Glossary of Terms

abure teate (or just abure): A reference to the “out-of-work aid” or “unemployment pay” system that was designed specifically for old day-laborer districts, both to sustain the livelihood of laborers and to sustain them as an available pool of laborers. Thus, laborers had to work in order to receive this out-of-work aid, and workers approved by the ward were given a “pocket notebook” (techō) in which to receive stamps from their employers as proof of having worked.

ana hori: Digging holes.

ana o akeru: Literally “to open a hole” in the number of workers requested at a construction site, meaning that the crew will be one man down.

aniki: Usually simply means “older brother,” but in the context of San’ya, aniki was also used to refer to someone senior to oneself—a caretaking figure to whom one was indebted, perhaps within the same organization. In a mobster context, it was common practice to become “sworn brothers” (kyōdaibun) with a senior figure within the organization, and this person was referred to as an aniki.

asa ichi: Literally the “morning market” of San’ya, also known as the “thieves’ market” (dorobō ichi) because many of the objects on sale were said to have been stolen and because its stalls did not have permission from the city to operate. Stall owners therefore paid a fee to the local yakuza organization, the Kanamachi-ikka, which presumably handled the extralegal aspects of the market.

baken: Called a “gambling ticket” in English, meaning the ticket you purchase at a gambling hall to claim your winnings.

bentōya: Usually a simple counter opening onto the street or Iroha arcade, where Japanese-style lunchboxes (bentō) and rice balls could be purchased. Depending on the price, such lunchboxes would include rice with pickles, a stir-fry with vegetables and meat, deep-fried chicken, and some kind of salad. The rice balls were likewise flavored with fillings, be it of cod roe, dried kelp, dried bonito, salmon, or Japanese plum.

Buraku: A minority group of descendants from the outcaste group within the premodern, feudal order of Japan. As Joseph D. Hankins observes, discrimination against Buraku is now associated with specific neighborhoods, but I will nevertheless defer to the self-identification provided by the International Movement against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR): “Buraku people are a Japanese social minority group, ethnically and linguistically indistinguishable from other Japanese people. They face discrimination in Japan because of an association with work once considered impure, such as butchering animals or tanning leather. In particular, they often have trouble finding marriage partners or employment” (cited in Hankins, Working Skin, 34).

Chinchirorin: Also known as Cee-lo in the United States, this is a simple dice game that requires dice and a bowl.

daiku: Carpenter.

dokata: Manual laborers at construction sites whose primary task consists in helping to excavate the foundation of buildings. It is therefore no coincidence that the Japanese ideograms for dokata contain the ideogram for “earth” or “soil” (tsuchi) and that a dictionary search for dokata kotoba (dokata language) will turn up “bad language” or “low language.” In fact, the very word dokata carries pejorative connotations, and for this reason, I have translated it into the nineteenth-century English word “navvy.” Like dokata, navvy does not merely invoke the literally lowest, most basic, menial, and brute form of labor but also a specific type of uncouth and unruly character.

Don-Don: A flower card game in which the stakes are raised by “bluffing” (hattari) other players.

dogeza: To prostrate oneself, or to kneel down and bow to the point of touching one’s head to the ground.

dōkyūsei: Literally “classmates,” but more commonly used to express social intimacy by referring to the fact that one is the same age as another man.

doya: Bunkhouses expressly built to house the day laborers of San’ya, many of which have been transformed into tourist hotels. With the exception of huge institutions like the Palace Hotel, which could house hundreds of laborers, the doya is usually two stories tall, oftentimes made out of wood or plain concrete, with a single corridor running along each floor. No larger than 1.5 by 2.5 meters, single rooms flank each side of the corridor, separated by thin wooden walls. Each is equipped with a mini-TV and air-conditioner. Toilets and a common bathing area are shared among residents, who must observe designated bathing hours. Depending on the doya, there may also be a gas stove available, but residents must pay for every minute of use. Electrical sockets are most often blocked, as residents are not allowed to use electrical appliances. So too, many old doya have a curfew. The daily price of a room ranges ¥1,800–3,000 ($18–30), the monthly total of which often exceeds rent for a reasonable apartment. But residents on welfare must have permission from their ward to relocate to an apartment, and individuals who work must have guarantors and be ready to deposit approximately four times the monthly rent (as real estate agents ask) to move into an apartment.

doyagai: The backstreets of San’ya, lined with doya and bicycles.

enka: While invoking traditional Japanese instrumentation, enka songs or ballads usually adopt a sentimental, nostalgic, or wistful theme and tone. Their place in Japanese society has often been compared to that of American country music.

