Oda-gumi
The Oda-gumi (織田組) is a yakuza organization founded in 1958 by Hideomi "Joji" Oda in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. Oda-gumi would join the powerful Yamaguchi-gumi syndicate as a subsidiary organization under third generation kumicho Kazuo Taoka in 1964, with Oda serving as the Yamaguchi-gumi saiko-komon under Taoka with the right to maintain his own family.[1][2][3]
The deaths of Kazuo Taoka of heart failure in 1981, and the then Yamaguchi-gumi heir apparent Kenichi Yamamoto the following year created a power vacuum in Yamaguchi-gumi leadership. Joji's support for the short lived fourth generation boss Masahisa Takenaka in the resulting Yama-Ichi War, coupled with his arrest in Honolulu in 1985[4] would force Joji into retirement from the yakuza.
Yoshio Matsuoka succeeded Joji as the second oyabun of Oda-gumi. Matsuoka lead the Oda-gumi until another change in Yamaguchi-gumi leadership as fifth generation head Yoshinori Watanabe retired in 2005 and Shinobu Tsukasa assumed power as kumicho of Yamaguchi-gumi, creating a rift in Oda-gumi membership as members loyal to Tsukasa lieutenant Seiji Takahashi split from Matsuoka's group, leading to Matsuoka's retirement in 2006.[5]
Matsuoka wakagashira Eiji Takano would succeed Matsuoka as the third generation boss of Oda-gumi with Tsukasa's blessing to repair the rift with Takahashi's faction. The recent split between Yamaguchi-gumi and Watanabe's former Yamaken-gumi faction has again brought the Tsukasa aligned Oda-gumi into the spotlight as members of the Yamaken faction, Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, deliberately crashed a car into Oda-gumi's offices in March 2016.[6] Adding to the family's difficulties, Takano was also arrested on unrelated mail fraud charges in June 2016.[7]
Oda-gumi's troubles continued in January 2020 when the Oda-gumi was named as a designated boryokudan group by the Osaka Prefecture, allowing the city of Higashi Osaka, where their offices had been relocated, to seize the property under Yakuza exclusion ordinances. Takano was again arrested with 3 executives for wire fraud and falsifying official documents.[8][9] In March 2021, Takano would be demoted from his role as a Yamaguchi-gumi wakanaka executive to hosa, leaving the future of the organization in doubt.[10]
Leadership
[edit]• First Generation : Hideomi "Joji" Oda (1958-1986)
• Second Generation : Yoshio Matsuoka (1986-2006)
• Third Generation : Eiji Takano (2006–present)
References
[edit]- ^ Kirk, Donald (1976-12-12). "CRIME, POLITICS AND FINGER". New York Times. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
- ^ Nakano On, Kenji (2015-02-28). "When Japan's celebs and politicos attended a yakuza wedding". Tokyo Reporter. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
- ^ Kaplan, David E.; Dubro, Alec (2003). Yakuza: Japan's Criminal Underworld. University of California Press.
- ^ Kresnak, William E (1985-09-11). "Japanese crime figures held for trial". UPI. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
- ^ Sixth Yamaguchi Gumi Complete Data Book. Mediax. 2008. ISBN 978-4862013583.
- ^ "健竜会 西川良男若頭代行を逮捕". ヤクザ.net. 2016-07-05.
- ^ "Oda Gumi chairman "Eiji Takano" arrested for sending inmates letter under false name". 神戸山口組を研究する会. 2016-06-14.
- ^ "特定指定後全国初の摘発 コロナで動きが鈍る山口組の受難". Nikkan Gendai.
- ^ "山口組系事務所使用を禁止、大阪地裁仮処分". Sankei News. 21 May 2020.
- ^ "【三代目織田組】来歴・系譜・施設・組織図まとめ/日本ヤクザ・暴力団（2023年2月更新）". Kayuitodo. February 2023.