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Đời Yakuza: Vén màn bí ẩn thế giới ngầm Nhật Bản
Cờ bạc, buôn lậu, đâm chém… nếu bị đánh bại, hoặc chết hoặc nằm viện, nếu thắng, phải đi tù. Một thế giới khắc nghiệt, không ngừng chống đối luật pháp, đó chính là yakuza.
Nhưng, tương trợ lẫn nhau, chỉ một lần được giúp đỡ vẫn sẵn sàng đem cả sinh mạng ra đền đáp… đó cũng là yakuza.
Cuốn sách là tập hợp các mảnh hồi ức của một trùm yakuza về thế giới ngầm Nhật Bản. Hiển nhiên đó không phải một cuộc đời “ngay thẳng” theo cả nghĩa đen lẫn nghĩa bóng, mà là một cuộc đời chìm nổi, một cuộc đời đã chứng kiến tất cả: trong quân ngũ, chốn tù tội và những tháng năm u tối của một đất nước bại trận.
Những câu chuyện có thực này là một phần của lịch sử Nhật Bản, dù không bao giờ được chính thức ghi nhận, chi tiết và thẳng thắn, không né tránh, không khoe mẽ, không nói quá...
Nhưng, tương trợ lẫn nhau, chỉ một lần được giúp đỡ vẫn sẵn sàng đem cả sinh mạng ra đền đáp… đó cũng là yakuza.
Cuốn sách là tập hợp các mảnh hồi ức của một trùm yakuza về thế giới ngầm Nhật Bản. Hiển nhiên đó không phải một cuộc đời “ngay thẳng” theo cả nghĩa đen lẫn nghĩa bóng, mà là một cuộc đời chìm nổi, một cuộc đời đã chứng kiến tất cả: trong quân ngũ, chốn tù tội và những tháng năm u tối của một đất nước bại trận.
Những câu chuyện có thực này là một phần của lịch sử Nhật Bản, dù không bao giờ được chính thức ghi nhận, chi tiết và thẳng thắn, không né tránh, không khoe mẽ, không nói quá...
372 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
239 people are currently reading
5791 people want to read
About the author
Junichi Saga
50 books24 followersJunichi Saga (佐賀 純一 Saga Jun'ichi?, born 1941) is a Japanese countryside physician and writer whose work records countryside experiences of numerous individuals (typically, his patients).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 323 reviews
October 30, 2024
Before guns, drugs, loan-sharking, real estate and hitmen on motorcycles carrying swords, the old school yakuza were strictly all about gambling. That was their money maker - helped by dice that, let us say, weren't exactly legit. This memoir, told like a deathbed confession to his doctor, casts back on Eiji Ijichi's experiences as a 15-year-old street wise kid right through to becoming boss of the Dewaya gang. Starting out working for his uncle's coal merchant business - from running errands like collecting cash, to keeping a lookout for the police as labourers illicitly took to gambling - Ijichi reminded me of the teenage Henry Hill at the beginning of Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas. Eventually Ijichi became an apprentice yakuza, with the less than glamourous tasks of washing up, cooking, cleaning and shopping; but they all had to start somewhere, right. Unlike many modern movies depicting the yakuza, there is very little violence in this book. No execution style killings for one thing - at least on behalf of the yakuza, but that's not to say if one were to step on Dewaya territory to cause trouble or pickpocket, one wouldn't end up losing the odd finger or two. Ijichi spent four years behind bars for killing a man in self defence but there are no running wars and mayhem between rival gangs to speak of. If anything, it was the brutality and sadistic tactics of the police that really shocked me. Maybe the Nazis took note. Just as fascinating learning about the yakuza ways and their strict code of honour, was Ijichi's military service - freezing his nuts off whilst stationed somewhere near Russia, and the effects that the Tokyo-Yokohama earthquake of 1923 and then the WW2 bombings on Japan had on their business, which saw some enter the black market as a way to gain some extra income when times got tough. A really interesting read overall.
March 18, 2013
This is easily my favorite book on Showa-era Japan. It was readable and engaging, full of surprising details. This is not your stereotypical or salacious "gangster" type story, with very little blood or violence. It's the life story of a Yakuza in the days when their primary pastimes centered on running illicit gambling dens.
