Nihon No Don (日本の首領, approximately translating as or "Japan's Don" or "Godfather of Japan") is a Japanese trilogy of organized crime films released from 1977 to 1978. Very loosely based on the real-life exploits of Japan's biggest yakuza gangs, the series was adapted from a novel by journalist Koichi Iboshi and was produced by Toei, who earlier rewrote the rules of the yakuza genre with Kinji Fukasaku's Battles Without Honor and Humanity.note
By 1977, attendances for Toei's yakuza films had gone down significantly, thanks in no small part to the advent of the television. In response, the studio decided to bring in veteran director Sadao Nakajima and assembled an All-Star Cast billed as "30 Years of Toei Men" with genre veterans Koji Tsutura, Bunta Sugawara, Hiroki Matsukata, Sonny Chiba, Mikio Narita, Nobuo Kaneko, and Tatsuo Umemiya alongside veteran actors Shin Saburi and Asao Uchida. Toshiro Mifune would later round out the cast for the two sequels, while Chiezo Kataoka replaced Uchida in the third movie.
The first film, Yakuza Senso: Nihon No Don (Yakuza War: Japan's Don) chronicles the exploits of yakuza godfather Issei Sakura (played by Shin Saburi and based off real-life yakuza boss Kazuo Taoka), boss of Japan's most powerful crime syndicate, the Osaka-based Nakajima Group. By now the wily Sakura has conquered most of the rackets in Central and Western Japan, leaving only Tokyo and the Kanto area untouched. After being called in to help a major corporation deal with a blackmail problem, Sakura plans to move in to Tokyo. He assigns his Blood Knight Number Two Shuei Tatsumi (Koji Tsuruta) to lead the way with Tsukichi Sakoda (Sonny Chiba), Seiji Kataoka (Mikio Narita), and Shiro Matsueda (Hiroki Matsukata). However, the Tokyo gangs, spearheaded by Eizo Iwami (Bunta Sugawara) stand in his way, aided in secret by powerful political power broker Kikuo Oyama (Asao Uchida). A massive Mob War erupts for control of the Tokyo rackets as loyalties are tested and both sides manipulate the political and business worlds to one-up each other.
The second film, Nihon No Don: Yabohen (Japan's Don: Ambition) takes place two years after the first, where the Tokyo gangs, now headed by Sakura's rival Kozuke Oishi (Toshiro Mifune), are now united under an umbrella organization known as the Kanto Alliance. Sakura, having recovered after a long illness, plans to continue his Tokyo expansion plans by having Matsueda, now serving as his underboss, manipulate the Japanese stock market. However, the corrupt dictator of the oil-producing Republic Of Gardenesia, President Annata (Youssef Omar),note arrives in Japan with a lucrative oil deal that could mean billions of dollars in profit. Both Sakura and Oishi scramble to earn Annata's favor.
The third and final film, Nihon No Don: Kanketsuhen (Japan's Don: The Final Chapter) sees Kikuo Oyama (now played by Chiezo Kataoka) fall victim to a rare form of stomach cancer. Naturally, with his position as Japan's most powerful political fixer seemingly up for grabs, both Sakura and Oishi try to succeed him. Oishi in particular is also pursuing his dream project: turning Saipan into the the Las Vegas of the Pacific. To this end he manipulates political party leader and Corrupt Politician Shigenori Karita (Ko Nishimura), whose son is romantically involved with Oishi's daughter to act as a go-between in a bribery deal involving corrupt US Senator J.H. Gerald (Tony Diamond). However, things go south when armed men arrive, steal the money, and try to make a getaway before being chased and killed by the police, who also recover the money. With a massive scandal on his hands, things get worse for Oishi when the bribery receipt disappears. The burning question remains as to who set up the robbery as both Sakura and Oyama plan to finish off Oishi before they can settle amongst themselves who will rule the Japanese underworld.
Although Battles Without Honor and Humanity is often called the Japanese answer to The Godfather, Toei commissioned the trilogy as a closer homage to the latter. The year after the first film, Toei would later try to cash in on Star Wars with Message from Space.
