The mysterious death of a senior member of the Nouchigumi, a martial arts organization of the Yamaguchigumi VI

The mysterious death of a well-known martial arts yakuza in Osaka has caused a stir in the yakuza community. The body of a senior member of the Nouchigumi, a Kodokai affiliate, was found in a gap between two buildings in Shinsaibashi, Osaka, on May 13. The gap was only 70 cm. It was indeed a mysterious death.

The deceased was Masataka Seki, 48, a member of the Nouchi clan. A building official reported the incident at around 9:20 a.m. on the 13th, and the responding officers found him lying in a crevice in the building, bleeding. The head was severely damaged, and the victim was pronounced dead shortly after. The victim is believed to have fallen from the building’s fifth floor landing. Whether the damage was caused by the assault or the fall from the building is under investigation” (Osaka Prefectural Police reporter for a national newspaper).

Masahiro Nouchi, head of the Gifu-based Nouchi Gumi, is a bigwig who is a young leader of the Kodokai. He is known as one of the most militant fighters in the Yamaguchigumi VI and is being watched closely by Seiji Takayama, a young leader. Mr. Atsushi Mizoguchi, a nonfiction writer well versed in the gang situation, said.

He is so intelligent, economical, and powerful that he has emerged as a candidate for the seventh generation of the Yamaguchi clan. His name is often mentioned in the feud, and he has been entrusted by Wakao Takayama with negotiations at important junctures. There is a good possibility that the Nouchigumi will violently attack organizations affiliated with the Kobe Yamaguchigumi in the future divisional warfare. That is why it was very surprising that a senior leader died in such a manner.

When the mysterious deaths first occurred, speculation was rife that it was an attack by the Kobe Yamaguchigumi. In fact, on May 8, a passenger car crashed into the home of Tadashi Irie, head of the Takumi clan of the Kobe Yamaguchigumi in Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture.

However, the truth of the incident apparently lies elsewhere than in the feud. An acquaintance of the deceased Seki tells us.

Mr. Seki was originally an executive of the Yamaguchigumi VI-affiliated Kyokushinrenkai, but I heard that he moved to the Nouchigumi when Kyokushin was dissolved in November 2007. His base is in Osaka City, and his main occupation is guarding. When there was a problem at a restaurant or club he was taking care of, he would always go out and solve it himself, instead of leaving it to the younger members. He was a yakuza like a V-Cine actor who would tip the boys and say, ‘Good luck,’ so everyone loved him.

He was such a well-liked person, but there was one thing that bothered the younger generation.

He had a very bad drinking habit. It was a common occurrence for him to get into a fight with another customer when he thought he was going to the restroom at the club. When he drank alcohol, he became violent and would get into fights with anyone. He was famous even in the yakuza circles of Osaka for his violent behavior.

Five days before the body was found, Seki was said to have been drinking at a foreign bar in the building where the incident took place. A person related to the Nouchi clan said, “He was visiting the bar with an acquaintance.

Mr. Seki was visiting the bar with an acquaintance when he got into an argument with a group of three foreigners. They couldn’t afford to get into a fight inside the bar, so the group and Mr. Seki went outside. When the acquaintance asked the foreign group where Seki was, they explained that he had run away. They left their cell phones in the store and lost track of Mr. Seki. Five days later, he was found wedged between the gaps in the building. It is believed that Mr. Seki got into trouble at the bar with a group of Polish people. The Polish group was believed to be the ones who got Seki into trouble at the bar, and the gang is now in hot pursuit of the Poles.

If the cause is a bar fight, it is unlikely that this group of Poles are the hitmen of the Kobe Yamaguchigumi. Nevertheless, until the truth of the incident is revealed, the situation within the Yamaguchigumi VI is likely to remain tense.

From the June 10, 2022 issue of FRIDAY