Many of the scenes from the book have stuck with me.One of the most striking parts is when he lives through the great earthquake of 1920. The book meanders quietly through his life, and though it's definitely not action packed or particularly "exciting" per se, it's still a very quick read. Over all it's a lovely memoir, and delightfully informative as well. Highly recommended!
Many of the scenes from the book have stuck with me.One of the most striking parts is when he lives through the great earthquake of 1920. The book meanders quietly through his life, and though it's definitely not action packed or particularly "exciting" per se, it's still a very quick read. Over all it's a lovely memoir, and delightfully informative as well. Highly recommended!
November 29, 2019
Leer este libro me ha llevado a un recorrido histórico por el Japón más desconocido de los años más intensos del siglo XX. Desde los años ‘20, pasando por la II Guerra Mundial y la postguerra, el protagonista narra su vida y sobretodo, aporta datos muy interesantes de la cultura y la sociedad de la época.
Además, desvela datos sobre la yakuza que desconocía por completo y que me han parecido muy interesantes.
Además, desvela datos sobre la yakuza que desconocía por completo y que me han parecido muy interesantes.
December 5, 2017
I was so completely entertained! Ijichi Eiji led an (ahem) eventful and checkered life, and in the end, I couldn't help being charmed.
The yakuza never do any proper work in ordinary life, so it’s no wonder they can’t do any when they’re put inside. I mean, you could hardly tell them to organize gambling sessions, could you?
The yakuza never do any proper work in ordinary life, so it’s no wonder they can’t do any when they’re put inside. I mean, you could hardly tell them to organize gambling sessions, could you?
October 7, 2009
Anyone who knows my taste knows this title was unfairly crafted for extracting dollars from my wallet (in this particular case it was yen in the Osaka airport). Though it started promisingly with an old school framing device (i.e. the author describes meeting this new patient who has a massive tattoo and doesn't have much time to live) the book becomes a pretty dull tale about a dude who ran gambling halls in pre-war Japan. In fact - the old title was "A Gambler's Tale." That title is boring and more to the point. The other thing is that the underworld in Japan has nothing on the American equivalent. It's basically like, "Oh yeah - we ran a very reputable gambling house. One day I slept with a geisha."
December 28, 2016
This is one of those books I've been meaning to read for years. A friend moved back to the UK from Japan and this book was in the pile I liberated from his library. It's worth a read for its evocation of bygone Japan, particularly the episodes about surviving the Tokyo earthquake of 1926, making it through the fire bombings of Tokyo as well as the less dramatic revelations of how an old school gang was organised. It's unclear how much of it is fictional, but that's OK, it's a complete world that is worth exploring, told in an engaging voice.
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Download my starter library for free here - http://eepurl.com/bFkt0X
December 29, 2015
Honestly, this is one of my favorite biographical works. It was so enlightening and raw. Organized crime in Japan is so different from other places around the world and this really helps illustrate that. It didn't glorify or try to justify the actions, but it did help delve into the thoughts and lifestyle behind it while offering a very visceral view into the life of one of the top members. His life story was fascinating. I must have re-read this at least 4 times now and every time I just get so pulled into it.
December 21, 2016
A full disclosure for this review must include that I not only purchased this book from the author's daughter, but also that I have been promised that if I share what I've written here with her, to share with her father personally, I will be honoured with the opportunity to have my book sent directly to him to be signed, along with his response to my review and summary. So, knowing that the author will be reading this and responding to me directly (whew), with trembling heart, I begin.
Confessions of a Yakuza contains the accounts of Ijichi Eiji's life as a Yakuza, a Japanese gambling crime boss in the 20th century, as told to Junichi Saga, his doctor who cared for him at the very end of his life. Knowing that Saga was also an author, Eiji invited him to hear his stories. Delighted, Saga recorded several interview and story sessions on tape at Eiji's house, where his partner would serve them tea and saki as they palavered over his days together. Saga respectfully interprets these encounters in a book of four parts, written in first person, with his best attempt to capture Eiji's voice. The result is a book that reads almost like an autobiography of a man who experienced Japan's history from a back alley and basement perspective while most of the country knew it from the streets and balconies.
