The Vanishing Shadow in Shinjuku: The Trajectory of Takenobu Yajima and the Ando Gumi from 1965 to 1965

The Vanishing Shadow in Shinjuku: The Trajectory of Takenobu Yajima and the Ando Gumi from 1965 to 1965

Takenobu Yajima was born in 1933 and graduated from Rikkyo University with a unique background. He was an active leader of the Shinjuku-based Ando-gumi, a powerful figure with both negotiating and military skills. The Ando-gumi was a gang of gangsters that expanded its power in Shinjuku during the chaotic postwar period, and its leader, Noboru Ando, appeared in movies and had a strong influence despite his anti-gang stance. In the 1960s, the government tightened its control over gangs, and the Ando-gumi was disbanded in 1965. Yajima then moved to the Koganei family, where he served as the first head of Shinjuku Higashi and became the adopted son of Masashi Horio's heir. He was a highly educated man with an intellectual side to his background, but also a highly regarded martial artist. The period in which he was active was a time of great change in yakuza society, and the nature of the organization was being questioned.