Yakuza is a transnational organized crime syndicate based in Japan. Also known as bōryokudan (violent groups), yakuza have a reputation for their strict codes of conduct, organized fiefdom nature, and several unconventional ritual practices such as yubitsume (amputation of the left little finger). Being the most sophisticated and wealthiest criminal, the male members of the gang are often portrayed wearing “sharp suits” with heavily tattooed bodies and slicked hair.
Although women of the Yakuza underworld seldom made it into the spotlight, they in fact are partners in the crime of their men and play an equal role in running the gang. Yakuza women are the shadow of the syndicate as very little is known about their stories that orbit around the criminal activities of male gangsters.
The mystery embedded in the lives of Yakuza women drew photographer Chloé Jafé to Japan where she initiated her most notable project “I give you my life”. Born in 1984, France, Chloé is an independent, interdisciplinary photographer. In 2013, she moved to Japan due to her personal interest in the secret lives of Yakuza women.
Chloé explains “I give you my life” as her longest and most intense project as it took her 6 years to document the lives of women in the Japanese mafia.
I had traveled to Japan and I was interested in the role of women in Japanese society. I realized that it was a project to which I had to be 200% committed. Before the project really started, there was a lot of waiting.
Chloé had to wait a long time, learn Japanese, and work as a bar hostess before she could infiltrate the mafia. When she finally met the boss, she showed him the proposal she had prepared and printed in order to explain her intentions clearly. The boss smiled and wondered why she wanted to focus on women. Then he told her that he knew a lot of people all over Japan and that he could help her.
“It was for me the beginning of a story that lasted over 6 years and that actually continues. Photographing their wives was much more complex because I had to gain the men’s trust first than of their wives. They don’t decide for themselves whether to be photographed or not.”
According to Chloé, the everyday life of a woman married to a member of the Yakuza is one of a typical Japanese housewife.
“The difference is that usually, the wife of a Yakuza will always be anxious to know whether her husband will come home at night.”
A woman cannot join Yakuza as an active member, however, women who have married members of the Yakuza are absolutely part of the group. Their role depends upon the hierarchical status of their men. A woman married to a Yakuza leader will have responsibilities related to the group.
The wife of the boss acts through the chef as she is a consultant and manages the finances. She works as the boss’s shadow. She walks by his side and knows everything. Her role is to look after the young recruits and advise the boss. If the boss goes to jail or dies, his wife takes over the group.
Despite absolutely being part of the syndicate, the wives usually have no previous connection to the underground world, they simply fell in love with a man that happened to be a gangster. Because of their husbands’ illegal occupations, wives tend to live in a closed community. Usually, they stay together between wives because they have to live a secret life.
All the women in the Yazuka mafia unite in their unreserved commitment to the Yakuza they “give their life” to the mob. It is this lifelong devotion that Jafé chose to reflect in her series titled “I give you my life.”
According to Chloé, getting access to this notoriously closed community wasn’t an easy task.
“I wanted to give a voice to these women, who don’t always get a chance to express themselves.”
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