I came to the book expecting violence, provocation, and thrills. I expected high drama and action. Instead, Saga paints an honest portrait of a very human, flawed, ambitious, convicted, and even familiar man. Eiji is neither hero nor villain. I wanted very much to dislike him several times during the book. Yet, though I don't expect this gangster and I would have seen eye to eye on many things, as a brother in the human experience, Saga offers me the opportunity to see all of him without judgment. From this vantage point, seeing both a boy just trying to eat and an old man broken hearted and in love, I must accept him and his life as it is, as Saga has.
I found this biography to be a very interesting companion to the other book I was reading along with it: Silence by Shusaku Endo. These books were the first and second Japanese books translated to English that I have ever read that were not manga. Both tell stories of characters living outside the law in Japan. In Endo's book, a highly ambitious and prideful priest is captured by the authorities, and has his will beaten to attempt to make him compromise his convictions. For most of the book, he refuses, to his great pain. In Yakuza, our gangster is also captured by authorities. When confined, he continues to do as he always does outside the prison. He does whatever he can to benefit himself and improve his situation, including seeking favour with his captors, and even conspiring with them in their corruption. His convictions are not for some ideals or principles, but only for himself. Still, there is a sort of integrity to him, in that he never once claims anything else, and his entire life is consistent to the end of his own benefit and increase in personal power.
I also had just finished Hanns and Rudolf by Thomas Harding, a double biography of a German Jewish Nazi hunter and The Kommandant of Auchwitz that he successfully saw captured and executed. It occurred to me as I read Saga's biography, which also spanned war and conflict from an entirely different perspective than my own, that such accounts of our generation of violence and genocide are very important. We are seeing the generation that knew the horrors of the 20th Century grow old right now. Soon, there will be no first hand accounts of historical memories we would do well not to forget. Told as part of the experience of one man who lived in and fought for one of these countries, history is made real, to be remembered not just as facts and dates, but as it was for those who lived it.
Finally, a note on the translation and illustrations. The book is expertly translated by experienced translator John Bester, who chose this book from many to translate along with the counsel and approval of the original author. Saga does speak English (I am told he speaks it well), but only publishes what he writes in his first language. As an English speaker, he was able to review the translation as it came to be, assuring that it retained its tone accurately. The illustrations are simple pen and ink drawings by the author's father. They are spare, and entirely appropriate to the simple, unexaggerated story they illuminate. I found them delightful.
Told with good humour, grace, empathy, honour, and insight, I recommend Confessions of a Yakuza to the empathetic, thoughtful, and open-hearted reader.
Confessions of a Yakuza contains the accounts of Ijichi Eiji's life as a Yakuza, a Japanese gambling crime boss in the 20th century, as told to Junichi Saga, his doctor who cared for him at the very end of his life. Knowing that Saga was also an author, Eiji invited him to hear his stories. Delighted, Saga recorded several interview and story sessions on tape at Eiji's house, where his partner would serve them tea and saki as they palavered over his days together. Saga respectfully interprets these encounters in a book of four parts, written in first person, with his best attempt to capture Eiji's voice. The result is a book that reads almost like an autobiography of a man who experienced Japan's history from a back alley and basement perspective while most of the country knew it from the streets and balconies.
I came to the book expecting violence, provocation, and thrills. I expected high drama and action. Instead, Saga paints an honest portrait of a very human, flawed, ambitious, convicted, and even familiar man. Eiji is neither hero nor villain. I wanted very much to dislike him several times during the book. Yet, though I don't expect this gangster and I would have seen eye to eye on many things, as a brother in the human experience, Saga offers me the opportunity to see all of him without judgment. From this vantage point, seeing both a boy just trying to eat and an old man broken hearted and in love, I must accept him and his life as it is, as Saga has.