The trilogy contains examples of:
- Aren't You Going to Ravish Me?: After he kills her boyfriend (a Nakajima goon who got personal with her) Makiko Sakura attempts to seduce Shiro Matsueda into sleeping with her. He turns her down, even when she evokes a Wounded Gazelle Gambit and screams that Matsueda's trying to rape her.
- Artistic License – History:
- The first film was primarily inspired by the Yamaguchi-gumi's attempts at invading the Tokyo-Yokohama area in the early 60s, traditionally the turf of the rival Inagawa-kai. In the movie and sequels, the Nakajimas' attempts are somewhat bloody and several mid-tier bosses on both sides up getting killed. In reality, the Yamaguchi's incursions did stir some trouble (and the attempted assassination of a boss allied with the Yamaguchi-gumi), but no full-scale gang war broke out. The Yamaguchi-gumi and Inagawa-kai ended up joining hands in an alliance that saw both gangs collectively take control of most of the Japanese underworld.
- The following two films reference President Sukarno's association with the yakuza and the Lockheed scandal, but the Yamaguchi-gumi was not involved in either incident.
- Ambition Is Evil: Sakura, Oishi, and Oyama have no bones about leaving their loyal subordinates out to dry, using their own family members as pawns, or double-crossing their business partners just to become the don of the yakuza.
- Batman Gambit: Oyama in the third movie plays both Sakura and Oishi against each other, while they too do this against each other and Oyama.
- Cool Car: Oishi's personal car is a Cadillac Series 75, the company's highest-tier sedan.
- Corrupt Politician: Oyama, President Annata, Diet Member Karita, Hirayama, and Senator Gerald, who all actively collude with Sakura and/or Oishi across the trilogy.
- Consummate Professional: Matsueda goes above and beyond to show his loyalty and efficiency as a member of the Nakajimas to Sakura, eventually getting promoted to underboss by the second film. He ends up proving this by committing suicide after his plan to marry President Annatta to a nurse falls through.
- Deadly Doctor: Dr. Ichinomiya, though very reluctantly. By the end of the trilogy he can claim to have killed two yakuza in Tatsumi and Oyama. Three, if you count the wannabe goon who tries to stab him but falls victim to his last bullet.
- Dented Iron: In Kanketsuhen Sakura finally succumbs to a final heart attack after spending the last movie in poor health.
- The Don: Naturally, Issei Sakura tries to become this for all of Japan, though he competes with Gosuke Oishi in the second and third films.
- Driven to Suicide:
- In the first film, Sakoda does this after being thrown in the slammer.
- Several happen in the second movie. Sakura's second daughter Makiko (quite literally as she causes a road accident) Nurse Miura after her Forced Marriage with President Annata, and Matsueda after her suicide.
- A variant happens in the third: When Sakura dies and Oishi claims final victory, Ichinomiya is left in a state of depression as his father figure is dead and his wife has left him following his dalliance with Nishimura's mistress. After resigning from his position as head doctor of a prestigious Tokyo hospital, he confronts Oishi and asks to be killed since he doesn't have the heart to do so. Oishi refuses, so Ichinomiya shoots him, misses, and is promptly shot to death by Oishi's bodyguards before being stabbed by a waiter trying to impress Oishi, whom he also kills.
- Epic Movie: Of the jitsuroku or "true-life" yakuza films that Toei put out.
- Expy:
- The Nakajima Group in general serve as this to the Yamaguchi-gumi, which at the time of the film's release was the most powerful yakuza family in Japan. Sakura is of course, based on the third Yamaguchi-gumi boss, Kazuo Taoka, who spearheaded the group's domination in the 50s and 60s.
- Shuei Tatsumi was based on Yukio Junichi, Taoka's Number Two throughout most of the Yamaguchi-gumi's aforementioned expansion. Unlike Tatsumi, Junichi was not murdered to avoid the fall of the Yamaguchi-gumi; he was summarily dismissed and died in hospital due to lung cancer.
