On January 26, 1985, Masahisa Takenaka , the fourth-generation leader of the Yamaguchi Group, accompanied by two cadres, drove to the high-end apartment where his mistress was. In the dim corridor, four assassins jumped out and fired at the unsuspecting three. The two cadres were killed on the spot, and Takenaka also died from his injuries the next day. The history of this incident is called the "1·26 Incident," and it pushed the already heated "Shanichi Resistance" to its climax in an all-round way. Fifteen years later, this scene was almost intact transplanted into "Big Brother" by Takeshi Kitano.
In the 1960s, Japan, which emerged from the shadow of defeat, entered a period of rapid economic development. In contrast, the film industry inevitably declined. In order to attract the attention of the public, established companies such as Dayei and Toei have successively improved the ancient sword halberd films to create a new type of Renxia film. Although Renxia movies are blooming everywhere, they basically follow a single plot. The story roughly tells the story of a Botu ron or gang member who inherited the chivalrous spirit of the ancient school. Based on the favor of the good people or the interests of the good people, he alone confronted the evil-doing, despicable gangster. Different from previous swordsman movies, Renxia movies are often set in the three-generation period (Meiji, Showa, and Taisho). The confrontation between ether swords and pistols highlights the contradiction between traditional morality and industrial modernization. At that time, the student movement was in the ascendant, and the reflection and reminiscence of traditional morality in this genre matched the hesitation and anxiety of young students and even Japanese people in the noisy era. Students flocked to it, and celebrities such as Yukio Mishima cheered for it. Ren Xia's film was born at the right time, and it has been glorious for more than a decade.
However, with the defeat of the student movement and the lack of plots, Ren Xia movies in the 1970s struggled. In order to continue the early days, the film company put aside their positions and drew inspiration from weekly magazines aimed at male readers. For a time, news about gang fights and struggles came into the eyes of filmmakers, and "real gangster movies" came into being. It brings the background of the times and the audience closer again, and many stories are even taken from real events that happened at the moment. The classical romanticism imagined out of thin air in Ren Xia movies is gradually being abandoned, and replaced by real gangster movies that show naked blood and cruelty. The distinction between good and evil is outdated, and the true description of greed and despicability seems to be more popular. People who were tired of excessively exaggerating the bloody violence of gangsters gradually accepted this emerging genre. Until Shinsaku Shinji's "Innocent Series" received much attention and was even praised by academics, gangster movies finally reached unprecedented heights.
That is to say, when talking about Japanese gangster movies, the "Innocent Series" will inevitably be mentioned, so when it comes to Japanese gangsters, the Yamaguchi Group, the largest gang organization, cannot be avoided. The rise and fall of the Yamaguchi group and the rise and fall of Japanese gangster films may have a subtle and no accidental echoing relationship.
Early post-war
After World War II, Japan was in chaos and the black market flourished under the situation of total economic collapse. The Three Kingdoms (the Japanese called the people of the old colonies such as North Korea and Taiwan) played an important role in it. Based on this, the bloggers (gamblers), the house (traffic pawns) and many unemployed people organized organizations with the nature of modern underworld to fight against the Three Kingdoms. They are called "Xia Ke" and "Xia Dao" by Chinese people whose self-esteem has been severely damaged. This can be described as a continuation of the Ren Xia complex. "Knights" used violence to control violence immediately, and there were even absurd scenes of police asking gangsters to deal with the Three Kingdoms. Relying on the primitive accumulation of the black market in the early days and the connivance of the government, Japanese gangs have sprung up like mushrooms. In the 1960s, they continued to "enlarge" through means such as fighting for territory, organizing prostitution, racing horse racing, operating shipping, and performing arts companies, and the so-called chivalry gradually transformed into an all-purpose criminal group. The most typical example is the third generation Yamaguchi Formation led by Kazuo Tianoka. Such a huge organization of more than 10,000 people is unheard of before, so the conflicts between them and other gangs and the government must be rare in the era of Ren Xia. It can be said that the Japanese underworld after the war provided the most direct material for modern Japanese gangster movies, especially real-record gangster movies, and famous protest events and some "famous scenes" in the struggle have been repeatedly used for reference by filmmakers.