Eta: Another term for the Buraku minority, the ideograms for which include kegare, meaning “impurity,” “uncleanness,” or “defilement.”

geta: Traditional Japanese footwear, wooden and heavy like clogs but held fast like flip-flops.

giri-ninjō: One of those Japanese terms that (like haji) are said to resist translation and, in so doing, secure the inscrutability to outsiders of “Japanese culture.” The term consists in a combination of giri and ninjō, the former of which translates loosely as the sentiment of “duty” or “obligation,” and the latter as the “human feeling” or “human sympathy” that resides in the sentiment of wishing to do good by someone else.

gyōza: Pan-fried dumplings.

haji: A term that would secure the inscrutability of “Japanese culture,” it is not surprising that haji was first interpreted through the eyes of an American anthropologist, Ruth Benedict. Although the term has also emerged as a point of identification for Japanese culture more generally (albeit haji carries anachronistic connotations and is generally not used outside specific circles, be they right-wing or traditionalist), in San’ya, haji was described in virtually the same terms that Benedict used to explicate the normative force of shame among “the Japanese”: “A failure to follow their explicit signposts of good behavior, a failure to balance obligations or to foresee contingencies is a shame (haji). Shame, they say, is the root of virtue. A man who is sensitive to it will carry out all the rules of good behavior. ‘A man who knows shame’ is sometimes translated as ‘virtuous man,’ sometimes ‘man of honor’ ” (Benedict, Chrysanthemum and the Sword, 224).

hanafuda: Literally translates as “flower cards.” Unlike the Western card deck, the flower card deck is composed of twelve suits of four, making a total of forty-eight cards. Each suit is represented by a traditional drawing of a flower or leaf that is known to sprout in a specific month of the year, which gives that card its value. Hence, cherry blossoms (sakura) signify March and “3,” while pine (matsu) signifies January and “1.” There are no number indications on the cards, save for the images, and the complexity of the deck allows for an array of games because some cards in specific suits are further marked with a red ribbon, a poetry ribbon, a purple ribbon, and animals—a crane, a bush warbler, a cuckoo, butterflies, a boar, geese, a deer, a swallow, and a Chinese phoenix—which can be combined. Then, of course, there is also the so-called Rainman (Ono no Michikaze) card, the Chrysanthemum Poetry Cup (Kiku no Sakazuki) card, and so on.

harakiri: Literally to “cut the stomach,” meaning suicide by disembowelment.

Hinin: Another term for the Buraku minority, the ideograms of which translate as “nonhuman.”

hiyatoi rōdōsha (or simply hiyatoi): A day laborer.

hiyayakko: Chilled tofu with ginger, bonito flakes, and scallion toppings, usually consumed as a starter or side dish accompanying drinks.

itai-itai byō: As it is also called in English, the itai-itai disease, or “it-hurts it-hurts disease,” was discovered and named in early twentieth-century Toyama Prefecture, where cadmium poisoning had caused individuals to experience constant pain. As it turned out, Mitsui Mining and Smelting Co. had been releasing the chemical into a river that proceeded to poison local water and food.

jidaigeki: Historical drama, usually tacking back to the Edo period (1600–1868).

kado o otosu: To “take off the corners” or “edges”; in this case, a phrase that is used with reference to the ritual act of an individual eating the corners of a piece of tofu after their release from jail, so as to prepare for life in society.

kaki no tane: A snack composed of soy-flavored rice crisps and peanuts.

