| abstract
| - The head, heart and soul of the Seattle yakuza is Hanzo Shotozumi, the oyabun who unified the various clans and gangs into a single syndicate with control over the Pacific Northwest. Shotozumi is Japanese-born and a strong believer in the traditional Japanese and yakuza values of honor and duty. He sees most non- Japanese as barbarians barely deserving civilized treatment. However, despite all his talk of duty and obligation, Shotozumi lets nothing stand in the way of his thirst for power. He worked his way up the ladder of the Watadarengo to become oyabun of Seattle and dreams of controlling a syndicate that encompasses North America’s entire West Coast. He considers himself a patron of the arts; he regularly attends Japanese theater performances and practices traditional ink-brush painting. Shotozumi’s wakagashira, or second in command, is Shiro Tanaka, a loyal long-time associate of the oyabun who worked with him in Japan before coming to Seattle. Tanaka oversees the day-to-day details of the rengo’s operations, assisted by his wakagashira-hosa, Miko Ishikawa. Miko is an ambitious woman who worked hard to advance in Shotozumi’s traditionalist organization. > Ishikawa is also a spy for the Watada-rengo in Japan. > Daikoku > I can see how someone might suspect that. There’s no better way to cover your tracks as a spy than to appear to be 100 percent invested in the organization you serve. Traditionally, in fact, the traitor is the most vocal supporter of a group and the most vicious opponent of the organization they actually work for. Miko Ishikawa is certainly ambitious, but ambition alone doesn’t prove disloyalty. She’s had to be ruthless to get to where she is; it’s actually unlikely she’d suffer through all that just to get into position to reveal secrets. > Daikoku Toju Shotozumi, the oyabun’s cousin, is in charge of the sokaiya, the branch of the rengo that handles the yakuza’s dealings with local corporations and businesses. The sokaiya use traditional yakuza business methods such as stock buys paired with blackmail to exert influence on various corporations and so divert money to yakuza operations. Since the formation of the Shotozumi-rengo, the sokaiya are very active with many Seattle corporations, spreading and strengthening the yakuza’s web of influence. > They’re particularly interested in corps belonging to the Pacific Prosperity Group, which has led to some conflicts with the Triads that may be connected to Wuxing. > Chuck Chuck Razool The Shotozumi-rengo is most influential in Downtown Seattle and Tacoma, with interests throughout the metroplex. They control most yakuza smuggling operations and a substantial amount of the syndicate’s gambling, computer crime and legitimate business interests.
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