Bakuto
Encyclopedia
Bakuto were itinerant gamblers in Japan
from the 18th century to the mid-20th century. They were one of the forerunners of the modern Japanese crime gangs known as yakuza
.
Bakuto plied their trade in the towns and highways of feudal Japan, playing traditional games such as hanafuda
and dice
. They were mostly social outcasts of various stripes, living outside the laws and norms of society. (However, during the Tokugawa
era, they were occasionally hired by local governments to gamble with laborers, winning back the workers' earnings in exchange for a percentage.)
Many bakuto covered their bodies with elaborate tattoos
, which were often displayed by the shirtless dealer of a card or dice game. This fashion led to the modern yakuza's tradition of full-body tattooing.
As the bakuto organized into groups and expanded into other operations such as loan sharking
, half of the groundwork for the modern yakuza was born. (The other half came from another group of itinerants, the tekiya
or peddlers).
Up until the mid-20th century, some yakuza organizations that dealt mostly in gambling described themselves as bakuto groups. But this was seen as outdated, and most were eventually absorbed into larger, more diverse yakuza syndicates. For example, the Honda-kai
was a Kobe
-based bakuto gang which formed an alliance after World War II
with the Yamaguchi-gumi
, but were soon overtaken by the larger gang.
One fictional example of a bakuto would be Zatoichi
, the blind gambler of numerous Japanese films.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
from the 18th century to the mid-20th century. They were one of the forerunners of the modern Japanese crime gangs known as yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
.
Bakuto plied their trade in the towns and highways of feudal Japan, playing traditional games such as hanafuda
Hanafuda
are playing cards of Japanese origin that are used to play a number of games. The name literally translates as "flower cards". The name also refers to games played with those cards.-History:...
and dice
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
. They were mostly social outcasts of various stripes, living outside the laws and norms of society. (However, during the Tokugawa
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
era, they were occasionally hired by local governments to gamble with laborers, winning back the workers' earnings in exchange for a percentage.)
Many bakuto covered their bodies with elaborate tattoos
Irezumi
Irezumi is a Japanese word that refers to the insertion of ink under the skin to leave a permanent, usually decorative mark; a form of tattooing....
, which were often displayed by the shirtless dealer of a card or dice game. This fashion led to the modern yakuza's tradition of full-body tattooing.
As the bakuto organized into groups and expanded into other operations such as loan sharking
Usury
Usury Originally, when the charging of interest was still banned by Christian churches, usury simply meant the charging of interest at any rate . In countries where the charging of interest became acceptable, the term came to be used for interest above the rate allowed by law...
, half of the groundwork for the modern yakuza was born. (The other half came from another group of itinerants, the tekiya
Tekiya
Tekiya were itinerant Japanese merchants who, along with the bakuto , were the predecessors to the modern yakuza....
or peddlers).
Up until the mid-20th century, some yakuza organizations that dealt mostly in gambling described themselves as bakuto groups. But this was seen as outdated, and most were eventually absorbed into larger, more diverse yakuza syndicates. For example, the Honda-kai
Honda-kai
The Honda-kai were a Japanese yakuza gang active in Kobe in the middle of the 20th century.The Honda-kai was a "bakuto" gang, mainly devoted to illegal gambling. After World War II, they formed an alliance with the Yamaguchi-gumi syndicate, then growing under the leadership of Kazuo Taoka...
was a Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
-based bakuto gang which formed an alliance after World War II
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
with the Yamaguchi-gumi
Yamaguchi-gumi
is Japan's largest and most infamous yakuza organization. It is named after its founder Harukichi Yamaguchi. Its origins can be traced back to a loose labor union for dockworkers in Kobe pre-WWII....
, but were soon overtaken by the larger gang.
One fictional example of a bakuto would be Zatoichi
Zatoichi
is a fictional character featured in one of Japan's longest running series of films and a television series set in the Edo period. The character, a blind masseur and swordmaster, was created by novelist . This originally minor character was developed for the screen by Daiei Studios and actor...
, the blind gambler of numerous Japanese films.