and, amazingly, was thrust into the part of ‘Noboru Ando’ based on his autobiography. Later, he moved to Toei in "Sentenced to 18 Years" (1967) by Director Tai Kato. At Toei, he also made several films in the ‘Noboru Ando’ role, including "Noboru Ando’s Sex and Escape Chronicle" (1976). I think it’s very rare for a real former "yakuza" member to appear as himself in films like this in all of global film history.

Mori: The fact that Noboru Ando crossed the barrier of fiction and nonfiction can maybe be called the symbol of true crime-based "yakuza" films. The danger of true crime-based films came too close to real life. A month and a half after Director Kinji Fukasaku’s "Hokuriku: Proxy War" (1977) was released, the "yakuza" leader that was the model for the film was killed, as if real life had followed the script. That incident put an end to Toei’s true crime-based films, as was noted by Producer Goro Kusakabe who described it as the swan song (an artist’s final work before dying) of Toei’s true crime-based "yakuza" films.

Todoroki: True crime-based films had a short life that ended in only four years. However, the intensity contained in those films is incredible, and that peculiar appeal crossed over the oceans. In particular, Director Fukasaku’s name spread throughout the world, and the "Battles Without Honor and Humanity" series also influenced directors like John Woo in Hong Kong and Quentin Tarantino in America.

Mori: By the way, "Outlaw" (2020) by Director Kazuyuki Izutsu pays homage to "Hokuriku: Proxy War". "Outlaw" is a film that is like the best textbook that sorts out how the post-war history of Japan and "yakuza" films are intertwined.

"Yakuza" films with a female lead appear

Mori: After the Toei true crime-based "yakuza" films ended in 1977, Japan entered the end of the Showa era and headed toward a bubble economy. (The Japanese era name changed from Showa to Heisei on January 8, 1989). At the same time, the studio system that each film company had had up to then became inadequate. As a result, "yakuza" movies began diversifying and fragmenting.

For example, while Toei Central Film was created as a subsidiary of the Toei Group, it was a distributing agency that outsourced the actual film production to independent production companies. From there, the introspective "yakuza" film, "Ryuji" (1983) appeared that depicted the sadness and karma of a man who fails to become an ordinary citizen.

Todoroki: There was also an increase in the pattern of TV stations investing in films, and films that dealt with blatantly antisocial issues decreased. As this was happening, Director Hideo Gosha worked on "yakuza" films for Toei. He successfully made large-scale artistic creations that put the turbulent stories of women front and center, including "Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather" (1982) based on an original work by the novelist, Tomiko Miyao. Notably, that variation spawned the big hit series, "Yakuza Wives" released in 1986. Among those directing the sequels were veteran directors who had sustained "ninkyo" films and true crime-based films in the past, such as Kosaku Yamashita and Sadao Nakajima.

Mori: They’re movies that turned the existing "yakuza" films depicting the man’s world on their head. However, they maintained and revived the worldview of "yakuza" films.

Todoroki: The style is close to "ninkyo" films, isn’t it? But, male "ninkyo" films no longer suit the modern era. I think there was an attempt to give a fresh impression by switching the lead character to a woman and casting light from a different angle.

The low-budget video industry brought change that also involved Takashi Miike and Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Todoroki: In addition, we begin to think of the conventional "yakuza" films portraying a man’s world as a waning genre. This includes, for example, "The Story of a Man Among Men" (1984) and "The Last True Yakuza" (1985) starring Hiroki Matsukata. He had a very special attachment to "The Story of a Man Among Men" and remade the film in 2002 with himself in the lead role.

Mori: The fact that Toei V-Cinema started in 1989, when the era changed from Showa to Heisei, is a symbolic occurrence. These were movies made to bypass theatrical release and go straight to video. "yakuza" films were especially popular. The former B movies transformed from films released in cinemas to very low-budget movies (direct-to-video films).

Some of the videos that lined rental video store shelves were from a popular series that emerged featuring ‘keizai’ (economic) "yakuza" that carry out financial crimes rather than violence. "The King of Minami" produced 60 films between 1992 and 2007. It’s a variation on the "yakuza" films where loan sharks lend money at "Outrageous" interest rates (illegal loans) to people desperate for money.

Todoroki: Toei V-Cinema and the direct-to-video format not only extended the life of "yakuza" films, but they also have an historical value. That is, they gave staff and actors opportunities through mass production. They also allowed creators freedom to experiment and do just about anything as long as it was within the genre. Directors with strong character such as Takashi Miike and Kiyoshi Kurosawa were able to indulge as much as they liked in creative challenges, and their radical styles gradually came to be recognized not only by aficionados in Japan, but also viewers overseas.

A shift from the film genre to the creator’s individual style

Mori: A definitive turning point for "yakuza" in society, rather than "yakuza" films, was the enforcement of the Anti-gang Act in March 1992. The law targets containment of "yakuza" as organizations that carry out antisocial behavior, but it resulted in taking away various rights from the "yakuza" and pushing them to the edges of society.

Todoroki: Exactly two months after the Anti-gang Act was enacted, the Toho film, "Minbo" (1992) by Director Juzo Itami premiered. Nobuko Miyamoto plays the heroine, a lawyer who uses the law as a weapon against racketeering by "yakuza" (‘minbo’ in Japanese; "yakuza" intercede in civil disputes and use violence and threats to make unreasonable claims).