Kanamachi-ikka: The local yakuza organization in San’ya, which was a subsidiary of the famous Yamaguchi-gumi.

kashira: Mobster terminology for the head or lieutenant of a crew. In San’ya, the use of the term was rather loose and could invoke a range of seniority levels, from top to bottom.

keiba: Literally “horse racing,” but more specifically, gambling on horse races.

keirin: Literally “bicycle racing,” but more specifically, gambling on bicycle races.

kiritori: Yakuza terminology for extortion or intervening to ensure that a debt is returned.

Koi-Koi: A flower card game in which the winner can raise the stakes by challenging the losing party to another round. Hence, the name of the game literally translates as “Come on, Come on.”

konkuri: Concrete work at the construction site, which either entailed filling walls or floors with concrete.

konjō: Courage, spirit, guts, staying power, or grit.

koseki: Criticized for providing the grounds for discrimination by preserving such information as Buraku background or parental marriage status, koseki refers to the state-endorsed family registry dating from premodern Japan.

kumade: A rake, but in this case a ritual rake purchased at the nearby Ōtori Shrine, decorated with colorful figures, animals, writings, golden coins, or traditional ropes. Inscribed with the name of the business establishment in which it was hung, this ritual rake was meant to rake in good fortune.

kyōdaibun: Buddies, mates, or, in this case, “sworn brothers,” insofar as this term invoked the formal relationship established with someone inside a yakuza organization or between individual members tasked to look out for one another. Supposedly, this relationship was rendered official through the ritual act of making an incision in the forearms, joining these bleeding wounds by crossing arms, and drinking a glass of sake thus. Sworn brothers were expected to protect each other with their lives.

kyōtei: Literally “boat racing,” but more specifically, gambling on boat races.

māku kādo: Called a “betting card” in English, meaning the card that you fill out at a gambling hall to purchase a gambling ticket. Māku kādo literally translates as “mark card.”

mama-chari: A combination of mama, or “mom,” and “chari,” which is slang for “bicycle,” thus, a mama-chari, or “mom-bike.” Designed for practical purposes, the mama-chari is not exactly an aesthetically pleasing means of transportation, but with a low middle bar, a wide seat, a basket, and handles that bend back towards the arms, it is easily ridden.

mama-san: Usually an older female caretaker, manager, or perhaps even proprietor of an eating and drinking establishment or of a doya (bunkhouse).

matsu: Pine, but in this case, the pine card in the flower card deck, which signifies January or the value of “1,” also referred to as pin, as in the pin or slice that is skimmed in the tehaishi’s pinhane (finder’s fee).

mizuwari: Shochu mixed with water and ice. Unless one was ordering a bottle or had one on hold, in which case the bottle was brought along with a bucket of ice and water, this was all that needed to be said to order a glass of house shochu mixed with water and ice. The other option was to have it with tea and ice or simply ice, if the shochu was good quality, but it was never consumed neat.

muenbochi: A so-called potter’s field or, in this case, shrine where the ashes of the departed are gathered. Muen translates as “without connections,” and bochi means “graveyard” or “cemetery.”

mujin kō: Also known as a tanomoshikō, a rotating savings and credit association (ROSCA), or a pooling club, which, in this case, takes the specific form of once-per-month gatherings in which members contribute ¥10,000 ($100) toward a sum that one individual takes home. It ideally consists of twelve members so that meetings continue for twelve months and one person pockets ¥120,000 on each occasion. Notably, the mujin kō has premodern origins and has been considered a form of gambling because in some of its iterations, the lucky individual to take the pot home was decided by a draw. But the mujin, which literally translates as “inexhaustible,” has also functioned as a financial aid for the poor—everyone contributes a little—or as a bank for those without credit. Moreover, as an underground institution, the mujin has historically been subject to regulation by the Japanese state and the Ministry of Finance.

nakama: Although nakama may be translated variously as “companions,” “colleagues,” “comrades,” or “fellows,” I translate nakama as “buddies” because “buddies” conveys a casual, loose character of social intimacy without invoking the cold formality of a “friend” (tomodachi). Of course, buddies were first and foremost drinking buddies; however, the term was also used to signal inclusion and exclusion, such that someone might note of an absent other that “he is a buddy” (nakama da) or, if they had had a falling out, that “he is not a buddy” (nakama jya nai), even if they were drinking together as part of the larger group. There were also times when individuals were shunned by the group or, rather, by “everyone” (minna), and at such times, it would be apt to translate nakama as “group,” such that these individuals were “excluded from the group” (nakama hazure). In short, there was the buddy, and there were buddies, each of which referenced the social entity of the group but could be used variously to signal personal intimacy and trust or inclusion within the group at large. It was the social character of the group that was at stake in the use of this word: if someone was a buddy, he was one of us. But there was one exception to this terminology of exclusivity, and that was in death. Whether or not someone had been a buddy in life, when they died, they were reincorporated into the fold of the social, as a buddy (nakama).

