Thesis Statement: Specifically, I will enlighten you on the following three customs of the Yakuza: (1) Sakazuki, (2) Yubitsume, and (3) Irezumi.

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James K Barath

Thesis Statement:  Specifically, I will enlighten you on the following three customs of the Yakuza:  (1) Sakazuki, (2) Yubitsume, and (3) Irezumi.

INTRODUCTION

I.        What was your first impression of when you saw me today?

A) Well dressed.

B) Overdressed.

C) Member of one of the most dangerous and influential crime syndicates in the world?

II.        The international crime syndicate I am referring to is the Japanese mafia, better known as the YAKUZA.

Yakuza has a connotative meaning "without worth for the society."  Some would claim that the Yakuza were descendents from a class of gamblers and bandits, while others claim that they evolved from the samurai.  Either case, it is important to recognize the patriarchal hierarchy.  Father-Son and Brother-Brother relationships.  (Slide)

III.        Today, they are referred to as the Keizai Yakuza, the economic gangster.  This is due to their vast economic involvement with senior executives in companies such as: Hitachi, Nomura Securities, and Toshiba. (U.S. News & World Report, 1998)

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        In matter of fact, the National Police Agency (Japan's equivalent to the FBI) speculated that in 1989, the Yakuza earned at least $9.6 billion.  (NPA, 1989)

IV.        From my own personal study of Japanese culture at Valparaiso University and in conjunction with extensive research by David E. Kaplan, the foremost authority on the Yakuza, I am here not to judge the actions or persuade you on the morals of the Yakuza, but to inform you of Yakuza traditions and customs.

V.        Specifically, I will enlighten you on the following three customs of the Yakuza:  (1) Sakazuki, (2) Yubitsume, and ...

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