Top Kodo-kai Executives Gather for Rare Loyalty Ritual—Inside a Notorious Yakuza Ceremony

A Sakazuki Ceremony conducted by a Militant Yakuza organization

It was on a holiday in late May that a group of stern-faced men gathered in a quiet residential neighborhood.

From early morning, members of the long-established yakuza organization Kamiya Ikka had assembled outside their headquarters, located about five minutes by car from downtown Tsu City, the capital of Mie Prefecture. Investigators from police forces across Japan—including the Mie, Aichi, and Hyogo prefectural police—had also gathered around the area, placing it under heavy security and creating a tense atmosphere.

The tension escalated further at around 9:45 a.m., when a black luxury sedan pulled into the headquarters. Stepping out was Kodokai Wakagashira Masatake Minami, the second-in-command of the Kodokai, the core organization of the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi.

The Kodokai is one of Japan’s most influential yakuza organizations, having produced figures such as Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi Kumicho Shinobu Tsukasa (84) and advisor Kiyoshi Takayama (78). Why had its second-in-command appeared under such tight security?

According to a journalist familiar with Yamaguchi-gumi affairs:

“On that day, the headquarters of the Kamiya Ikka was hosting both a brotherhood sake ceremony (kyodai sakazuki) and a parent-child sake ceremony (oyako sakazuki) related to the succession of the Inabachi Ikka, a secondary organization under the Kodokai. In the presence of Kodokai executives led by Wakagashira Masatake Minami, Masashi Hayashi, then Wakagashira of the Inabachi Ikka, formally assumed the position of the organization’s new Socho (general head).

The Inabachi Ikka is a historic organization based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, with roots dating back to the late Edo period. During the 2015 split within the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi, it gained a reputation as a militant faction after being involved in multiple shootings and fatal attacks on the front lines of the conflict. Given that this leadership succession honored an organization that had sacrificed greatly for the syndicate, Wakagashira Minami personally attended the ceremony. The venue, the Kamiya Ikka headquarters, is also a secondary Kodokai organization and likely provided its facilities specifically for the ritual.”

The succession ceremony, which began at 10:00 a.m., concluded without incident. Shortly before noon, Wakagashira Minami emerged from the Kamiya Ikka headquarters. Escorted by the newly installed Socho Masashi Hayashi and other members of the Inabachi Ikka, he entered his vehicle and departed.

Having successfully overseen the succession ceremony of one of its secondary organizations, the Kodokai has experienced significant changes over the past year.

“Last September, Teruaki Takeuchi (66), who had served as Kodokai chairman and Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi Wakagashira, was succeeded by the current chairman, Masahiro Nouchi. Wakagashira Minami, who attended this ceremony as its official witness, also assumed his current position during that leadership transition.

As part of the organization’s generational renewal, a former Wakagashira-hosa (assistant underboss) of the Kodokai became chairman of the prominent Kanto-based organization Toseikai in March of this year. Many viewed this as evidence of the Kodokai—and by extension the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi—seeking to expand its influence into eastern Japan. Against that backdrop, the succession of the Inabachi Ikka carries considerable organizational significance.”

Police authorities have likewise heightened their vigilance in response to this series of developments.