"The Fires of Fury, Burning in Sanuki: The Takamatsu Blood and Wind Chronicles, 1962."

"The Fires of Fury, Burning in Sanuki: The Takamatsu Blood and Wind Chronicles, 1962."

The "Takamatsu War" that took place in 1962 in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture, was a violent conflict between two gangs, the Yamaguchigumi and the Shinwakai. Although ostensibly a "gang war," it was in fact a bloody turf war over the structure of interests in the regional city of Takamatsu, and had a major impact on the lives of its citizens.

The origin of this conflict was a clash of turf and interests between the Shinwakai, which had been gaining ground in Kagawa Prefecture since the postwar period, and the Yamaguchigumi, a giant force in the Kansai region. Yamaguchigumi continued to expand its power under Kazuo Taoka III, and in attempting to expand into Shikoku, it came into sharp conflict with the Shinwakai, which was already entrenched in local port, construction, gambling, and other interests. Tensions rose sharply as the interests of foreign powers and local groups clashed head-on.

The Shinwakai was an independent chivalrous organization formed in Kagawa Prefecture during the chaotic postwar period, and it had a strong local presence that distinguished it from other major gangs. Under the leadership of its chairman, Koji Kanehara, the group had deep roots and influence in the local community through construction, labor supply, and the operation of gambling establishments in Kagawa Prefecture. As a result, they strongly opposed any expansion by the Yamaguchigumi, a foreign power, and confrontation became inevitable.

The conflict came to the surface in 1962, when Shinwakai executives were attacked by Yamaguchigumi members, starting a chain of retaliation. Shootings, grenade attacks, stabbings, and other incidents occurred in rapid succession over a short period of time, turning the urban area of Takamatsu into a kind of battlefield. Citizens began to refrain from going out for fear of collateral damage, which had a negative impact on the local economy.

Because of the seriousness of the incident, the Kagawa Prefectural Police and the Shikoku Regional Police Bureau launched a wide-area investigation and took the unusual step of making all-out efforts to round up the gangsters. Newspapers reported the riot as the "Takamatsu War," and the incident attracted nationwide attention. This war, said to be the largest of its kind in the postwar period, went beyond the mere fighting between gangs, strongly impressing upon the public that gangs pose a direct threat to society at large.

As a result, Yamaguchigumi succeeded in strengthening its influence in Shikoku, and Shinwakai has been on the decline ever since. On the other hand, this incident also served as an opportunity for the National Police Agency to strongly recognize the need for anti-gang measures, and is considered important as a prelude to the 1991 Anti-Boryokudan Law.

The Takamatsu War was an incident that, in the shadow of a period of rapid economic growth, brought into sharp relief the composition of local cities: the clash of interests and violence, and the clash between foreign and local forces. Its memory is still passed down in the local community and is etched in history as "the conflict that shook Takamatsu in the Showa era.