60~80s
Due to the expansion of power and the succession of the team leader, three times of "Hiroshima resistance" broke out in Hiroshima in the 1960s. Local tycoons Nobuo Hitoshi and Tatsuo Yamamura fought openly for the position of the Oka group and the leader of the group. The battle situation continued to expand. The two sides asked the Yamaguchi group outside Hiroshima and Honda to help out. Kazuo Taoka, who was expanding his territory everywhere, seized this good opportunity and waged a "proxy war" with his old rival, Ben Dohui, who also had a ghost in his heart. In response to the increasingly arrogant arrogance of the gang, the Hiroshima police took a large-scale banning operation. Hundreds of members of the organization were arrested, including Kozo Mino, who had ties to both the Tayue and Yamamura factions. While in prison, Minol recorded his underworld experience and the history of the Hiroshima struggle in the form of notes, and published the full name in the weekly magazine. His notes were favored by Toei President Shigeru Okada. After the polish of writer Akira Iizaki and screenwriter Kasahara Kazuo, the "Innocent Series" gangster film with the theme of the Hiroshima struggle was finally shot. Prior to this, Shinji Fukasaku had directed several gangster movies with record styles such as "Japan Gang Leader" and "Hitman and Tai", so he was recommended by the producer Toshito Koji. Back then, he had a lot of contact with gang members in the black market, and he was deeply acquainted with the chivalrous and shameless contradictory characteristics of these marginal figures. He completely abandons the romantic setting of the dual opposition of good and evil in Ren Xia's films, and creates a unique sense of distance and reality through the shooting techniques of documentary films such as voice-over, prompt subtitles, portable photography, and newspaper excerpts. This new type of gangster film, which is full of violence but not eulogizing, has been widely welcomed by the public, and even the prototypes in the play have participated in the debate about the story. For example, in the play, the protagonist Masazo Hirono (Kozo Mino) and the cadres of the Akashi group (Yamaguchi group) were arranged to worship, and Minol had expressed objections to this.
Although the Yamaguchi group failed to occupy a dominant position in the "Inhumane Series", the splendor in reality does not allow the shadow people to look away for a moment. Speaking of which, they have a deep connection with the Japanese entertainment industry. As early as the initial stage of the establishment, the team leader, Haruyoshi Yamaguchi, made a lot of money in the Langqu realm. In the era of Kazuo Taoka, he even praised the singer Misora Hibari, and he also triggered the assault of Renxia movie star Koji Tsuruta. In addition, Taoka miraculously followed the strategic policy of our great leader "encircle the city from the countryside". Yamaguchi invaded the surrounding counties and cities of Kobe in four ways, targeting Tokyo from west to east, and then became a huge organization with more than 10,000 members. The success of the "Inhumane Series" is ahead, and filmmakers have aimed their cameras at this modern gangster miracle. Taking the incident of the Yamaguchi group expansion as the theme, Toei has successively filmed gangster movies such as "Gaiden Gaiden, Operation Osaka Electric Shock", "Japanese Violent Archipelago: Keihanshin Killers Corps", "Gaiden Yamaguchi Gaiden · Kyushu Offensive Operation" and other gangster films. Oka Kazuo shot biographical works such as the "Yamaguchi-gumi Sandaime Series" and "Japanese Chiefs Series" for the prototype. The previous series was adapted from Tian Gang's autobiography, and the latter series focused on the "glorious period" when the Yamaguchi Formation grew and expanded. Since 1964, the Japanese police have launched "top operations" against gang crimes, and listed ten violent groups, including the Yamaguchi group, as the number one targets for banning. The "Japanese Chiefs Series" not only describes the struggle between the gangs during the "Fighting on Top" period, it also reproduces the classic confrontation between Tianoka and the police, and also mentions the ties between the gangs and the political circles. In the film is Oyama Kikuo, played by Uchida Asao). It's just that the series failed to stand on a sufficiently objective standpoint, and the whole article is more like a mainstream blockbuster praising virtue. After all, Tian Gangman, the son of Tian Gang, was the producer of the series, which is quite similar to the filming of "The Wind and Clouds of Haojiang", which was invested by Beng Yaju, which was 20 years later, and their endings were the same.
In "The Boss of Japan: The End" released in September 1978, Sakura Kazuo (Kazuo Tianoka) eventually became the overlord of the Japanese gang, and the limelight was the same, but in reality, the life of the Yamaguchi group was not easy. Two months before the release of "The End", the Yamaguchi team suffered a huge setback. On the morning of July 11th, Tian Gang, who had returned from the Toei Exploration Group in Kyoto, had a nap at a local club called "Balami", and was attacked by assassins from the opposing gang Matsuda group. Assassin Narumi Kiyoshi fired two shots, one of which penetrated Tianoka's head. After more than two months of recuperation, Tian Gang miraculously escaped. The weak but stubborn Matsuda group paid the price of 7 lives, while Narumi Kiyoshi violently killed the corpse in a miserable state. The "Osaka War" ended with the overwhelming victory of the Yamaguchi group. Since ancient times, the right to speak has always been in the hands of the victor. At the first press conference of the gang in history, Yamaguchi Kakutou (deputy commander, usually the most powerful candidate for the next team leader), Kenichi Yamamoto read out a very gorgeous rhetoric. In the announcement, the article pained Chen Songtian's crimes and unilaterally announced a truce out of consideration of "social responsibility." The following year, Mitsubishi Taoka acted as the producer, and the director of the "Japan Chief Series" Sadao Nakajima once again made a record film called "The Chief of the Chieftain". Sugawara, who has gained fame because of "Innocent War", plays the protagonist Yatsushiro Junji, whose prototype is Kiyoshi Narumi. The film did not vilify the Yamaguchi group's background maliciously, but presented a human-like gangster to the audience. This not only caters to the sympathy of the Japanese people for tragic heroes, but also a sincere tribute to the passionate but betrayed Narumi Qing. Until the 1990s, Narumi Kiyoshi's story continued to appear on the screen. Under the light of the king, the fallen hero is also unforgettable. Also remembered is the Matsuda group, which has repeatedly appeared in gangster movies since then with the plot of small fights and big fights. For example, Miike Takashi's "Ghost Cry" tells a more exaggerated story of a tragic gang of three gangs fighting against a large organization of tens of thousands of people.
