Yakuza

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The term Yakuza comes from a Japanese game, Oicho-Kabu. The worst hand in the game is a set of eight, nine and three. In traditional Japanese forms of counting, these numbers are called Ya, Ku and Sa, thus the origin of the word yakuza. The yakuza took this name because the Ya-Ku-Za hand requires the most skill and, obviously, the best luck in order to win. The name was also used because it signified bad fortune, presumably for anyone who went up against the group.