A Look at Yakuza Involvement in Asakusa's Sanja Matsuri
It's often said that in Japan you can't hold a matsuri without the Yakuza.
Although typically, their involvement only reaches as far as the festivals' food and game stalls, at Tokyo's Sanja Matsuri the Yakuza take on a more central role. For many, the Sanja Matsuri's most attractive feature is the rare glimpse it offers into the underbelly of society, the festival has even earned the nickname "Tattoo festival" or "Yakuza Festival" for its brazen involvement of tatted revellers.
As with the Italian Mafia, the media has romanticized Japan's underworld; so much so, that despite being known criminals, we feel some kind of dark attraction to these groups. For those outside of Japan the prospect of encountering members of the yakuza is alluring, and Sanja Matsuri is probably the closest (and safest) way for you to interact with these groups.
To know about how the Yakuza came to be involved in the festival, first, you've got to know its history. Celebrated every year on the third weekend of May, it's said that Sanja Matsuri has been held for over 700 years. In honour of the three men who founded Asakusa's Senso-ji, a Mikoshi portable shrine, is carried through each corner of the city's wards. Usually, this portable shrine is handled only by parishioners of the temple, as is the custom that is practiced all around Japan; but at Sanja, anyone can line up for a chance to carry the float.
According to a current parishioner of Asakusa Jinja, in the mid-1950s the population of Asakusa was experiencing a serious decline and as a result, there weren't many who were able to carry the Mikoshi. To show their support, self-proclaimed "matsuri dōkō-kai" or festival enthusiast clubs formed to take up the mantle. These groups more often than not were members of various Yakuza gangs.
Celebrating in rambunctious fashion, the alleged yakuza revellers can be seen sporting fundoshi traditional underwear, so as to show off their tattoos and climbing atop the Mikoshi, to dive off into the crowds. This makes for a truly unique spectacle.
Photos taken by sabukaru members @hot__wing & @mrbianco