I found this biography to be a very interesting companion to the other book I was reading along with it: Silence by Shusaku Endo. These books were the first and second Japanese books translated to English that I have ever read that were not manga. Both tell stories of characters living outside the law in Japan. In Endo's book, a highly ambitious and prideful priest is captured by the authorities, and has his will beaten to attempt to make him compromise his convictions. For most of the book, he refuses, to his great pain. In Yakuza, our gangster is also captured by authorities. When confined, he continues to do as he always does outside the prison. He does whatever he can to benefit himself and improve his situation, including seeking favour with his captors, and even conspiring with them in their corruption. His convictions are not for some ideals or principles, but only for himself. Still, there is a sort of integrity to him, in that he never once claims anything else, and his entire life is consistent to the end of his own benefit and increase in personal power.
I also had just finished Hanns and Rudolf by Thomas Harding, a double biography of a German Jewish Nazi hunter and The Kommandant of Auchwitz that he successfully saw captured and executed. It occurred to me as I read Saga's biography, which also spanned war and conflict from an entirely different perspective than my own, that such accounts of our generation of violence and genocide are very important. We are seeing the generation that knew the horrors of the 20th Century grow old right now. Soon, there will be no first hand accounts of historical memories we would do well not to forget. Told as part of the experience of one man who lived in and fought for one of these countries, history is made real, to be remembered not just as facts and dates, but as it was for those who lived it.
Finally, a note on the translation and illustrations. The book is expertly translated by experienced translator John Bester, who chose this book from many to translate along with the counsel and approval of the original author. Saga does speak English (I am told he speaks it well), but only publishes what he writes in his first language. As an English speaker, he was able to review the translation as it came to be, assuring that it retained its tone accurately. The illustrations are simple pen and ink drawings by the author's father. They are spare, and entirely appropriate to the simple, unexaggerated story they illuminate. I found them delightful.
Told with good humour, grace, empathy, honour, and insight, I recommend Confessions of a Yakuza to the empathetic, thoughtful, and open-hearted reader.
January 2, 2019
Xoş dad buraxır damaqda. Sanki dost yola salırsan
January 31, 2025
Loved the depictions of life and people of the late Meiji, Taisho, and early Showa periods. A much more rugged and straightforward ethos permeated a society that was much poorer but richer in traditional culture and traditions.
The insight into pre-modern yakuza life was quite enlightening. I didn't realize that most of their income was derived from gambling and that they weren't so thuggish as they are now. The necessity for attracting and keeping your clientele coming back for more fun and games required a much less intimidating presence.
Eiji's experience with old school police tactics and jail had me thinking "Whoa" a lot, too. Cops all over the world really had a lot more leeway back in the day.
I liked the unpredictably of the outcomes of many of the situations he was in and the people that he met. One second he was getting into a deep relationship with someone and then suddenly he would say, "She disappeared after that and I never saw her again."
I found this book quite easy to read and never lost interest as the pages turned. I really enjoyed this book.
The insight into pre-modern yakuza life was quite enlightening. I didn't realize that most of their income was derived from gambling and that they weren't so thuggish as they are now. The necessity for attracting and keeping your clientele coming back for more fun and games required a much less intimidating presence.
Eiji's experience with old school police tactics and jail had me thinking "Whoa" a lot, too. Cops all over the world really had a lot more leeway back in the day.
I liked the unpredictably of the outcomes of many of the situations he was in and the people that he met. One second he was getting into a deep relationship with someone and then suddenly he would say, "She disappeared after that and I never saw her again."
I found this book quite easy to read and never lost interest as the pages turned. I really enjoyed this book.
June 15, 2012
A surprisingly intriguing time capsule of Japanese history spanning the World Wars from a unique viewpoint. I loved the direct storytelling style that the author managed to capture. I found a number of profound epiphanies in the life philosophy of the protaganist. It reminded me of sitting with my grandpa and hearing his stories.
October 17, 2014
This isn’t confessions of a yakuza, it’s confessions of some dude who happened to meet a yakuza! I’ve been tricked! I could maybe excuse this, if there was anything at all interesting happening in the life of this some dude, but as far as I can see he goes to a few whore houses, gets a low-paying job, has a few lovers, and whatever. This was such an unexciting read. No tension, drama, intrigue, humour, anything. Doesn’t help that it’s been translated from Japanese, which by default makes the work more long-winded and fragmented. But I’ve read good Japanese books before. Welcome to the NHK is awesome, read that instead!
