Kozuka Hitoshi: A Brief History of the Kozuka Hitoshi Case: The Backstory from 1942 to the Postwar Showa Era

Kozuka Hitoshi: A Brief History of the Kozuka Hitoshi Case: The Backstory from 1942 to the Postwar Showa Era

Kozuka Hitoshi is known to have participated in the "Henan Operation" in 1944 as a soldier of the Japanese Army during the war in China. The Henan Operation was a large-scale ground battle in which Japanese and Kuomintang forces clashed in Henan Province, China, resulting in fierce fighting and heavy casualties. Kozuka survived the harsh battlefield, and after being demobilized, he threw himself into the chaos of postwar society with the courage and organizational skills he had cultivated on the battlefield.

After the war, Kozuka became deeply involved in the entertainment and show business world from the Kansai region to the San-in region, and emerged as a representative of an entertainment production company called Nihonkai Gyoinsha. The company was involved in the management of enka singers and actors, regional tours, and stage shows, and at the same time was regarded as a front company with ties to the underworld. In particular, Kozuka's relationship with the Yamaguchigumi is discussed, and it is said that he acted as a coordinator of the Yamaguchigumi as it strengthened its influence in the world of entertainment and show business.

Kozuka's base of operations was in the San'in region centering on Yonago City, Tottori Prefecture. Yonago developed as an important port and railroad transportation center along with postwar reconstruction, and at the same time, it was a place where traditional chivalrous forces, such as tekiya and expos, had their roots. The Yamaguchigumi had been trying to expand into this area since the 1950s, and was expanding its power through ostensible businesses such as entertainment, construction, and transportation. Kozuka was a person who played a role in this movement by negotiating and coordinating with the local community in advance of the expansion into the San-in region, in a manner of "groundwork.

Kozuka also had contact with Rikidozan, a nationally known professional wrestler of the 1950s. Rikidozan was ostensibly a heroic figure, but behind the scenes he had close ties with Yamaguchigumi and other gangster groups, and relied on them for security and to secure venues for his shows. Kozuka is said to have been in charge of coordinating such behind-the-scenes activities, and there is testimony that he acted as a local contact and trouble-shooter when Rikidozan staged shows in the San'in and Chugoku regions.

Known more as a shadowy practitioner linking the underworld with the entertainment and sports worlds than as the head of a documented organization, Kozuka Hitoshi's activities are unlikely to appear on the front pages of history. However, it can be said that he was a very important figure in the postwar history of local entertainment in Japan, the intersection between the entertainment industry and the underworld, and the local development of the Yamaguchigumi. Although his footprints are fragmentary, he still leaves many mysteries as a complement to the sphere of activities of Rikidozan and the Yamaguchigumi.