Ever heard of a group with upscale tastes operating in Kabukichō and Ginza? That would be the Sumiyoshi-kai. I am about to tell you more about the Sumiyoshi-kai. It is Japan’s second-largest Yakuza group. They have around 2200 members and 1300 quasi-members.
The Sumiyoshi-kai history is complex. It involves numerous name changes. The Sumiyoshi-kai started in 1958. Its first name was the Minato-kai. Shigesaku Abe founded it. He was the 3rd sōchō of the Sumiyoshi-ikka. Yoshimitsu Sekigami later renamed it the Sumiyoshi-kai. He was the 4th sōchō. This Sumiyoshi-kai dissolved in 1965.
In 1969, Masao Hori rebuilt the group. He formed a union called the Sumiyoshi-rengo. Hori was the 5th sōchō of Sumiyoshi-ikka. In 1982, he changed the name again. It became the Sumiyoshi-rengokai. Hori became its kaicho or president. Ryoji Kawaguchi became chief director. In 1988, Hori was promoted to sosai or chairman. Kawaguchi died in May 1990. Hori died in October of the same year.
Shigeo Nishiguchi took over in February 1991. He became the 6th sōchō of Sumiyoshi-ikka. He also became kaicho. At that time, the group was renamed the Sumiyoshi-kai again. Hareaki Fukuda became kaicho in June 1998. Nishiguchi became sosai. Fukuda became the 7th sōchō on April 17, 2005.
The Sumiyoshi-kai differs from its rival, the Yamaguchi-gumi. The Sumiyoshi-kai is a federation. It has a looser command structure. While there is a chairman, affiliate clan leaders have power.
In April 2003, Takao Nishida was murdered. He headed the Nishida-gumi. The police investigated links to shootings between the Sumiyoshi-kai and Yamaguchi-gumi.
In January 2007, Ryoichi Sugiura was shot in his car. He was a boss in the Sumiyoshi-kai. Retaliatory shots targeted Yamaguchi-gumi offices hours later. In February, Kazuyoshi Kudo was found dead. He was the head of the Kokusui-kai. A gun lay beside him. Police suspected suicide. This raised tensions between the Sumiyoshi-kai and the Yamaguchi-gumi.
Shigeo Nishiguchi died in September 2017. He was the Sumiyoshi-kai sosai or chairman. He died of natural causes at 88.
In April 2020, the National Police Agency reported low Yakuza numbers. The Sumiyoshi-kai only had 2800 members. It also had 1700 associated members.
In May 2022, Isao Seki died. He was the eighth leader of the Sumiyoshi-kai. He was 76. Shūji Ogawa now leads the Sumiyoshi-kai. He is the kaicho. He led the funeral after Isao Seki died.
The Sumiyoshi-kai operates protection rackets. Shops in their territories pay a fee. This fee is called mikajime-ryō. This helps to line the Sumiyoshi-kai pockets. The Sumiyoshi-kai territories mainly consist of upscale districts. These districts include Kabukichō and Ginza.
In recent years, the three major Yakuza syndicates have loosely allied. In April 2023, leaders from the Yamaguchi-gumi, Sumiyoshi-kai, and Inagawa-kai met socially.
Facing the Sumiyoshi-kai headquarters today you see a legacy. It is a story of shifting names. It is a story of power struggles. It is a story of alliances. It is a story of survival in the underbelly of Tokyo.