was a famous yakuza and entrepreneur. He is considered a folk hero in Japan. Born , he was adopted by his uncle Jirohachi Yamamoto who was a rice wholesaler. Due to the fall of his adoptive family he became a bakuto (gambler) and thereafter the biggest yakuza boss of the Tōkaidō region. Jirochō was also a philanthropist, business leader, and a patriot. In the late 19th century, Jirochō dominated the port of Shimizu and two main routes; Tōkaidō and Nakasendō, which connected the two former capitals, Kyoto and Edo. He had henchmen such as Omasa (大政), Komasa (小政), and Mori no Ishimatsu (森の石松). His life is distinguished as a violent crime boss, but also by humane, political, and economic development in his later years. There are multiple accounts about his life which makes it difficult to distinguish fact from legend. His legendary status is depicted in many movies and TV dramas.
Early life
Jirochō's birth name was Chōgorō Yamamoto (山本 長五郎). He was born on February 14, 1820, south of the Tōkaidō post office in Ejiri-juku in Suruga Province, Udogun county (有渡郡) (now Shizuoka (city), Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka). He was the second son of boat owner and ferry captain Takagi Miuemon (高木 三右衛門), who worked along the Tomoe River. There are no records of his mother. There is a Japanese superstition that newborn babies on the first day of the lunar year will either become great geniuses or hopeless villains. His parents didn't want to take risks and gave him up for adoption.
His maternal uncle Jirohachi Yamamoto had no biological children and adopted Chōgorō. Jirohachi was a komedon-ya (:ja:米問屋) (rice wholesaler, middleman-merchant dealing in rice) and the owner of a shop. Since there was a child named "Cho" (official name is unknown) among his childhood friends, the nearby people called him Jirochō. The name Jirochō is an abbreviation of "Jirohachi's Chōgorō". Years later he was still called Jirochō. Jirochō was a naughty child who frequently broke the rules. At the age of 15, he asked his adoptive father Jirohachi for permission to go to Edo (now Tokyo), but was refused, and then he stole money from his father and fled. According to rumors, the real reason for Jirochō's escape to Edo was because he had killed a man who asked him to give back money he had borrowed, and then threw the body into a river.
The Port of Shimizu (清水港) had ship transportation of rice for annual tribute (nengu, 年貢) from the Shinano and Kai provinces to Edo on ships through the Fuji River. There were privileged cargo vessel suppliers who collected commissions. Jirochō's Minowa-cho was a newly opened area in Shimizu Minato (Port of Shimizu). His biological father, Miuemon, had a shipping company that transported goods by himself. In addition, since his adoptive father Jirohachi was a merchant who held a stock of rice brokerage, it is believed that Miuemon transported rice grains through Jirohachi.
After the death of his adoptive father Jirohachi in 1835, Jirochō returned and became the owner of the komedon-ya. He worked at the shop until he was 23 years old. However, he quickly returned to gambling. In March 1842, an intoxicated Jirochō was accosted by thieves at night while returning home from gambling. He vowed to never be an easy target to thugs again. In June 1842, he fought with a gambler and murdered him. This was the start of his yakuza career. Jirochō managed the family business with his wife, all while repeatedly gambling and fighting. This included revenge, murder, and living the life of a gangster. He built up his following, extended his influence, and fought over territories relating to the Fuji River and maritime transport. He was able to consolidate power over maritime transport from Shimizu Port to the Fuji River. He divorced his first wife after she gave birth to a child. Jirochō left with his apprentice Okuma Ejiri and became a drifter. He went to Mikawa Province (now Aichi Prefecture), studied kendo, and learned about business from his godfather Terazu no Manozuke. Jirochō traveled to various countries, practiced, expanded, grew, and established a yakuza syndicate in Minato Shimizu. The history of Jirochō in this era is detailed in "Tokai Yukyoden" (東海遊侠伝) by Guan Amada (天田愚庵). Amada was adopted by Jirochō in 1881.
