Chivalrous Men of Snow Country: Biography of Giichi Sato, Akita Don (1928-2002)

Chivalrous Men of Snow Country: Biography of Giichi Sato, Akita Don (1928-2002)

On a night when a blizzard enveloped the city, a man was standing in a back alley in the frozen north. His name was Giichi Sato, a leading figure in the Kyokutokai and a chivalrous man known as the "Akita Don" in the chivalrous society of the Tohoku region. His way of life was characterized by a calmness that concealed heat and a silence heavier than anger.

Giichi Sato was only 17 years old when he first stepped into the world of the yakuza. He learned oaths and loyalty under the severe wind and snow under Shogoro Tanihata, a member of the Kyokuto Sekiguchi family based in Goshogawara City, Aomori Prefecture. He later formed the Sato Kai, which expanded its influence from Hokkaido to the Tohoku region. When he established his base in Akita, those around him began to refer to him respectfully as "Akita no Don" (the Don of Akita).

From the end of the Showa period to the beginning of the Heisei period, the first Aomori War broke out in 1984, followed by the second Aomori War in 1987. In 1987, the second war erupted against the Ume family (later known as the Yuunyu family) of the Inagawa-kai; in 1989, the "Michinoku War" broke out against the Hane clan of the Yamaguchigumi V; and the following year, a split within the Sato clan led to a clash.

Even in the midst of these conflicts, Giichi Sato was not willing to resort to mere violence, and he was a man who approached his affairs with reason and logic. He was a man who used low, quiet words, not angry shouts, to control those around him, and sought a path that would not involve the shedding of blood.

It was at the time of his death that Sato's "strength" truly came to the fore. In 2002, at the age of 74, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, but he remained unfazed. After being hospitalized, he refused medication and treatment, never showing any signs of anguish, and even getting out of bed and sitting on a chair to see visitors.

On the day before his death, he shaved his beard and soaked in hot water to cleanse himself. I have done what I had to do as a human being and have no regrets. It was a graceful end, as if the snow had quietly stopped falling.

Even now, in Akita, there are people who quietly talk about his name in the corner of an old ryotei (Japanese-style restaurant) or in a bar at the port. A man who was never angry, never overbearing, and always made more sense than anyone else. That was Giichi Sato.

Related Information

- Nickname: Akita no Don
- Affiliation: President of Kyokutokai and Sato Kai (first generation)
- Birthplace: Goshogawara City, Aomori Prefecture
- Mentor: Shogoro Tanihata (of the Kyokuto Sekiguchi family)
- Main feud relations:
- 1984 The 1st Aomori War (against the Ume Family)
- 1987 Second Aomori War
- 1989 Michinoku feud (against the Hane clan)
- 1990: Internal struggle in Sato Kai
- Death: 2002 at the age of 74
- Last words: "I did what I had to do as a human being. I have no regrets.