- Likewise, Tatsumi's subordinate, Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy Tsunekichi Sakoda was inspired by a Japanese-Korean yakuza named Jiro Yanagawa, a Yamaguchi-gumi capo who had experience in karate and at one point was a member of the Kyokushin Kaikan karate dojo and Comissioner of the International Boxing Federation's Japanese branch. He did not commit suicide in jail as seen in the film, but dissolved his gang. After being released, Yanagawa changed his name and continued to pursue business ventures as an IBF Japan commissioner.
- Kikuo Oyama for real-life kuromaku (powerbroker) Yoshio Kodama, who attempted to create an anti-communist army consisting of yakuza across the country known as the Kanto-kai, which was later dissolved. Taoka was offered a spot in this unified gang, but he turned this down. This is also referenced in the first film, with similar results.
- Nobuo Kaneko's characters, Shoji Taguchi and Cabinet Secretary Hirayama, have two actual Japanese politicians involved in the infamous Lockheed scandal that brought down Yoshio Kodama
: Shoji Tanaka and Prime Minister Kakukei Tanaka (no relation). - The Kinjo Clan, the gang run by Eizo Iwami, is inspired by the Inagawa-kai gang and Kakuji Inagawa, their boss at the time. As said above, the Inagawas went head-to-head with the Yamaguchi-gumi when they tried to mount a hostile takeover of the Yokohama area before brokering a peace treaty and an alliance. Inagawa was also Yosio Kodama's protege and headed the Kanto-kai prior to its disbanding.
- President Annatta for Indonesian dictator Sukarno, who notably had yakuza for bodyguards and married a Japanese national during a trip to the country.
- Kosuke Oishi has two potential ones, one of them being coincidental. Like Iwami before him, Oishi has shades of Kakuji Inagawa thanks to his close relationship with Oyama; but his plans to expand overseas and to Saipan in particular presage the efforts of Inagawa's successor, Susumu Ishii, who took great advantage of the Japanese economic growth in the 1980s by investing the gang's ill-gotten gains abroad.
- Like its boss, the Kanto Alliance has several potential expy organizations: first there's the Inagawa-kai and Kanto-kai as mentioned above; the other is the Sumiyoshi-kai, who are run by a ruling panel of bosses with a nominal chairman of the board.
- Akira Kawanishi in Kanketsuhen is an expy of Yamaguchi-gumi underboss Kenichi "Yamaken" Yamamoto, who replaced Yukio Junichi as Taoka's number two. He was responsible for saving the gang from self-destructing and ran a successful mob war that eliminated a rival gang that tried to kill Taoka. Naturally, these earmarked him to succeed Taoka, but he died in prison before he could become boss. His death was also a contributing factor of the bloody Yama-Ichi War.
- Gambit Pileup: The second movie consists of these in spades as enacted by Sakura and Oishi. The first half involves Sakura manipulating the Japanese stock market and discrediting a major shipping company under Oishi's control while the next involves Oishi and Sakura trying to appease the corrupt President Annata.
- Gratuitous English:
- In the first movie, there are several American soldiers and sailors who get a few lines.
- Then second has the scenes involving Al Sanders, President Annatta and Colonel Darsono.
- The third has the most notable one when Karita and Senator Gerald meet to exchange the bribe money. This is topped off with the bribery receipt reading: I have received 4 cigars.note
- Handicapped Badass:
- Sakura hobbles around on a cane battling heart disease while Oyama spends most of the third movie in the hospital, but even this doesn't stop them from trying to play Xanatos Speed Chess between themselves and Oishi.
- Akira Kawanishi, despite being in a wheelchair and crutches while being sexually impotent, still manages to pull off a lot of complex financial schemes for Sakura. He's also the mastermind behind the Saipan robbery, and even manages to linger for a bit after being thrown off a flight of stairs and then shot.
