Aizukotetsu-kai
The Fifth Aizukotetsu-kai (五代目会津小鉄会 Godaime Aizukotetsu-kai) (sometimes written Aizu-Kotetsukai or Aizu Kotetsu-kai), based in Kyoto, is Japan's fourth-largest yakuza organization. Its name comes from the Aizu region, "Kotetsu", a type of Japanese sword, and the suffix "-kai", or society.
Rather than a stand-alone gang, the Aizukotetsu-kai is a federation of approximately 100 of Kyoto's various yakuza groups, comprising an estimated 7,000 members.
In 1992 the Aizukotetsu-kai became one of the first yakuza syndicates named under Japan's new anti-boryokudan legislation, which gave police expanded powers to crack down on yakuza. Its chairman at the time, Tokutaro Takayama, campaigned publicly against the new laws, and the group launched a lawsuit challenging their constitutionality. In September 1995 the Kyoto District Court threw out the lawsuit.
In October 2005, the group formed an alliance with the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest yakuza clan now led by Kenichi Shinoda (Oyabun) and his second-in-command (Wakagashira) Kiyoshi Takayama.
In July 2014, an unaffiliated person known as "Oujo no ude" negotiated with Kiyoshi Takayama from Yamaguchi-gumi to form a new alliance between the largest syndicates, the most recent addition being the Kudo-kai.
Successive kaichos
- 3rd (1975–1986) sosai: Riichi Zukoshi (図越 利一) who was kaicho of the Second Nakajima-kai.
- 4th (1986–1997): Tokutaro Takayama (高山 登久太郎, Korean name: 강외수) who was kumicho of the Second Nakagawa-gumi.[1]
- 5th (1997- present) "Orochi" Tanaka Kazuki - second seat currently is Miyamoto Shizuka "aizukotetsu no hyou", third Shinozaki Haru
References
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