The Yakuza

Andrew Rankin, author of 'Yakuza: A 400-Year History of the Japanese Underworld', traces the history of Japan's organized crime syndicates. The yakuza began as dispossessed samurai turned street muggers in the 17th century and later evolved into powerful paramilitary bosses who infiltrated national politics. Despite projecting an image of fearless protectors bound by a code of chivalry, their reality was marked by bloody street duels and ritualised violence.