The is a yakuza

Yakuza

, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...

 organization based in Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. The Matsuba-kai is a designated yakuza group with an estimated 1,500 active members and 600 semi-active members.

History

The group was formed in 1936 in Sumida, Tokyo

Sumida, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It calls itself Sumida City in English.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 240,296 and a density of 17,480 persons per km²...

 as a construction company named the by bakuto

Bakuto

Bakuto were itinerant gamblers in Japan from the 18th century to the mid-20th century. They were one of the forerunners of the modern Japanese crime gangs known as yakuza....

 Masaru Sekine. In 1946 they were involved in the 1946 Shibuya incident

Shibuya incident

The was a violent confrontation which occurred in between rival gangs near the Shibuya Station in Tokyo, Japan. The years after World War II saw Japan as a defeated nation and the Japanese people had to improvise in many aspects of daily life. In the chaos of the post-war recovery large and very...

 were they fought for control of the local black markets. The Sekine-gumi rapidly expanded, but in 1947 many members were arrested by GHQ

Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers

Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the Occupation of Japan following World War II...

 for firearms possession, resulting in the group being forced into disbanding. The group officially restarted in 1953 with the name "Matsuba-kai". The Matsuba-kai was registered as a designated yakuza group under the Organized Crime Countermeasures Law in 1994.

Condition

Based in Asakusa

Asakusa

is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, most famous for the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals.- History :...

, Taito, Tokyo

Taito, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Taito City.As of April 1, 2011, the ward has an estimated population of 168,909, with 94,908 households, and a population density of 16,745.86 persons per km². The total area is 10.08 km².-History:The ward was founded...

, the Matsuba-kai has its known offices in nine other prefectures including Hokkaido

Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...

. The Matsuba-kai is a member of a bakuto

Bakuto

Bakuto were itinerant gamblers in Japan from the 18th century to the mid-20th century. They were one of the forerunners of the modern Japanese crime gangs known as yakuza....

 fraternal federation named the Kanto Hatsuka-kai, along with four other Kanto-based yakuza syndicates, the Sumiyoshi-kai

Sumiyoshi-kai

The , sometimes referred to as the , is the second-largest yakuza group in Japan with an estimated 20,000 members.The Sumiyoshi-kai is a confederation of smaller gangs. Its current sosai, or president, is Shigeo Nishiguchi. Structurally, the Sumiyoshi-kai differs from its main rival, the...

, the Inagawa-kai

Inagawa-kai

The is the third largest of Japan's yakuza groups, with approximately 15,000 members. It is based in the Kanto region, and was one of the first yakuza organizations to begin operating overseas.-History:...

, the Toa-kai, and the Soai-kai

Soai-kai

The is a yakuza organization based in Chiba, Japan. The Soai-kai is a designated yakuza group with an estimated 230 active members.-History:The Soai-kai was formed in 1945 by Toramatsu Takahashi, then a member of a Yokohama-based bakuto group named the Sasada-ikka...

.

In the early 2000's the Matsuba-kai was involved in a violent feud with the rival Kyokuto-kai

Kyokuto-kai

The is a yakuza organization based in Tokyo, Japan. The Kyokuto-kai is a designated yakuza group with an estimated 1,200 active members.-History:The Kyokuto-kai was registered as a designated yakuza group under the Organized Crime Countermeasures Law in July 1993....

, which led to a number of shootings.

The gang gained some international prominence in early 2005, when it was revealed that the Urayasu-based cleaning company contracted to Tokyo Disney Resort

Tokyo Disney Resort

is a theme park and vacation resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, just east of Tokyo. It is owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company with a license from The Walt Disney Company. The resort opened on April 15, 1983, as a single theme park , but developed into a resort with two theme...

 was run by a member of the Matsuba-kai, Saburo Shiga. Another brush with fame came in the 1980s when the gang was caught smuggling 12 kilos of heroin into Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

.