The nation's largest underworld syndicate, the Kobe-based Yamaguchi-gumi, is 97 years old.
Jumping the gun on the gang's centennial by three years, Shukan Asahi Geino (Aug. 16-23) ran eight pages of historical photos under the title "Yamaguchi-gumi: A Turbulent First Century."
The same magazine recently serialized the life story of Kazuo Taoka (1913-1981), the third head of the Yamaguchi-gumi, in a manga biography titled "The Last Father" (as in godfather). The Katsumi Ikebe-illustrated comic serial was later reissued in a six-volume set by Asahi Geino's parent company, Tokuma Shoten.