naichi: Literally the “mainland” or “interior” as people in Okinawa refer to the four main Japanese islands of Honshu, Kyushu, Hokkaido, and Shikoku.

negiri: Excavating the foundations of a building block, meaning that a hole had to be dug by hand and excavators.

Nē-san: Literally means “older sister,” but this term also draws upon the world of the yakuza and specifically references the caretaking figure and companion to a senior man in a place of authority.

Obon: Buddhist festival of ancestors held across Japan during three days in mid-August, celebrated with traditional dances, outdoor food stalls (tekiya), and such.

omikoshi: A portable shrine that is carried about town during such festivals as Obon.

on: Like giri, the sentiment of “duty” or “obligation” to return that which was given or done for oneself—hence, the phrase on gaeshi, which translates literally as “to return the debt” or “favor.”

Oicho-Kabu: Similar to baccarat, this was a game that was played with flower cards in San’ya, in which the aim was to reach a total card value of nine. Oicho means “eight,” while kabu means “nine.”

osechi ryōri: Traditional foods eaten only during the New Year holiday. They consist of a variety of osechi, or small dishes, served in partitioned, bentō-like boxes, stacked one on top of the other.

otoko: Literally translated as “man.” But in the context of San’ya, the word had assumed the force of a trope that referenced an older world of virtues among the downtrodden. An otoko, thus, was someone who upheld his obligations to others—who had a sensibility of giri-ninjō—and sacrificed himself for others rather than pursue his self-interest, as capitalist society would have us do. What allowed him to do so, moreover, was that he possessed a poignant sensibility for failure or for the shame—haji—entailed in letting others down. Self-reliant to the point of extremity, an otoko upheld his virtues and did not burden others, but he was also given to moments of weakness and sentimentality, and this was why it was important for him to sing the occasional enka song.

otsumami: Snacks to nibble on, usually with drinks.

pinhane: The “finder’s fee” charged by the tehaishi, although it would perhaps be more correct to describe this extraction as the surplus value or excess obtained by skimming off someone else’s labor and wages, usually at an unfair percentage. Though the signification of the term applies just as well to the state (consider taxes) and capitalism at large, pinhane is associated with sordid labor practices of corrupt companies or the mobster underworld. In gambling terminology, pin might refer to “1,” and thus to a fraction or slice, and hane derives from the verb haneru, which, in this instance, means “to skim off.”

pūtarō: An unemployed person, vagabond, floater, drifter, vagrant, or day laborer.

sakura: A decoy or simply someone who was undercover, be it a representative of the ward to spy on the activities of welfare recipients or a cop.

seiza: Formal sitting position in which you kneel and sit, such that your butt is resting on the soles of your feet.

sentō: Unlike an onsen, the sentō or local downtown bathhouse is an inexpensive and informal affair. They usually cost no more than ¥500, and the ward office distributes discount coupons to those on welfare, which can also be purchased at the morning market. The bathhouses themselves usually include baths of various kinds, be it at different temperatures, a jacuzzi-like area, or an electric bath (denkiburo). If their patrons are lucky, there may also be a sauna, a cold bath, and an outdoor bathing area. The locals who frequent these bathhouses know each other, converse, and gossip, and many of them have no choice but to frequent these institutions, because they have no shower or bath at home.

shabu (or formally, kakuseizai): Methamphetamines or meth, which was consumed by injection in San’ya, meaning that the high was more intense and that its consumers kept a kit hidden in their rooms.

shatei: Mobster lingo for an “underling” or “younger brother” within the same organization.

shussho: Release from jail.

sōpurando (or simply sōpu): A soapland, soap, or brothel, so called because the services provided at these brothels include a full-body wash with soap, after which intercourse takes place. Whether or not protection is required depends on the institution or on a negotiation that may take place with the prostitute herself.

suji o tōsu: To see things through to completion.