December 5, 2020
A veces uno piensa que cuando escribe ficción debe tener cuidado con las casualidades, las cosas extrañas o los giros repentinos en la vida de sus personajes... luego uno lee la vida de un yakuza real desde antes de la II GM y piensa... ¿Cómo le puede pasar esto?
Además de ser un libro muy interesante para conocer cómo era la yakuza a principios de siglo XX es un libro, a mi juicio, muy potente para comprender la esencia dramática de la vida de un persona y como pequeños detalles aparentemente banales pueden cambiar la vida de alguien.
Además de ser un libro muy interesante para conocer cómo era la yakuza a principios de siglo XX es un libro, a mi juicio, muy potente para comprender la esencia dramática de la vida de un persona y como pequeños detalles aparentemente banales pueden cambiar la vida de alguien.
July 20, 2021
Went into this expecting some heinous crimes that are usually reported as part of a Yakuza story these days but was surprised to find out that being a Yakuza back in the day really meant taking care of your people and your customers (gamblers), albeit in ways that were not considered legal (e.g. gambling). It deals with tricky familial relations, coming-of-age in the pre-war Japan and the (in?)famous Japanese psyche. A good read if you're interested in Japanese culture.
March 5, 2025
An interesting and insightful read on the early days of the Yakuza, not as they are commonly known today but, in their more traditional role of organizing gambling rings.
The book starts strong by introducing us to Eiji Ijichi, the young boy who has gone through numerous hardships in life and later becomes the head of a Yakuza group.
Unfortunately the last third of the book feels a bit rushed and incomplete, due to circumstantial events -- not much to be faulted there but I would've loved if we dove into more descriptive details along the way.
The book starts strong by introducing us to Eiji Ijichi, the young boy who has gone through numerous hardships in life and later becomes the head of a Yakuza group.
Unfortunately the last third of the book feels a bit rushed and incomplete, due to circumstantial events -- not much to be faulted there but I would've loved if we dove into more descriptive details along the way.
January 16, 2025
This was surprisingly good. The book was a selection of the GR Japanese Literature forum for a group non-fiction read in Jan 2025. I hope to read other works of Junichi Saga in the future.
The thread for the discussion is here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
You are welcome to add to it.
The thread for the discussion is here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
You are welcome to add to it.
June 6, 2022
"Most people seem to thing yakuza are bums; but for someone to become a boss it takes more than just muscle or brute fore. Otherwise, any old fool could make it. What's important is to have the kind of qualities that make the guys under you loyal to you-ready to die for you if necessary" (Saga 77). This line captured the theme of this story. Being a yakuza is not to be an aggressive mob boss that causes chaos and harm to the community, in fact quite the opposite. Of course they are involved in illegal activity and have to result to violence in certain instances if it comes to that, but being yakuza means to care for and give back to your community, emphasizing a large importance on loyalty and trust.
August 22, 2020
If you are fond of Japanese history and culture, then this book may appeal to you. The author (a doctor) writes about the life of a retired Yakuza (mafia) member who became his patient. It is a fascinating glimpse into the history, mob culture, relationship with locals, women, police, gambling and prison from about 1910 (my estimate) to 1950's. The account of this Yakuza comes accross as quite sanitized, a story of a loveable rogue perhaps. I had to remind myself myself how violent and ruthless he was in actuality. A good read.
March 16, 2024
Confessions of a Yakuza, by Junichi Saga. English translation by John Bester. 1989.
I loved the conversational style of the prose. I felt like I was sitting with the old yakuza boss, sipping tea, and listening to his stories. It was interesting to get an insider's glimpse into what old style yakuza life was like. Surprisingly, for me, quite different from what I know about more contemporary yakuza lore. I also thoroughly enjoyed all the tidbits about early through mid 20th century Japan.
I loved the conversational style of the prose. I felt like I was sitting with the old yakuza boss, sipping tea, and listening to his stories. It was interesting to get an insider's glimpse into what old style yakuza life was like. Surprisingly, for me, quite different from what I know about more contemporary yakuza lore. I also thoroughly enjoyed all the tidbits about early through mid 20th century Japan.
