In the male-dominated world of Japanese yakuza, women never have names; they can only be "the boss's woman," appendages, and those being protected, never "decision-makers." But one woman broke this unwritten rule: Nishimura Mako, now in her fifties! Martina Baradel, a scholar at Oxford University, wrote an article specifically about her legendary life!
Mako Nishimura was born into a bureaucratic family. Her father was strict and disciplined, and the rebellious girl ran away from home during middle school. During her adolescence, she began associating with street gangs, eventually officially entering the yakuza world at the age of 20. In the yakuza, Nishimura learned to fight, collect debts, and deal drugs. She even cut off her own finger as atonement according to gang rules, just to prove that women could also have the aura of the yakuza. "They always looked down on women! Once, when I was sent to fight, the other side laughed when they saw I was a woman. At that moment, I vowed never to be looked down upon again."
As for why she cut off her little finger, Mako Nishimura recalled that it was related to being caught using drugs. "Although our group had a rule against drug use, there were actually a lot of drug addicts in the group. After the group leader found out, I, as a representative of the drug addicts, cut off my little finger to apologize! After all, I had been using drugs since I was 16!"
In a branch of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest yakuza group, Mako Nishimura made a name for herself with her ruthlessness and courage. She had large tattoos on her body and underwent the yakuza symbolic "sakazuki" ceremony—a sacred ceremony that recognizes members as "family" and symbolizes a bond of life and death. This made her the only officially recognized female member in the history of the Japanese yakuza.
Between the ages of 20 and 30, Mako Nishimura was at the pinnacle of power, leading her organization's drug smuggling and transportation operations. However, she also became addicted to drugs, accumulated debts, was forced to flee, and was eventually expelled from the gang.
Later, Mako Nishimura fell in love with a member of a rival gang and became pregnant. She attempted to return to a "normal life," striving to be a responsible mother and hoping to become a medical or nursing professional, but was repeatedly rejected because of her numerous tattoos. Driven by life's hardships, she returned to the yakuza, dealing drugs and engaging in prostitution to survive. "I wanted to be a good mother, but society wouldn't let me be an 'ordinary person'."
Furthermore, Mako Nishimura's marriage was also fraught with difficulties. She suffered domestic violence at the hands of her ex-husband, and after the divorce, he retained custody of both of their sons.
At the age of 40, Mako Nishimura returned to the yakuza world, only to find it vastly different from what it once was. Since the 1990s, the Japanese government had enacted the "Organized Crime Countermeasures Law" and the "Organized Crime Exclusion Ordinance," significantly restricting the space for yakuza to operate. Businesses and individuals avoided them like the plague. "Before, companies were willing to do business with us, but now, if they find out we have dealings with them, the whole company will be in trouble."
Mako Nishimura reconnected with her former gang leader and rejoined his ranks. Two years later, however, she discovered he was no longer the same and decided to leave, officially bidding farewell to the yakuza world.
Now, Mako Nishimura sports blonde hair and tattoos covering her arms and neck. She works odd jobs on construction sites while leading the "Gifu Branch of the Gonin-kai"—a rehabilitation group comprised of former yakuza members. They assist ex-gang members and those released from prison in reintegrating into society, providing accommodation, employment, and psychological support. "I'm starting to think like a normal person now! Being able to do things for others has helped me regain my confidence and makes me more positive every day."
Mako Nishimura wrote her autobiography, documenting her transformation from a yakuza leader to an ordinary worker. She confessed that becoming an "ordinary person" was the greatest redemption of her life. "I hope to make this place a safe haven, where they feel more comfortable with the Gonin-kai friends than with their yakuza brothers."
At the end of the article, Baladel exclaimed, "Mako Nishimura is the only female member in the history of yakuza who has broken through gender boundaries and been truly recognized." Her experience is not just a biography of crime and repentance, but also a woman's resistance against the limits of patriarchy.
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