Shots and Shadows: Memories of the Hiroshima Proxy War, 1963

Shots and Shadows: Memories of the Hiroshima Proxy War, 1963

In 1963, the city of Hiroshima was enveloped in silence and tension. On the surface, the city was a provincial city that was enjoying economic growth, but beneath the surface, a struggle for control had begun with the sound of blood and gunfire. The war between the local Yamamura and Uchikoshi-kai gangs, and the Yamaguchigumi, a gigantic foreign power that has entered the city, turns Hiroshima into a battlefield. The Yamamura-gumi, led by Tatsuo Yamamura, is a long-established organization that has had deep roots in the local community since the end of World War II, influential in the construction and entertainment districts. The Uchikoshi-kai, on the other hand, is trying to make its own rise, is rumored to be close to the Yamaguchigumi, and soon becomes a central player in the war.

In Nagaregawa-cho, gunfire erupted in broad daylight, and at Hiroshima Station, a late-night street battle ensued. More than ten people were killed and dozens were wounded. Passersby were also hit by stray bullets, and the city sank into a state of terror. Seized were revolvers, foreign-made pistols, shotguns, imitation weapons, and even Japanese swords. Postwar smuggling routes and illegal conversions were breathing in the background, and the gangs were now armed to the point of becoming private armies. The police attempted to control the situation with a summit operation, but the roots of the war ran deep, and eventually the shadow of the Yamaguchigumi would overshadow Hiroshima.

This war was the fierce footsteps of the "underworld" trying to fill the void of order. Even today, the memory of the blood and smoke of that year quietly seeps into the back streets of Hiroshima.