Since the 80s
In 1981, the Tiangang Dynasty ended. Sadao Nakajima, who has become a professional gangster film professional, filmed "The Overlord" to offer the final memorial to the powerful underworld emperor. The Yamaguchi Formation at this time has truly entered a period of precariousness. Following in the footsteps of Kazuo Taoka, Kenichi Yamamoto, the most powerful candidate for the next team leader, died of illness in prison. For the throne of the fourth-generation team leader, Hiroshi Yamamoto and Masahisa Takenaka fought fiercely. Under the auspices of Tianoka's widow Fumiko, Takenaka successfully practiced Zuo. Hiroshi Yamamoto became angry and took away more than half of the members of the Yamaguchi group. He set up a new peace meeting, and the "Shanichi Resistance" kicked off. At the beginning, it was mentioned that the "1.26 Incident" pushed this battle of flesh and blood to a climax. Under the cover of the cruel blows of the Yamaguchi Formation and the diamond pattern, the formerly dominant Yihe will continue to shrink, reaching only more than 200 at one time. The point of people. In the end, through the mediation of another major gang Inagawa in Kanto, Hiroshi Yamamoto came to apologize and promised to disband the First Peace Conference, and the four-year struggle came to an end.
The "Shanichi Struggle" not only changed the internal structure of the Yamaguchi group, but also had many effects on the gangster film. First, it provides more gimmicks and creativity. During the struggle, two lower-level gangsters had a whim and decided to imitate the suicide attack of the Kamikaze Squadron and drove a truck to attack the other side's office. This scene was used by Takeshi Kitano and Takashi Miike at the end of "3-4×October" and "Desperate Soul" respectively; another group of men and horses disguised as courier company deliverymen, knocking on the opponent's apartment door and shooting indiscriminately. This scene of Masayoshi Harada used it for reference at the beginning of "The Tenacious: Birth". The above creativity is not surprising. Takenaka Masahisa’s younger brother Masanori Takenaka is one of the best screenwriters in the underworld. In order to purchase a large amount of arms from overseas, the entertainment company affiliated to the Takenaka Group announced that it would invite Mike Jackson to perform in Japan, and then pay a huge amount of liquidated damages overseas in the name of breach of contract, thereby transferring the arms money. It's a pity that the police are so skilled that the Takenaka group's plan finally went bankrupt.
Second, provide updated story materials. After the "Yanichi Struggle", a series of recorded videos based on the incident were released one after another. Sadao Nakajima determined to establish a biography for Yamaguchi, and launched "1750 Days of Fierce Battle" in the early 1990s. Kazuhiko Murakami and Masaru Shimazu respectively filmed "Actually Record·The Biggest Struggle in History·The Succession of Four Generations" and "History·The Biggest Struggle in History·Yijutsu 2" respectively in 2002. At the end of the struggle, Takenaka was looking for a few dead men and attacking the residence of Hiroshi Yamamoto with guns. They did not hesitate to injure the police in order to achieve their goals. This incident was made into an OV movie by Takashi Miike’s younger brother Hiroyuki Tsuji in 2005, and it was titled "Attack on the Mansion of the Leader's Mansion in the History of the Fighting School, Takenaka Group, and the Leader". In addition, the Takenaka group, who was committed to revenge but was treated unfairly after the struggle, was supervised by Masahiro Takenaka, and Hiroyuki Tsuji directed three biographical gangster films based on the original work of the same name by writer Atsushi Mizoguchi. Lion". The new generation of gangster film actor Hitoshi Ozawa takes the lead, reappearing the ups and downs of this short-lived fighter group leader.