- Heel–Face Turn: Defied in the first film. After their aggressive attempts at expanding into Tokyo place police pressure on them, Nakajima underbosses, including Seiji Kataoka, are forced to renounce their criminal ways of life and dissolve their gangs. Flashforward to the next movie and Kataoka's working for Sakura as if nothing happened.
- I Have No Son!:
- In the first movie, yakuza goon doesn't take it too well when he finds out his wife, a prostitute, had a half-black baby with a client. He tries to smother the infant, which leads to his wife leaving him.
- When the police reveal to Sakura's wife that their younger daughter, Akiko has been arrested for narcotics possession in an attempt to make her talk, Mrs. Sakura answers with, "I have no daughter!"
- Sakura notably gives a cold shoulder to Makiko in the second movie and subjects Dr. Ichinomiya to a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown (or at least the equivalent of one, given his frail state and Ichinomiya isn't resisting) in the third.
- It's Personal: Why Kawanishi masterminded the Saipan robbery. While he has his own personal greviances against Oishi, Kanto Alliance thugs also shot up his sworn brother in a separate incident
- MacGuffin: The third movie has the bribery receipt Senator Gerald gives to Karita. It switches hands several times in the movie, before finally ending up with Sakura's son-in-law Dr. Ichinomiya, who burns it before he tries to kill Oishi.
- MacGuffin Title: An unusual variation. The whole series is about elderly yakuza bosses warring for the title of "Japan's Don".
- Made of Iron: Sakura survives several major heart attacks across the series, while one of Oishi's lackeys points out Oyama's own willpower in the third movie:Nine toes in the grave and he's still kicking! Amazing!
- Mafia Princess: Sakura and Oishi's daughters, naturally, as is Tenbo's wife. Makiko Sakura leans towards the brattier side of this trope, however.
- The Man Behind the Man: Sakura is this to the Nakajima Group; Oishi to the Kanto Alliance. Oyama has also been this for every major politician and Oishi himself in the series.
- Minor Crime Reveals Major Plot: The bribery case in the third film opens up the floodgates to Oishi's illegal activities.
- Morality Pet:
- Sakura has his wife and both his daughters.
- In Yabohen, Matueda gets one in the form of Naoko Koji, a madam he recruits to run a high-class club in Tokyo. They end up becoming lovers.
- In Kanketsuhen Oishi is revealed to have a wife and a teenage daughter.
- Mutual Kill: In the third movie's ending, Dr. Ichinomiya gets stabbed by a young bartender trying to impress Oishi, but the doctor kills him with his last bullet.
- Number Two: Sakoda, Kataoka, Matsueda, and Kawanishi all serve as this at various points in time to Sakura.
- Old Soldier: Oishi served with the kempeitai during the war.
- Politically Incorrect Villain:
- A goon doesn't react well when his prostitute wife has a black baby in the first film.
- Sakura isn't too welcoming of his daughter hooking up with American drifter Al Sanders in Yabohen, and he goes so far to call roulette "faggy" while calling tehonbikinote a "real game" in Kanketsuhen.
- Post-Victory Collapse: In Kanketsuhen Sakura dies of a heart attack after Oyama's death and Oishi is in jail.
- Quick Draw: Oishi's Number Two outdraws Shinsuke Tenbo at the climax of the second film when he tries to kill their boss. Somehow, he survives.
- Red Baron: The title of "Japanese Godfather" is hotly contested by Sakura and Oishi.
- Rank Up: In the first film, Matsueda the Number Two to Sakura's Number Two, Tatsumi. By the second film, he's taken Tatsumi's place. By the third film, Shunshuke Tenbo's Expy, Akira Kawanishi, now serves in this capacity.
- Revenge Before Reason: Sort of. Dr. Ichinomiya in the climax of the third film decides to ask Oishi to kill him his father-in-law dies, but not out of vengeance. He gets shot up by his bodyguards and getting stabbed by the bartender.
- Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves:
- Happens once per movie. Tatsumi, Kataoka, and Kawanishi all get executed in their respective films after trying to betray Sakura. The Tatsumi's crime was for trying to dissolve his gang, Kataoka and Kawnaishi for trying to defect to Sakura's rivals.
