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Atsushi Mizoguchi

みぞぐち あつし

Mizoguchi Atsushi

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1942-07-05 （Asakusa, Tokyo (now Taito, Tokyo), Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki (raised) → Taito, Tokyo (birthplace, formerly Asakusa)

Career

Occupations
Non-fiction writer, Journalist
Active Years
1965-

Education

Waseda University
School of Political Science and Economics / Department of Economics
Year of Graduation: 1965
Country: Japan

Awards

Kodansha Non-Fiction Award
2003
Work: The Meat Industry King (Shokuniku no Teiō)
Organization: Kodansha
Result: winner
Japan Congress of Journalists Award
2003
Work: The Meat Industry King (Shokuniku no Teiō)
Organization: Japan Congress of Journalists
Result: winner
Editors' Choice Magazine Journalism Award
2003
Work: The Meat Industry King (Shokuniku no Teiō)
Organization: Editors' Choice Magazine Journalism Award Committee
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Yakuza (Boryokudan)

2011 Non-fiction

A nonfiction examination of Japanese organized crime, tracing history and recent developments based on field reporting. Discusses the rise of semi-gang groups ('hangure').

yakuzaorganized crimesocial issues

The Meat Industry King

2003 Non-fiction

An investigative account of a powerful figure in the meat industry, revealing the industry's inner workings and power dynamics. Received critical recognition in 2003.

business and capitalmeat industrypower and money

Bibliography

  • Blood and Conflict: Yamaguchi-gumi Document
  • The Rebel's Soul: Novel of Ōshio Heihachirō
  • The Meat Industry King: The Man Who Gained Great Wealth, Mitsuru Asada
  • Yakuza Collapse: The Erosion of the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi
  • Yakuza (Shinchō Shinsho)
  • Eat or Be Eaten: My Yamaguchi-gumi Experience

Adaptations

  • Minbō no Teiō (The People's Violence King) (film, 1993)
  • Butō no Teiō (The Warrior King) (film series, 1993–1995)
  • Shura no Teiō (The King of Carnage) (film, 1994)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
reportage styleconcise, field-based reporting
Recurring Motifs
yakuza conflictsstructures of power and moneythe realities of the underworld

Health

  • Stab wound (injury)
    1990
    He was stabbed and seriously injured near his workplace in Takadanobaba in 1990. Since then he has faced ongoing risks in his reporting.
  • Attack on family member (son injured)
    2006
    In 2006 his eldest son was attacked and seriously injured; the family filed a civil suit that resulted in a settlement. The incident had significant impact on the family's safety.

Legacy

As a leading authority on yakuza and organized crime in Japan, he is known for long-term field reporting and incisive nonfiction. His work contributed to popularizing the term 'hangure' (semi-gang groups).

In Popular Culture

  • Contributed to the spread/popularization of the term 'hangure' (semi-gangster groups)
  • Books on yakuza have been used as sources for films and manga

Quotes

  • It seems the best way to disinfect is to expose it to sunlight.
    Source: Personal motto cited in interviews and writings

Trivia

  • Birth name is Keizō Shimada.
  • He was seriously stabbed in the left back in 1990.
  • In 2003 he won multiple awards including the Kodansha Non-Fiction Prize for 'The Meat Industry King'.
  • In 2011 he helped define/popularize the term 'hangure' (semi-gang groups).