Third, to promote the emergence of a new branch of the memoir gangster film. In traditional gangster movies, men occupy an absolute dominant position, and women are often reduced to tragic vassals. The male and female protagonists in "The Graveyard of Benevolence and Righteousness" can be called the extreme of this setting. During the "Shanichi Struggle", Tian Gang Wenzi supported the blood-filled male world with his weak arms, and did not give up until the last moment of his life. Her performance has made the prejudiced world lament a lot. In the early days of the struggle, Tian Zhuangzi, a writer, focused her attention on the group of extreme women who were silent behind the men. She interviewed as many as 27 people, especially Tian Gang Wenzi as the main blueprint, and finally completed the title " "The Wife of the Extreme" novel. The novel was put on the screen by the five heroes the following year. As of 2005, a total of 15 films have been filmed, which echoes the series of "The Peony Boss" in the era of Ren Xia. As a novel female gangster film, "The Wife of Ji Dao" has been widely sought after, which has also led to a number of follow-up works, such as the series of "The Chief Woman", "The Wife and the Hero", "The Wife of Shura" "Wait.
After the "Shanichi Rebellion", the Yamaguchi group and even the entire underworld faced tremendous changes. As the police are increasingly resolute in their crackdowns, they are forced to resort to negotiation and other methods to resolve disputes, and the source of funds is slowly turning to underground or legal industries. A cadre of the First Peace Conference once commented, "The so-called fourth-generation leader battle is actually a competition between traditional violence and modern intelligence." Although Fumiko chose Masahisa Takenaka, the representative of the martial arts faction, the ending was that Watanabe Yoshi, who was more intelligent than the Ichiwa Association, inherited the position of the leader of the Yamaguchi group. Atsushi Mizoguchi pointed out that the structure of the Japanese gang is a reflection of the emperor's system. In other words, the relationship between the subordinates and the subordinates of the Japanese gangs is actually the feudal father-son relationship that the emperor and the samurai absolutely obey, and human feelings and justice constitute the most basic rules of conduct for the supreme figure. But starting from the fifth generation Yamaguchi team, the relationship between father and son in the team has become weaker, and the huge monthly payment determines everything. As of the sixth generation, many bosses were swept out because they could not afford to pay. Therefore, especially after the "violence law" was implemented in 1991, some Japanese gangster movies showed a distinctive commercial warfare color. The gangsters no longer fight with long knives, but sit behind a large boss table and point the country and plan tactics. A more typical example is the "Namba Financial Biography·South Emperor" series starring Takeuchi Riki.
Similar to the transformation of gangs, with the decline of the big studio system and the rise of the video tape market, OV movies have become an emerging mode of viewing. More low-cost gangster films are directly put on the video tape market, and this has also become a place of fame for many new directors. Following the pioneers Miike Takashi and Mochizuki Rokuro, in recent years Tsuji Hiroyuki, Watanabe Takeshi, Miyaka Takeshi, Yokoi Kenji and others have also emerged in gangster movies. In terms of themes and plots, in addition to the types of commercial warfare, video recordings describing the large and small struggles before Heisei continue to emerge; small figures associated with the Yamaguchi group, such as Fujita Goro ("Man Zhan Goro"), Yozakura Ginji ("Memorial: Yozakura") The stories of Ginji"), Yamanouchi Yukio ("Love·Kokudo"), and Amto Shoko ("Kokudo Moon") have been unearthed one after another. At the same time, there are also some improved Renxia films with contemporary colors, such as the two series "Benevolence" and "Heisei Can Xia Biography" starring Takeuchi Riki. This may be seen as a mockery of contemporary money worshiping gangs. Due to the reduction in the scale and number of struggles, some filmmakers have also photographed multi-element mashups such as "All Metal Thugs", "Ultra Extreme Road", "Ultra Universe War" and so on. It is not difficult to perceive the filmmakers. And the audience’s aesthetic fatigue on the same subject. When the gang abandoned benevolence and righteousness and turned to worship gold, this group of legendary modern warriors also began to bleak. But for ordinary people, it might not be a good thing.
At the end of
this article, since Kitano Takeshi's "Big Brother" begins, it should end with this film as a response. At the end of "Big Brother", four or five black limousines drove to the front of the motel, and dozens of mafia armed with submachine guns lined up to beat Yamamoto (Take Kitano) who was dying to death. This plot may come from another far-reaching event in the Yamaguchi group: on July 10, 1996, the president of the Nakano Club of the Yamaguchi group, Taro Nakano, shaved his head in a barber shop near his home. At this time, two luxury cars stopped. At the door, six or seven people in and out of the car shot indiscriminately at the house, and Nakano's bodyguards also drew their guns and fired back. For a time, the gunshots were loud, and the shouts continued. The loud noise alarmed nearby residents. A certain man looked out from the window and clapped his hands and exclaimed: "Awesome! What about making a movie?!"
Sometimes reality is more exciting than a movie.
View more about Brother reviews