March 21, 2009
This is one of the best books I have read this year. The book starts out with an elderly man walks into a doctor's office and takes off his kimono to show the doctor his exquisite, but faded body tattoo. The man, a former Yakuza boss, begins to tell the doctor his life story. The story is true and the author is the doctor who spent hours listening, recording the Yakuza's story. It is an exciting, engrossing read about pre-war Japan and one of the most elusive groups in the world.
August 20, 2015
A dying man tells a doctor (and writer) the story of his rise from blue collar worker to gambling boss. Full of concrete details, "Confessions of a Yakuza" is an interesting and surprising window into life in Japan during the first half of the 20th century. A gripping story written in refreshingly straightforward prose.
May 22, 2017
Câu chuyện thật về cuộc đời một Yakuza từng làm thủ lĩnh bang Dewa lớn mạnh nhất Nhật Bản một thời, vô cùng sống động và ấn tượng.
Nhật Bản quả thật có nhiều người kể chuyện hay, và có những câu chuyện đáng tham khảo.
Nhật Bản quả thật có nhiều người kể chuyện hay, và có những câu chuyện đáng tham khảo.
September 18, 2013
Những câu chuyện thật ngắn gọn, nhưng thật đầy cảm xúc, cho mình 1 cái nhìn thực hơn về Yakuza, không phải như trên phim ảnh
October 30, 2018
Rien de surfait ou de très ordonné, l'histoire découle comme Eiji la raconte à son médecin et c'est une partie du charme de cet ouvrage. Mes préjugés sur les yakuzas se sont envolés.
August 1, 2025
Un libro completamente diferente a lo que me esperaba, pero porque yo tenía una idea completamente equivocada de cómo funcionaba la yakuza; o, al menos, de cómo funcionaba la yakuza durante la primera mitad del siglo XX.
En esta historia real, un médico (el autor del libro) comienza a hablar con uno de sus pacientes, un yakuza que sabe que se encuentra en los últimos años de su vida, y este le relata todo lo que ha vivido y le permite grabarlo. Esta narración conforma un recorrido apasionante —pero a la vez sin ceremonias— por los bajos fondos de Japón desde los años 20 hasta la postguerra. El protagonista describe de forma sumamente sincera y con toda naturalidad sucesos que cubren todo el abanico desde lo sórdido hasta lo entrañable. Es perfectamente consciente de que no es una buena persona y que su forma de ganarse la vida estaba mal, pero al mismo tiempo transmite esa especie de sabiduría profunda que se espera de un anciano que ya lo ha vivido todo. Reconoce sus errores e incongruencias, asumiéndolas como una parte inseparable de su carácter, y acepta que el mundo es como es y que no se puede cambiar.
Pero, volviendo a lo que decía al comienzo de la reseña, leer este libro me ha descubierto que la yakuza, al menos hasta la postguerra, era una organización completamente distinta a lo que yo me imaginaba. De hecho, la razón por la que no doy a este libro cinco estrellas es porque el relato se detiene precisamente cuando empiezan a intuirse los cambios que transformarán (o eso supongo) a la yakuza en su versión actual. Y es una pena, porque el libro fue escrito a finales de los años 80, así que supongo que el protagonista del libro, a pesar de ser ya un anciano, habrá tenido la oportunidad de vivir en primera persona esta transformación. Pero como esta ausencia se debe precisamente a que el protagonista no pudo terminar su relato antes de morir, tampoco es culpa del autor, que, de hecho, se lamenta de no haber podido obtener la historia completa.
En esta historia real, un médico (el autor del libro) comienza a hablar con uno de sus pacientes, un yakuza que sabe que se encuentra en los últimos años de su vida, y este le relata todo lo que ha vivido y le permite grabarlo. Esta narración conforma un recorrido apasionante —pero a la vez sin ceremonias— por los bajos fondos de Japón desde los años 20 hasta la postguerra. El protagonista describe de forma sumamente sincera y con toda naturalidad sucesos que cubren todo el abanico desde lo sórdido hasta lo entrañable. Es perfectamente consciente de que no es una buena persona y que su forma de ganarse la vida estaba mal, pero al mismo tiempo transmite esa especie de sabiduría profunda que se espera de un anciano que ya lo ha vivido todo. Reconoce sus errores e incongruencias, asumiéndolas como una parte inseparable de su carácter, y acepta que el mundo es como es y que no se puede cambiar.