Sumiyoshi-kai: An adversary of the main yakuza organization in Japan, the Yamaguchi-gumi, the Sumiyoshi-kai is primarily located in the Kanto region of Tokyo.

takidashi: Food handouts, or more literally, the distribution of something that has been boiled or cooked, such as rice.

takobeya: Literally translated as an “octopus-room.” Although the precise etymology of takobeya is not clear, the term derives historically from the inhuman conditions under which laborers were caught, like octopi perhaps, and sent to work on the far northern borders of Japan, in Hokkaido, as forced laborers. Dating back to the 1880s, the term is associated with early modernity, colonialism, and the forced labor of Koreans. But in San’ya, it referred to the conditions of virtual confinement in which individuals were made to work off their debt to the mob, while they were crammed like octopi into a single room, for which they also paid. Notably, there were numerous shady schemes operating in the underground world of San’ya and homeless people, who would be enticed to get off the streets by moving into a dormitory, which would be located in the hinterlands of Japan and was designed to divest them of their welfare funds.

tehaishi: The street-level labor broker of day laborers. The noun tehai refers to the daily work of brokering so that one might ask of a tehaishi: “Have you finished tehai?” (tehai owatta?). The ideograms used to write tehai combine “hand” (te) with “to distribute” (kubaru), suggesting the distribution of hands or labor.

tekiya: Outdoor, portable food stalls that set up shop for festivals and such, associated of old with the lower classes, the Buraku people, itinerancy, and the mob.

tekkinya: Ironworker.

tobi: Scaffolder. At the time of writing, there were hardly any hierarchical distinctions between men of different professions in San’ya, but Ōyama Shirō writes as follows of scaffolders back in the day: “Tobi are the aristocrats of San’ya. In the same way that it is possible, in Europe, to distinguish the aristocracy from the common folk by how they look, so it is possible to distinguish tobi from common day laborers by their appearance (their faces more than their physique). The training required to nurture their skills to a level worthy of their calling and the confidence gained through having those skills recognized by their peers give them a commanding presence and bestow on their countenance a certain poise. All in all they cut a very dashing figure. There is a certain crispness about their movements and indeed about their entire demeanor. I would imagine that their individual abilities vary considerably, but the best have a truly unmistakable aura about them. One can tell at a glance: yes, this man, without question, is a tobi.… Here, the word shokunin—skilled worker—means only one thing, and that is tobi” (Oyama, Man with No Talents, 61).

tobi no temoto: To work at the side or base of scaffolders, who formed a string of laborers up the side of a building, or more literally, “at the scaffolder’s hand.”

tonko suru: To skip or flake on work, thereby “opening a hole” (ana o akeru) in the number of workers requested.

toppamono: A “devil-may-care type” of character.

tori no agemono: Deep-fried chicken.

toshikoshi soba: Literally “year-crossing soba” or “seeing-the-old-year-out soba,” referring to the traditional buckwheat noodles eaten on New Year’s Eve.

yakitori: Grilled skewers of chicken, meats, or veggies.

yakizakana: Fried fish, usually flavored with salt or soy.

yakusha: Actor.

“Yama”: Derives from an alternative reading of the ideograms that compose San’ya. The ideogram for “San” (mountain) can be read as “ya,” while the ideogram for “-ya” (valley) can be read as “ma,” to create “Yama.” As “Yama,” San’ya takes on a local connotation: a city of mountains and valleys, or of highs and lows.

Yamaguchi-gumi: The main yakuza organization in Japan, with origins on the docks of Kobe.

yoseba: A gathering place for day laborers, like San’ya. The word consists of a combination of the ideograms meaning “to set aside” (yoseru) and “place” (ba). In this way, it signifies a place where an excess of workers has been set aside.

yosōya: The street tipster who sells predictions for upcoming horse races, face down on pieces of paper spread across a table. Successful predictions are turned up when their races conclude.