In the world, there are 3 notorious underground organizations: Mafia (USA), Triads (China) and Yakuza (Japan).
But unlike other criminal organizations that only worry about breaking the law, the Yakuza have quite… adorable faces.
At least in two major disasters, the Kobe earthquake in 1995 and the Tohoku tsunami in 2011, they were the first to come to the rescue of victims.
According to 2017 estimates, there are about 34,500 Yakuza in Japan.
Japanese Yakuza
The identifying characteristics of Yakuza are full tattoos and hands lacking fingers.
In recent years, due to the Japanese government’s determination to `wipe out` criminal gangs, the Yakuza have fallen into a situation of… lacking food.
Many people are forced to change their `jobs`, to become street traders, fortune tellers, and even… security guards.
Most Yakuza leaders have wives and mistresses.
Although they are always by the gang leader’s side, even temporarily taking over the top position if their husband/lover goes to prison, the mark of their existence is extremely faint.
As soon as he finished watching the movie Gokudo no tsumamachi (1986) – about the lives of two Yakuza women, photographer Chlóe Jafé (France) was fascinated.
She does not understand the language and has no acquaintances in the land of cherry blossoms.
Not discouraged, Jafé practiced listening and speaking Japanese, then applied to join a hostess club opened by the Yakuza.
`All the hostesses there are related to the Yakuza, some of them are also possibly the gang leader’s mistress,` – Jafé explained.
Just when she was about to give up, she got lucky.
`He was wearing a kimono and surrounded by a group of subordinates protecting him. With an extremely kind attitude, he invited me a beer,` Jafé said.
What happened next was like a movie, she invited the `tycoon` she had just met to dinner at a restaurant.
With little Japanese, Jafé had to try hard to explain his purpose.
Yakuza women: Silent shadows beside their husbands/criminal lovers
`During my time living in Japan, I learned two things,` Jafé confided, `which are ganimimasu (doing your duty well) and gaman (forbearance).`
`In the Yakuza underworld, patriarchy is stronger than Japan’s already very male-dominated patriarchal culture,` said Jafé.
Most Yakuza women are housewives, living extremely closed and secretive lives.
Because they love the Yakuza, they have to cut off all connections with the outside world and devote themselves wholeheartedly to taking care of their loved ones.
In a Yakuza gang, women only play the role of cooking, cleaning, being wives and mothers.
Depending on the husband’s status, women’s roles and responsibilities are somewhat different.
When the leader is imprisoned or dies, they must take over and shoulder the responsibility of leading the gang.
Like Yakuza men, Yakuza women also get tattoos.
Some women were only with the Yakuza for a short period of time, and the tattoos on their bodies served as proof.
In addition to Yakuza wives/mistresses, there are also women who are children and sisters of the Yakuza.
`I want a life where I don’t have to rely on men,` wrote Yuko, the daughter of a Yakuza.
Jafé named his photo collection I give you my life.