Director Itami, who made blockbusters, offered an Itami-style "yakuza" film that exposed a sector of society based on his usual meticulous research and interviews. However, right after "Minbo" was released, he was attacked by some gang members near his home. It was the flip side of the case where a different gang leader was murdered after "Hokuriku: Proxy War" was released. At that time, the world on the screen crossed over into the real world in a different form. It’s gradually become difficult for movies to naively depict "yakuza".

Mori: Also, Director Takeshi Kitano was soon to make his debut. His first film, "Violent Cop" (1989) was originally supposed to have been directed by Kinji Fukasaku. I have the feeling that back then there were few moviegoers that watched Kitano’s work under the category of "yakuza" films, such as "Sonatine" (1993).

Todoroki: It’s true now, too, but Takeshi Kitano probably got more attention from overseas. Ken Takakura became a symbol of "ninkyo" stars, and if we consider the context in which the image of Japanese "yakuza" have been accepted in other countries since Takakura’s genuine move to Hollywood film in "The Yakuza" (1974), first to come to mind is the image of "yakuza" as characterized by Yusaku Matsuda in Director Ridley Scott’s "Black Rain" (1989). His portrayal of a crazy and charismatic "yakuza" spread worldwide. That was developed by the actor, Beat Takeshi and the director, Takeshi Kitano who are one and the same.

In other words, it was shaped by the "yakuza" image that was a crystallization of Takeshi-style wickedness the actor embodied in the Hollywood film, "Johnny Mnemonic" (1995), and "Brother" (2001), filmed in Los Angeles, that Takeshi Kitano both starred in and directed. Compared to the general image of "yakuza" in Japan, it feels that in the case of Kitano films, the character is imbued with a fictional idealization that gives a very polished impression.

Mori: "Brother" has a style that conversely seemed to use Japanese aesthetics that people overseas like. That’s maybe similar to the old Japanese gangster movies from the Nikkatsu borderless action films. Plus, the "Outrage" trilogy (2010–2017) that was also directed by and featured Takeshi Kitano is set in the "yakuza" world, but gives the sense of depicting a small-scale power game that spreads to modern society.

Todoroki: "Outrage" is quite political, isn’t it? Of course, today’s "yakuza" films aren’t mass produced as a genre like in the past. Similar to Director Takeshi Kitano, the tendency to incorporate the creator’s own vision has become noticeable.

Portraying the true state of society through "yakuza" that have become ‘invisible people’

Todoroki: So, I’d like to look at "Under the Open Sky" from Director Miwa Nishikawa and "Yakuza and the Family" from Director Michihito Fujii that were released in theaters in 2021. We can draw a line to "Shoplifters" (2018) for which Director Hirokazu Koreeda won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. Comments called that film’s family who lived in the poor underclass ‘invisible people.’ It refers to people in society that the light doesn’t shine on.

Since the Anti-gang Act, crackdowns on gangs by the government have gotten more and more severe. That means "yakuza" have also become ‘invisible’ people’ in society. Both "Under the Open Sky" and "Yakuza and the Family" show the true state of modern society through the difficult lives of "yakuza" who have been rejected from society at large.

Mori: The documentary, "Yakuza and the Constitution" (2015) that followed an actual gang is a film that became the basis for the creation of movies that explore "yakuza" in this way. It frankly showed "yakuza" as invisible people who have been deprived of even the most basic rights as citizens.

Todoroki: Director Miwa Nishikawa and Director Michihito Fujii apparently have both seen "Yakuza and the Constitution". "Under the Open Sky" is a human drama about the hardships of reintegrating into society that are faced by people who quit the "yakuza". It’s difficult to simply view this as a "yakuza" film. In contrast, in "Yakuza and the Family" there is an approach similar to the genre of "yakuza" film. Even so, it comes close to Hong Kong noir and Korean crime movies rather than the Toei films.

"The Blood of Wolves": An update to the classic "yakuza" movie

Mori: On the other hand, there are also great movies that have inherited the format of the true crime-based films from Toei and try to revive" yakuza" films as a genre. Those movies are Director Kazuya Shiraishi’s "The Blood of Wolves" (2018) and the sequel, "The Blood of Wolves Level 2" (2021).

Todoroki: Without a doubt, "The Blood of Wolves" series again proves the strength of the style built by movies based on true crime stories, including the news-like narration.

Mori: In my opinion, "The Blood of Wolves" has the same significance as the musical film, "La La Land" (2016). They’re both films that fully researched the genre and format of twentieth-century film heritage (musicals, Toei’s true crime-based films), and attempted to update them with a single film. I was moved by Director Shiraishi, who made independent films for a long time, inheriting and reviving the genre through the genre’s originator, Toei. Said in the language of the "yakuza", officially “the sake cup has been poured” (a promise was exchanged between the boss and henchmen) (laughs).

Todoroki: Right. It also appears as if Director Shiraishi, who brilliantly rebooted Toei’s "yakuza" films, expressed his own vision. He kept the great style of the past in mind, but maintained a distance to refrain from making a simple imitation. Or, just like Director Michihito Fujii, is he perhaps searching for a new form that incorporates an entirely different context? The future of "yakuza" films just might lie where these two fascinating and provocative directions lead.