Seems like it’s more appropriate to describe it as a ritual among Yakuza. Here’s an article from NIH on the topic: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4009169/
Yes, the first paragraph of the wiki article refers to the origins of the practice. The second paragraph indeed outlines the practice gaining popularity amongst members of the Yakuza, and for various reasons.
Yakuza don’t do this anymore cuz the punishments for being caught are really strict. You basically go on super probation where you can’t even have a phone or go play golf until you spend like 4 years being rehabilitated by the police. Back in the heyday of the yakuza they had enough money to pay off the police and politicians so nobody would do anything, but they don’t make nearly as much money as they used to so they’ve lost a bunch of power over the years.
They don’t do that to civilians, they’d put them further into debt or force them to work for them for free until they decide the debts paid off. If you’re a woman they might heavily suggest you do sex work for them, if you’re a guy you might get beaten up but they won’t seriously hurt you so you can still make money for them. Yakuza now run business just like regular people but they make money for the gang. Some sell drugs. So you might be forced to deliver drugs or other illegal items for them since a civilian is less suspicious than a tough looking guy with fighting scars.
in the report linked in this thread (currently the top comment) theres specifically mention of a business man who had this happen to them for business debts.
The fact that we know about it shows that it was a stupid move and they got caught. That was definitely a guy acting without orders cuz no sane captain would ever approve of that
It’s actually cuz being just being a yakuza is illegal so modern yakuza don’t cut their fingers or get tattoos so they can deny it. Punishments for being a yakuza include not being allowed to have a phone, can’t ride trains, have to live under police supervision/rehabilitation for like 4 years, and you also aren’t allowed to even play golf or play sports in public or use bathhouses, or even swim in public.
[Meet the woman who makes fake fingers for Japan's reformed gangsters | Japan | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/18/woman-makes-fake-fingers-yakuza-japan-reformed-gangsters)
Yakuza do lots of private press stuff, this guy is probably an ex yakuza who went through the police rehabilitation and is now able to show off his tattoos. Or he’s doing at anonymously cuz yakuza members don’t show their tats in public, it’s a huge taboo to even have tattoos in japan cuz they think only criminals have them because a long time ago that’s how they would mark prisoners
In the yakuza the bigger your tattoo was, the more loyal you were to the gang/the more important you were within the gang. If you important and had a wife she was also expected to get tattoos like this to show her loyalty as well
Had a yakuza friend in Japan with a missing pinkie finger. He never talked about it or about his tattoos, but we knew what was going on. Had a wicked sense of humour. One year for my birthday, he bought me a huge bag full of rubber duckies and wore a Voldemort mask to my party. Awesome human.
Seems like it’s more appropriate to describe it as a ritual among Yakuza. Here’s an article from NIH on the topic: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4009169/
Yes, the first paragraph of the wiki article refers to the origins of the practice. The second paragraph indeed outlines the practice gaining popularity amongst members of the Yakuza, and for various reasons.
Nobody does this besides Yakuza. Less pinky means less control of swords is the "warrior" explanation for this self mutilation
Yakuza don’t do this anymore cuz the punishments for being caught are really strict. You basically go on super probation where you can’t even have a phone or go play golf until you spend like 4 years being rehabilitated by the police. Back in the heyday of the yakuza they had enough money to pay off the police and politicians so nobody would do anything, but they don’t make nearly as much money as they used to so they’ve lost a bunch of power over the years.
what happens in cases where you get your pinky removed for not paying gambling or business debts and have no actual membership i n the gang?
They don’t do that to civilians, they’d put them further into debt or force them to work for them for free until they decide the debts paid off. If you’re a woman they might heavily suggest you do sex work for them, if you’re a guy you might get beaten up but they won’t seriously hurt you so you can still make money for them. Yakuza now run business just like regular people but they make money for the gang. Some sell drugs. So you might be forced to deliver drugs or other illegal items for them since a civilian is less suspicious than a tough looking guy with fighting scars.
in the report linked in this thread (currently the top comment) theres specifically mention of a business man who had this happen to them for business debts.
The fact that we know about it shows that it was a stupid move and they got caught. That was definitely a guy acting without orders cuz no sane captain would ever approve of that
They make fun of it in this SNL sketch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLVmybhXqtU
It has become less common as it affects one’s golf game, which is where a lot of “business” gets done in Japan.
It’s actually cuz being just being a yakuza is illegal so modern yakuza don’t cut their fingers or get tattoos so they can deny it. Punishments for being a yakuza include not being allowed to have a phone, can’t ride trains, have to live under police supervision/rehabilitation for like 4 years, and you also aren’t allowed to even play golf or play sports in public or use bathhouses, or even swim in public.
More recent crackdowns and cultural intolerance are a big part. The golf thing goes back a couple of decades.
Yeah I mean I learned about it from this documentary: https://youtu.be/JLVmybhXqtU
[Meet the woman who makes fake fingers for Japan's reformed gangsters | Japan | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/18/woman-makes-fake-fingers-yakuza-japan-reformed-gangsters)
I'm more fixated on the fact that the person in this picture is naked and we're looking at his tattooed covered butt? Or am I seeing this wrong.
Both the finger cutting and full body tattoos are signs of the Yakuza, it's a more powerful image of both of them are visible
It’s the photo in the wiki article. My guess is that the Japanese police will take photos and categorize body tattoos after an arrest.
Yakuza do lots of private press stuff, this guy is probably an ex yakuza who went through the police rehabilitation and is now able to show off his tattoos. Or he’s doing at anonymously cuz yakuza members don’t show their tats in public, it’s a huge taboo to even have tattoos in japan cuz they think only criminals have them because a long time ago that’s how they would mark prisoners
In the yakuza the bigger your tattoo was, the more loyal you were to the gang/the more important you were within the gang. If you important and had a wife she was also expected to get tattoos like this to show her loyalty as well
it's probably from a full body tattoo picture.
Had a yakuza friend in Japan with a missing pinkie finger. He never talked about it or about his tattoos, but we knew what was going on. Had a wicked sense of humour. One year for my birthday, he bought me a huge bag full of rubber duckies and wore a Voldemort mask to my party. Awesome human.
Sounds like a character from the Like A Dragon series which is about the Yakuza lol
Elementary - Give Me The Finger. Season 6, episode 6.
TIL Stannis Baratheon was Japanese
So did you enjoy The Outsider?
More of a yakuza/like a dragon fan myself
Just the tip...
Yubi yubi!
How to spot a Inugami Korone fan in the wild.