- Matsueda executes a Nakajima goon for having slept with Makiko Sakura in the first film.
- The Rival: Oishi, to Sakura.
- Secretly Dying:
- Tatsumi seems to be suffering from heart disease in the first movie. Dr. Ichinomiya eventually kills him to preserve the honor of his father-in-law after Tatsumi leads the gang into hot water.
- Oyama has stomach cancer in the third film, while Sakura is battling heart disease across the trilogy. The latter eventually succumbs to it, while Oyama is killed off by Dr. Ichinomiya.
- Short-Lived Leadership: Sakura rules as "the don of Japan" for about a few days before succumbing to a fatal heart attack.
- Truth in Television:
- In Yabohen, the aftermath of the Nakajimas' failed attempt to invade the Kanto region in the first film have left them in severe need of reorganization. Indeed, the Yamaguchi-gumi were on the verge of being disassembled in the 1960s due to an increased police crackdown, but the gang managed to reconstitute itself thanks to Kazuo Taoka and the efforts of its underbosses.
- Kanketsuhen sees the Kanto Alliance attempt to expand their operations to Saipan with the intent of turning it into a gambling hub. Historically, the yakuza have indeed expanded to Saipan and other Pacific Islands, using them as drug-running fronts. In fact, one of the Kanto Alliance's real-life counterparts, the Inagawa-kai, were the first yakuza syndicate to go overseas, though in an odd case of
Life Imitates Art, they only started to ramp this up long after the movies came out.
- Undying Loyalty: Sakura's lieutenants are this to him in general. Except for when they're forced by the police to dissolve their gangs or decide to defect to his rivals. The only one who remains loyal is Matsueda, who commits suicide after his plans fail.
- Unholy Matrimony: The Nakajima Group teams up with the Abe Company in the first film to dominate the Tokyo rackets, and is juxtaposed with the marriage of Sakura's daughter. It later goes downhill when Abe later starts working with the Kinjo Clan and then deny having enabled the Nakajimas to invade Tokyo under police questioning.
- The Vamp: Played with in regards to Naoko Koji from Yabohen. She never does actively betray Sakura unlike her male associates, but she does leave Matsueda to commit suicide after their schemes fail.
- Victory by Endurance: Oishi outlives both Sakura and Oyama to be crowned as ruler of the yakuza world.
- Villain Protagonist: As expected since the cast is chock full of yakuza and their associates.
- Villains Out Shopping: Makiko in the first is seen buying dresses for herself; Matsueda and Naoko in Yabohen are seen going out on dates in between their scheming.
- We Can Rule Together:
- In the first film, Kikuo Oyama offers Sakura in joining Eizo Iwami an all-yakuza alliance he's envisioned to fight communism, but Sakura turns him down.
- Then in Kanketsuhen, when Oishi comes under fire after the Saipan incident, Oyama offers ambitious Nakajima underboss Akira Kawanishi a role as his Number Two after they finish off Sakura. Kawanishi appears eager to accept, but Oyama dies, Oishi goes free, and Kawanishi is later killed for his treachery.
- Worthy Opponent: For all their bad blood against each other, both Sakura and Oishi both have a healthy dose of respect for each other and are likewise very civil when they meet face-to-face.
- Xanatos Speed Chess: The second film has Oishi and Sakura doing this to each other, with Oyama Batman Gambiting both all the way in the third. It's Oishi who ends up winning.
- Yakuza: Another Toei-produced yakuza film saga in the vein of Battles Without Honor and Humanity.
- Yamato Nadeshiko: Sakura's wife, despite being a background character, has hints of this when she refuses to give her husband up under police interrogation in the first film.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Happens several times across the trilogy. Tatsumi, Sakoda, and even the entire Nakajima organization in the first, Kataoka and Matsueda in the second; Kawanishi, Karita, and his son in the third.
- You're Not My Father: Oishi's daughter, Atsuko, in the third movie, writes a letter condemning her father to the police after he had her boyfriend killed.
