Koichi Kuroda, Shinichi Kamikaze and Seiji Okawa, sub-leaders of the Yoshimura-gumi, an affiliate of the 4th-generation Oseikai, which itself is part of the Shinjuku-based Kyokuto-kai in Shinjuku (the entire last section is pronounced "ya ku za"...) are proving that "strong, silent types" can compete with the best of them when it comes to chopping their own fingers off and stealing peoples money.



The magazine Jitsuwa Mad Max was able to get an interview with the three to find out about their roles in the business and how life differs from their colleagues', and the answer was not a lot!

[Kazama, a regular gang member stated about the three] These guys can't answer the phone so they're not suitable for office tasks; but aside from that they're pretty much the same as regular gang members. We communicate with them via cell phone messaging.

Magazine: ... given your handicap, how do you, er, intimidate people?

Kamikaze: Using hand signs, of course.

Okawa: In Kamikaze's case, his face alone is enough to strike fear. (They both laugh).

I say good on them, even if its a contravercial business, its great to see these guys are not letting their handicap get the better of them. Personally I would both love and hate to have them rolling their r's and shouting "kono ya rrrro!" at me in sign language, possibly even more intimidating than words!

Story via Mainichi news.