Pero, volviendo a lo que decía al comienzo de la reseña, leer este libro me ha descubierto que la yakuza, al menos hasta la postguerra, era una organización completamente distinta a lo que yo me imaginaba. De hecho, la razón por la que no doy a este libro cinco estrellas es porque el relato se detiene precisamente cuando empiezan a intuirse los cambios que transformarán (o eso supongo) a la yakuza en su versión actual. Y es una pena, porque el libro fue escrito a finales de los años 80, así que supongo que el protagonista del libro, a pesar de ser ya un anciano, habrá tenido la oportunidad de vivir en primera persona esta transformación. Pero como esta ausencia se debe precisamente a que el protagonista no pudo terminar su relato antes de morir, tampoco es culpa del autor, que, de hecho, se lamenta de no haber podido obtener la historia completa.
December 6, 2020
Je ferme ce livre, et je ne peux m’empêcher d’être émue. J’ai l’impression d’avoir vécu un peu aux côtés d’Ijichi Eiji dans ce Japon du siècle dernier, d’avoir traversé le pays, été dans ces différentes prisons, joué aux jeux dans ces auberges sous les bruits des obus de la guerre. Et faire partie de cette « famille » de yakuzas.
Ijichi Eiji, ce jeune garçon qui ne savait pas quoi faire de sa vie, qui a commencé comme travailleur sur les docks et qui a fini patron d’un tripot de yakuzas, est vraiment particulier : présomptueux, un peu trop direct et fier, mais aussi drôle, juste et donc extrêmement attachant.
Ces mémoires sont belles, elles racontent l’histoire d’un pays à une époque où tout était différent d’aujourd’hui. Mais c’est aussi violent, brutal, c’est décrit tel que c’était, sans honte et sans filtre. Ça rend ce récit véritablement humain. Et puis disons le, Ijichi Eiji a vécu une vie pleine de rebondissements ! On a qu’une hâte, c’est de savoir quelle sera sa prochaine aventure lorsqu’on lit ses mémoires.
C’est l’une de mes plus belles lectures de l’année. ❤️
Ijichi Eiji, ce jeune garçon qui ne savait pas quoi faire de sa vie, qui a commencé comme travailleur sur les docks et qui a fini patron d’un tripot de yakuzas, est vraiment particulier : présomptueux, un peu trop direct et fier, mais aussi drôle, juste et donc extrêmement attachant.
Ces mémoires sont belles, elles racontent l’histoire d’un pays à une époque où tout était différent d’aujourd’hui. Mais c’est aussi violent, brutal, c’est décrit tel que c’était, sans honte et sans filtre. Ça rend ce récit véritablement humain. Et puis disons le, Ijichi Eiji a vécu une vie pleine de rebondissements ! On a qu’une hâte, c’est de savoir quelle sera sa prochaine aventure lorsqu’on lit ses mémoires.
C’est l’une de mes plus belles lectures de l’année. ❤️
April 30, 2023
There is not so many books about Yakuza.
And there is even less of well written ones.
Well written about the subject of Yakuza.
There are dasends of books where Yakuza is used as an item to made badly written book look good. But there is only a very few books that are able to explain all the whats and whys of this highly secret criminal organization.
Well ....secret in Tokyo you got tree sorts of phone guides one is the Japanese version of yellow pages...Second is the phone book of all its residents and the third one ....is the phone book with all numbers of members of Yakuza.
But this book is not about the present day Yaka the gargantuan octopus interwowen in each and every layer of Japan society.
This book is a personal testament of the one of the oldest present day living Oyabuns ( Boss of Bosses ) of the Yakuza.
From the humble beginnings of the organisation when it was just about a few brave man living according to the laws of Bushido throughout the second world war until the beginning of Japanese economical miracle age.
And there is even less of well written ones.
Well written about the subject of Yakuza.
There are dasends of books where Yakuza is used as an item to made badly written book look good. But there is only a very few books that are able to explain all the whats and whys of this highly secret criminal organization.
