Due to certain private connections, a great deal of diplomacy and my very lucky fate I was given the unique chance to witness and also take a photo series of a ritual performed by one of Kyoto’s most secret and criminal gangs, the Yakuza Usagi Gang.

Here we witness an unfortunate member of the infamous gang, that had fallen in disgrace, trying his best to avoid a gruesome death by ritually apologizing for a sin he has committed. This is a top secret ceremony taking place in the dark upstairs room of a secret building.

The poor fellow is formally asking for forgiveness, lying flat face on the floor in front of the whole gang, the boss is in the background. It is a highly formal ritual with strict rules. At first he will recite all his wrongdoings in a lengthy and remorseful tone, then he will suggest various of ways of how he possibly could improve his behaviour in the future and finally he will ask the boss and the whole gang for forgiveness, explaining that he by no way deserves it, but only based on the boss’s god-like generosity.

The boss will then ask him certain questions revolting around the point why and how he could betray the brotherhood of the gang and his loyalty to the boss.

These questions are rhetoric questions part of the ritual and not to be replied to by the accused. Finally the boss  will choose his fate. The whole process may take several hours.

If the boss decides in his favour, he will sink back to apprenticeship level in the gang, no matter how high his position used to be before, and be a servant to all members above him for as long as the boss decides to. In that case he is expected to accelerate his re-integration by committing tasks in the boss’ favour, that could be for example killing an influential member of a rivaling gang.

However it is not very common that a member in his situation is being pardoned. In that case the boss will indicate his sad fate only with a brisk head movement. Two members right now positioned in the front of the group will then remove the accused and kill him in a form that has been decided by the boss already upfront.

Josiane Keller – Kazumi Seki  やくざうさちギギャング Yakuza Usagi Gang (2015)

dolls: Kazumi Seki

photography: Josiane Keller

(*more pictures to follow soon)