<figure id="attachment_453614" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1914px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-453614"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="cb1b5100"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/01/3e6048e3332e18cde276316e339bcbcb.png" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-453614" class="wp-caption-text">Boss Tsukasa participates in mochi-pounding (center). He will turn 84 later this month, but his authority remains strong</figcaption></figure>
<h3>The boss himself wields the mallet for mochi-pounding</h3>
<p data-start="181" data-end="200"><strong>“Yoisho! Yoisho!”</strong></p>
<p data-start="202" data-end="472">On December 28, near the end of last year, the 10th Seto Family, a direct affiliate of the 6th Yamaguchi-gumi in Seto City, Aichi Prefecture, held the 6th Yamaguchi-gumi’s traditional mochi-pounding event, with the shouts of members swinging mallets echoing outside.</p>
<p data-start="474" data-end="1076">Executive members including Advisor Kiyoshi Takayama (78) and Wakagashira Teruaki Takeuchi (65), along with direct subordinates, gathered over 100 members in total. In the courtyard of the hall, a temporary mochi-pounding area covered with tents had been set up. Around the hall, investigators from prefectural police in Aichi, Shizuoka, Niigata, as well as Tokyo Metropolitan Police, had gathered from early morning. They watched closely every time members entered or exited. Outside the hall, a tense atmosphere prevailed, completely different from the heated energy inside the mochi-pounding tent.</p>
<p data-start="1078" data-end="1197">The hall is surrounded by walls about three meters high, making it impossible to see inside, including the courtyard.</p>
<p data-start="1199" data-end="1734"><strong>“Even so, we could get a sense of what was happening each time members went in or out. Columns covered with red-and-white curtains stood in rows, and in the center was a large sake barrel for kagami-biraki. The mochi-pounding area under the tent had six mortars, apparently prepared for each block nationwide. Occasionally, some members carried bulletproof bags that seemed to contain iron plates. It made me realize once again that the conflict with the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi has not yet ended,”</strong> said a photographer reporting on site.</p>
<p data-start="1736" data-end="2121">The mochi-pounding began around 8 a.m., but just after 11 a.m., nearly all the alert investigators gathered at the hall’s front, and tension peaked. A Mercedes carrying Boss Shinobu Tsukasa (83) arrived. While Takeuchi Wakagashira and other top executives greeted him, Tsukasa slowly stepped out of the rear seat wearing sunglasses and entered the hall with the welcoming executives.</p>
<p data-start="2123" data-end="2198">A journalist familiar with the yakuza world spoke about the scene inside:</p>
<p data-start="2200" data-end="2583"><strong>“Boss Tsukasa went with Wakagashira Takeuchi and Chief Yamashita to the sake barrel, performed kagami-biraki himself with a wooden mallet, and enjoyed the zoni soup served afterward. He continued energetically throughout—pounding mochi with the mallet, talking with top executives like Advisor Takayama and Wakagashira Takeuchi, and even calling out to the members pounding mochi.”</strong></p>
<p data-start="2585" data-end="2780">After 12 p.m., Boss Tsukasa left the venue, followed by Advisor Takayama, and Wakagashira Takeuchi departed just before 1 p.m. By around 2 p.m., the mochi-pounding event had concluded smoothly.</p>
<p data-start="2782" data-end="2952" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="">The paid edition of FRIDAY GOLD features numerous photos from the mochi-pounding event, as well as a detailed report on the prospects for the 6th Yamaguchi-gumi in ’26.</p>
<div data-friday-gold-link-url="https://friday.gold/article/392618" data-friday-gold-link-title="The inside story of the &quot;Mochitsuki Festival&quot; of the Yamaguchi Gumi VI, in which more than 100 people, including the highest-ranking officers, gathered." data-friday-gold-link-excerpt="The boss himself pounded rice cakes with a pestle! Good job! On December 28 last year, when the end of the year was drawing near, the &quot;rice cake pounding&quot; event, an annual event of Yamaguchigumi VI, was held at the 10th Seto Family, a direct affiliate of Yamaguchigumi VI, located in Seto City, Aichi Prefecture." data-friday-gold-link-thumbnail-wide="https://assets.friday.gold/friday-wp-production-assets/app/uploads/2026/01/7f42ae2cd2a259731d084a708c6ccd89-14001951833456.png/v/crop-faces:width=256,height=144/format:type=webp?Expires=4102444800&amp;Key-Pair-Id=K2H5GZZHVJCN4V&amp;Signature=m5kOShprjsaZncxuYhtUXiIm8YbDAtJmWPndofm~QY-O0OhLddjwy6UBMdvpB3Z1c4fFRfdssu6AHEDppxq0fjyxA0oZCqMB42~86b0HYgQWpoCdlhB0LNSrwLtXyCFBlFrkc8ExI-37wjntS~~pTmkdZl25y~ub8UxM6JMTnPfFBPMMwgnvpu7MHJk4aunXz4e5dtl1tGxHdqOhjmyuv1ESFcIXeYbpPvr1Eln741-l6YSn12C23pbhdnUR-lbIbIyfgPTNmppG6w5b2vdB~sNJS-GpzCzpc3J1h~8OFToMP5pwmQ5HavaRKInDZDt0GajblBkUp6GSdLlDL1fNDA__" data-friday-gold-link-thumbnail-square="https://assets.friday.gold/friday-wp-production-assets/app/uploads/2026/01/7f42ae2cd2a259731d084a708c6ccd89-14001951833456.png/v/crop-faces:width=105,height=105/format:type=webp?Expires=4102444800&amp;Key-Pair-Id=K2H5GZZHVJCN4V&amp;Signature=BTbpLvum-bivqaPiNX0SBYwwcT2zOe~EnzFIlvWvYYJsLC0NYh1~q17HRM9MW~vr24FWPgkwu72TzprWHov2gw~M9eg6129pG2quTbH6hFSunjz-VpTpGt3bWiJueisktTfqtuq4hwEomt~mb1rMjaEmxI47sgHnwsXh~XmLf9-~WgBEF2ZIj6NdqgmOsbuRdCYnyDyVSH7fle6rL63LMiMcrNE6qPNgxj4eMUOtNiZg-XB3TcCBP2pWOWnOvzSkfM~yZRmw~748dr1Fd8XF4TrBot4ftqHl8eQ64Fpg3IEaGa3mSdUdjsi3B~hq0BfdwzI-5gNcNFBG6btmzgWi3A__"></div>
