Yakuza – getting under the tattoos
Written by Peter
I saw this photo on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme website. It’s one of a series of photographs of the Japanese Yakuza, taken over a period of two years by photographer Anton Kusters. I was struck by the caption, presumably put on the image by the BBC, which suggested that that the photographer’s trip to a strip-club with his subjects was an indication of the level of trust that he had managed to build up with them. My reaction was scepticism – do pictures of faceless tattooed gangsters in a strip-club really add up to evidence of mutual trust?
The photos in the gallery, like the one above, are cinematic and rather beautiful. But they seemed to me to confirm my stereotypical view of the Yakuza, rather than give me any sort of privileged insight. There are shots of sharp-suited gangsters with fully or partially occluded faces, neon streets, dimly lit tattoo parlours and missing fingers. The photos seem to be a glorification of the western view of the dark exoticism of the oriental world. I can see why the subjects would be happy to have the work out there. It’s a strikingly shot hagiography of their lives.
I’ve checked out the photographer’s website. He’s produced a limited edition book of the work. I think the quality of the photography and production values of the book are extremely high and I can see why it’s sold out. But I don’t think the way the project has been presented, including by the BBC, is particularly rigorous. The photographer may well have developed a deep relationship of trust with this Yakuza gang over a period of years, but the photographs don’t suggest that level of access to me. If you go in deep to cover a secretive and contentious organisation surely you have to challenge the subjects and ask the difficult questions before you can call it a success? I just can’t see much evidence of that in the photographic output.
‘Tokyo Vice’ by Jake Adelstein is an entertaining read for a messy and morally nuanced picture of the both the Yakuza and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police.
Discussion (8 Comments)
it is strong work indeed, and the book offers more then just the cliches/stereotypes, but as usual in any media coverage of this work: they choose the gangsta stereotype visual..
Hi Bruno,
I don’t get why the media is to blame here? Surely they can only choose the ‘gangsta stereotype visual’ if it exists in the work and if it is offered to them by Anton? The same with the captions?
I like the work a lot too, but this caption did make me laugh. Especially when you compare the work to Rodiguez or Wheatley’s work on gangs. It just seems the wrong way to be selling it as a form of in-depth journalism which the pictures on show struggle to justify.
I have ordered the 2nd edition of ODO YAKUZA TOKYO which is due to be shipped at the end of this month. I think it would be only fair to offer my opinion on the book after actually reading it. As I understand it, ODO YAKUZA TOKYO is not limited to a book and its Kusters intention for it to be a multi-media documentary piece. Perhaps when the film/video rears its head, the work will seem more complete.
I will, of course, update after reading/viewing the book.
Thanks – yes will be interested to hear what you think of the book when you get your hands on it. I’d like to know whether the work delivers the journalistic edge that it seems to be promising.
I have to agree with your assesment here.
The photos I have seen from Kuster’s project (admittedly not all of them) are beautiful and cinematic.
It will be interesting to see the multi-media piece too when it appears.
However, as a photographer who lives in Tokyo and has met countless Yakuza and spent extended periods in Kabukicho (the Yakuza red-light district in Tokyo’s Shinjuku) I am at a slight loss to see what Kuster’s photos show that could not be achieved in a few weeks spent in Kabukicho.
The Yakuza, unlike my experience of gangsters in other countries are suprisingly personable, if you don’t f*&k with them they don’t f&*k with you. You can talk to them quite happily on the streets and especially if one shows the correct level of “respect” it is easy enough to get them to show (and allow you to photograph) their maimed hands and tattoos.
I look forward to seeing if the full project reveals anything new or shows me some evidence of the closesness and trust that Kuster’s was shown, above and beyond that which is easily achieveable by almost anyone with a little street smart and some time to spend in Kabukicho.
I do not mean to demean Anton’s work but I also feel that it really adds nothing new (from what I’ve seen) to my understanding of these violent gangsters who are so intrinsic a part of Japanese society.
Anton’s photos are great, absolutely great, I admire his work and I can imagine how hard it’s been to accomplish such essay. However, I must agree that the caption to this image it’s a total failure!! Quite frankly I don’t understand how/why did he write as it is. Being “so close” it’s a far-too-revealing factor, of which we could really do without. If and when this photo has a meaning or suggests us something, this shouldn’t be “how close the photographer got to his/her subject” as, in my opinion, this should be a “conditio sine qua non” – something necessary, before even starting considering any possible meaning of that given image, in this case -.
Why screaming out loud that you have become “so close”? Is “being so close” something to be proud of in such environment? Is Anton’s “being so close” influencing that bit of objectivity that I expect from documentary photography? Do I have to admire this set of pictures because their are “so close”? Is proximity (wether physical or conceptual) an absolute value to stress even in a caption?
Finally for me this image, without the caption, would have worth much much much more, and its intensity never required such a personal explicit, and IMO redundant, caption.
I agree. The photographs will either represent the level of trust that the photographer built with his or her subjects or they won’t. But that’s a decision for the viewer to make. Being told it in a caption is unnecessary and in this case jarring – because the photographs seem out of sync with the words.
I find this project a little disappointing. They are nice images in terms of colour and composition, but they are very timid. He doesn’t take many pictures of faces, which I think is a shame. As a viewer I want to get to know the yakuza, the characters, the expressions, the vitality. As Uchujin says, many of the yakuza are not bothered about being photographed, so shooting as Anton does simply propagates to myth that these guys are intimidating. Unless you get on the wrong side of them, they are perfectly friendly. I think if you are going to do a project, it should be done properly. This is a waste of a good opportunity.