Well ....secret in Tokyo you got tree sorts of phone guides one is the Japanese version of yellow pages...Second is the phone book of all its residents and the third one ....is the phone book with all numbers of members of Yakuza.
But this book is not about the present day Yaka the gargantuan octopus interwowen in each and every layer of Japan society.
This book is a personal testament of the one of the oldest present day living Oyabuns ( Boss of Bosses ) of the Yakuza.
From the humble beginnings of the organisation when it was just about a few brave man living according to the laws of Bushido throughout the second world war until the beginning of Japanese economical miracle age.
August 10, 2018
Mình thích quyển này vì nó cho mình thấy nước Nhật trong khoảng nửa đầu thế kỷ XX, từ 1 góc nhìn rất khác và rất thật. Mình vốn dĩ vẫn thích những quyển sách kiểu truyện nhưng lại cung cấp nhiều kiến thức thế này. Yakuza thời đó chỉ tổ chức cờ bạc thôi, ko kiếm tiền bằng bất cứ hình thức nào khác. Nhưng vẫn luôn đảm bảo rằng khách tới ko mất quá nhiều tiền và luôn sẵn sàng quay lại lần sau. Thậm chí thấy ai mà thua nhiều quá rồi, họ sẽ đến khuyên nhủ đi về và cho lại ít tiền nữa. Tuy nhiên điều ấn tượng nhất với mình từ tác phẩm này là cách sống của họ, họ cực kì trọng danh dự và tiếng tăm. Cho dù thế nào đi chăng nữa cũng ko bao giờ làm mất uy tín và danh tiếng của bản thân cũng như của bang hội. Vậy nên họ luôn cư xử rất đúng mực và tử tế, đặc biệt là với dân thường sống xung quanh. Nói chung nhiều chuyện để thể hiện đc điều này, phải đọc mới hiểu. Cho 4 sao! Sún lại hết sách mới để đọc rồi.
August 13, 2025
This is one of those few books I could truly recommend to anyone. It's a fascinating slice of life of Japan in the first half of the 20th century. There is a beautiful mundanity in the stories told, and the way they're told, that feels almost like poetry.
I wanted to write that this is Japan from the eyes of a misfit but Yakuza are so deeply ingrained in Japanese society that the term does not do them justice. Despite being a gangster's memoir, there's barely any violence or thrills. As the protagonist explains, the Yakuza back then were all about gambling.
This book is a perfect companion to Japan: A Short History.
Also, it has beautiful black & white drawings of certain scenes and characters.
I wanted to write that this is Japan from the eyes of a misfit but Yakuza are so deeply ingrained in Japanese society that the term does not do them justice. Despite being a gangster's memoir, there's barely any violence or thrills. As the protagonist explains, the Yakuza back then were all about gambling.
This book is a perfect companion to Japan: A Short History.
Also, it has beautiful black & white drawings of certain scenes and characters.
December 16, 2025
i can’t lie, i did want to read this book because of the yakuza game series.
while vastly different (obviously) i really enjoyed this book. executed in the best way it could have been. the chapters held the perfect storytelling elements, assumingly thanks to ijichi, but of course writing style helps.
while it’s easy and convenient to write certain people off for their choices, this book is a stark reminder that they are people too. like saga, reading this book in the right way has you sympathizing with a previous yakuza member. it’s more than their work. it’s them as a person. there’s always more.
of course, playing into my history degree i felt a little more in tune with the chapters centered around each world war, as well as his ijichi’s deployment in korea. absolutely horrific experience retold in a seemingly nostalgic way.
while vastly different (obviously) i really enjoyed this book. executed in the best way it could have been. the chapters held the perfect storytelling elements, assumingly thanks to ijichi, but of course writing style helps.
while it’s easy and convenient to write certain people off for their choices, this book is a stark reminder that they are people too. like saga, reading this book in the right way has you sympathizing with a previous yakuza member. it’s more than their work. it’s them as a person. there’s always more.
of course, playing into my history degree i felt a little more in tune with the chapters centered around each world war, as well as his ijichi’s deployment in korea. absolutely horrific experience retold in a seemingly nostalgic way.
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