Why do Japanese cut off their fingers?

Yubitsume (指詰め, "finger shortening") or otoshimae is a Japanese ritual to atone for offenses to another, a way to be punished or to show sincere apology and remorse to another, by means of amputating portions of one's own little finger.

Why do yakuza remove a finger?

The word yubitsume, which literally translates to “finger-shortening,” functions as a means for a Yakuza member to show remorse for an offense committed. For starters, the ritual involves cutting the topmost portion of the left pinkie with a very sharp knife or tantō.

Do the yakuza cut off their own fingers?

In Japan, a stunted pinkie signifies membership in the yakuza, or Japanese mafia. In a ritual known as "yubitsume," yakuza members are required to chop off their own digits to atone for serious offenses. The left pinkie is usually the first to go, though repeated offenses call for further severing.

What happens if you leave the yakuza?

These are the so-called five-year clauses. During that period of probation, former yakuza are treated as associates of organized crime groups and, just like active members, are barred from opening a bank account or renting property in their own name.

Do the yakuza still exist?

Opinion: Japan's yakuza aren't disappearing. They're getting smarter. There were about 70,300 known yakuza members in 2011, but that number had dropped to 25,900 by 2020, according to the National Center for Removal of Criminal Organizations.

Top 5 Yakuza Facts

How do yakuza apologize?

If a yakuza were to dishonor himself or his superiors, he is required to cut off the tip of his left pinky finger and offer it up as an apology to the offended party.

What does pinky finger mean in Japan?

The Japanese word for "pinky-promise" (yubikiri/指切り) literally means "finger cut-off" -- the exact connection is a little unclear, but it's thought to originate from the idea of your pinky being your important connection to the most important people in your life.

Is yubitsume painful?

The acute pain of the process was not the only reason yubitsume was feared. Consequences in the long term were also considered. The truncation of the small finger would weaken a gambler's grip on his sword, thereby putting him at a disadvantage in future sword fights.

Do yakuza use guns?

Japan's yakuza are putting away their weapons after an unprecedented death sentence was passed on a crime boss. Gangs affiliated with the Yamaguchi-gumi, the country's biggest crime organisation, have been ordered not to use guns “in public” after the conviction of the head of a rival crime group.

Why do yakuza wear suits?

Yakuza wear kimono on special occasions — rituals, important meetings, or for commemoration photos. Thus the kimono serves a dual purpose: as the national costume, it denotes belonging to the Japanese cultural milieu.

Why yakuza have tattoos?

The Yakuza often adopt samurai-like rituals and admire their courage and Robbin-Hood-like goals. Therefore, they often get samurai tattoos on their bodies to represent the importance of having a code of honor (although they were enemies with the samurai early on in history).

What does ? mean in Japan?

The OK gesture or OK sign or ring gesture (symbol/emoji: "?") is performed by connecting the thumb and index into a circle, and holding the other fingers straight or relaxed away from the palm. Commonly used by divers, it signifies "I am OK" or "Are you OK?"

Why is pointing rude in Japan?

Pointing the finger is considered rude in Japanese culture because the person pointing is associated with explicitly calling out the other individual for their wrong behavior or actions. Repeatedly pointing while speaking to another person is considered a sign of extreme frustration or an expression of dissatisfaction.

Is a thumbs up offensive in Japan?

In Japan, thumbs up mean a sign of agreement. However, it also means 'a lover' in a rude way.

Are there yakuza in the US?

In the United States, the Yakuza has been known to be involved in money laundering and drug trafficking. To date, OFAC has designated 21 individuals, 5 criminal syndicates, 2 subsidiary gangs, and 2 companies associated with the Yakuza.

Who is the boss of the yakuza?

Kenichi Shinoda (篠田 建市, Shinoda Ken'ichi, born January 25, 1942), also known as Shinobu Tsukasa (司 忍, Tsukasa Shinobu), is a Japanese Yakuza, the sixth and current kumicho (supreme kingpin, or chairman) of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest yakuza organization.

What does yakuza mean in Japanese?

Definition of yakuza

1 : a Japanese gangster. 2 : an organized crime syndicate in Japan.

What colors are offensive in Japan?

Black (Kuro)

It also represents evil and destruction, as Japanese often describes (same as the West), evil people have a “black heart”. Especially when used alone, black represents mourning, and is often worn to funerals.

What does middle finger mean in Japan?

It might seem like a rude gesture to us - but giving someone 'the finger' simply means 'brother' when you put it into the context of Japanese Sign Language. Sticking up one middle finger is translated as 'ani' or 兄 which means 'older brother'.

What does 2 fingers mean in Japan?

Take a photograph of someone from Asia, or better still a group of people, and even better still in front of a popular tourist attraction, and they will inevitably put the two fingers up in the V-for-Victory sign or peace sign.

Why do Japanese say WWWW?

The use of wwww to represent laughing comes from the Japanese wara (笑), “to laugh.” With the rise of text-messaging and the internet in the 1990s–2000s, Japanese users adapted the kanji 笑 to denote laughter, similar to LOL. People eventually found it easier, though, to use the letter w, from the romaji of 笑, wara.

Why do Japanese not make eye contact?

In fact, in Japanese culture, people are taught not to maintain eye contact with others because too much eye contact is often considered disrespectful. For example, Japanese children are taught to look at others' necks because this way, the others' eyes still fall into their peripheral vision [28].

Is waving rude in Japan?

Waving your hand in front of your face

The Japanese hand gesture of waving it back and forth in front of your face, with the thumb facing you and pinky away from you, means “no.” When you're accused of something, it implies "Not me." or "No way!".

Are yakuza friendly?

The yakuza have done their best to portray a noble image within the public sphere. They dress nicely, are respectful and talk politely – when not trying to make money. Violence for the most part happens between gang branches or non-yakuza gangs within Japan.

Can foreigners join yakuza?

A gaijin in the organisation? Straight away, the strangest thing is that a foreigner – a gaijin – gets to become a member of a Yakuza family. Not only that, but Lowell quickly rises to become a member with key responsibilities – at one point he becomes the main boss's bodyguard.