Shoko tendo biography examples
Women of the Yakuza – Silently Bearing the Scars on Their Bodies and Hearts
Peeking Through a Crack in the Curtain
In the shadows of Tokyo’s dark alleys, but also on the highest floors of the most expensive apartments, there lies a world that most people prefer not to know about. A world where brutality is the norm, and loyalty is measured in blood and suffering. This is the world of the yakuza – Japan’s mafia, dominated by men with strict codes of conduct. However, men make up only half of any population on average. Behind the curtain of this brutal kingdom, women also hide – invisible, often silent, but far more complex than the stories suggest. Wives, lovers, daughters... and perhaps, though it is rarely spoken of, mysterious female bosses, the onna-oyabun.
Their lives are a daily struggle for survival in a world that does not recognize them as full members. The yakuza is an organization where women’s roles are precisely defined – they are to be quiet, loyal, Shoko tendo.