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Terrifying..! The latest aura of Advisor Takayama"></div>
<figure id="attachment_453616" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4512px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-453616"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="d8512c6b"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/01/6f7a26fd82497b67bdaf51a5a2d8d24c.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-453616" class="wp-caption-text">Team members preparing for the event from early in the morning.</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_453617" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4512px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-453617"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="85002787"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/01/18bf9c89d46f70b5188d8b2ca96e8c60.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-453617" class="wp-caption-text">Young head Takeuchi also showed up before 8:00 a.m.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_453618" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1858px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-453618"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7db9b45f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/01/06f870d0da7da9eb33453ea8b59721d2.png" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-453618" class="wp-caption-text">Advisor Takayama arrives a little after 9:00 a.m. Team members greeted him.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_453619" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1872px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-453619"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="cf92729d"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/01/a72aaf8a497adf438a77420a95369211.png" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-453619" class="wp-caption-text">He went straight into the venue.</figcaption></figure>
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="The intimidating presence of the Shinobi Tsukasa clan leader."></div>
<figure id="attachment_453620" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4512px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-453620"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="cb7dc5d3"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/01/803c4d08c2001d9c4f26592198e8830b.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-453620" class="wp-caption-text">Advisor Takayama is seen outside the venue prior to the arrival of Mr. Tsukasa.</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_453622" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1912px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-453622"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="bd61574d"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/01/5560a10bc7d4f2a088a6da72788472b3.png" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-453622" class="wp-caption-text">Shortly after 11:00 a.m., Mr. Tsukasa (center) arrived. Tension at the venue rose dramatically.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_453621" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1920px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-453621"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="25264818"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/01/f872a8e3c0f221bb78907b7e68cab020.png" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-453621" class="wp-caption-text">Accompanied by Mr. Takeuchi, he disappeared into the venue.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_453623" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1850px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-453623"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b221f63f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/01/ef8e15a4c13fc0d5462bd4945ec01861.png" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-453623" class="wp-caption-text">When the clock struck 12, Mr. Tsukasa reappeared. He got into the car and headed home.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_453624" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1882px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-453624"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="0b0e7727"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/01/7c0e5069d4b45e93895cf4b4bef029b8.png" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-453624" class="wp-caption-text">The mochi pounding ended at 2:00 p.m. without a hitch.</figcaption></figure>
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 Masahiro Kawayanagi

 More than 100 members of the Yamaguchigumi VI gathered in Seto City, Aichi Prefecture. What took place was the annual "rice cake pounding" event. There was also the appearance of the head of the Shinobu Tsukasa clan. The following is a report on the inside story.

Inside the Sixth-Generation Yamaguchi-gumi Mochi-Pounding Event with Shinobu Tsukasa

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