Eiko Maruko Siniawer is Associate Professor of History at Williams College.

Gamblers, ruffians, thugs, and yakuza have left a major imprint on contemporary Japanese politics and political style, and Siniawer tells their story well.(Journal of Asian Studies) In this important work, Eiko Maruko Siniawer argues very convincingly that violence, especially political violence, was a pervasive, highly influential, and nearly continuous force in Japan between the late Tokugawa age and the 1960s.(Japanese Studies) Siniawer's essential contention—that violence was a systemic, continuous feature of politics, which exerted a major impact on the nature of Japanese democracy—is demonstrated convincingly. Scholars inclined to emphasize the 'brighter side' of Japan's modern history may find this work troublesome. And that is a good thing.(Pacific Affairs)

• IntroductionPolitical Violence in Historiographical PerspectiveViolence, Violence Specialists, and PoliticsViolence and DemocracyApproaches to Comparative HistoryChapter 1. Patriots and Gamblers: Violence and the Formation of the Meiji StateShishi: Assassins, Rebels, PatriotsShishi Legacies in the Early Meiji PeriodBakuto: Outlaws, Robin Hoods, Local LeadersBakuto and the Meiji RestorationBakuto as Political Violence Specialists: The Freedom and People's Rights MovementChapter 2. Violent Democracy: Ruffians and the Birth of Parliamentary PoliticsFrom Activist to Ruffian: Soshi in the 1880sExporting Violence: Nationalist Tairiku Ronin across BordersParliamentary Politics and the Professionalization of SoshiState Violence and the Second General ElectionChapter 3. Institutionalized Ruffianism and a Culture of Political ViolenceThe Jiyuto Ingaidan and Its BossesThe Seiyukai Ingaidan in Party PoliticsCultures of Violence: Yakuza Bosses in Diet PoliticsChapter 4. Fascist Violence: Ideology and Power in Prewar JapanFascist IdeologiesFascist ViolenceThe Nationalist Nexus in the Metropole and BeyondViolence in the Decline of the Political PartiesChapter 5. Democracy Reconstructed: Violence Specialists in the Postwar PeriodThe Decline of Soshi and the Remaking of Ingaidan ViolenceViolence as a Political and Discursive Weapon in Diet Politics"Boryokudan" Redux: Yakuza and the Conservative Nexus1960: The Apogee of Postwar Violence SpecialistsCoda: Political Violence after 1960AfterwordViolence and DemocracyViolence, Fascism, MilitarismViolence Specialists and HistoryA Contemporary Perspective on Violent DemocracyGlossaryNotesBibliographyIndex

Eiko Maruko Siniawer is Associate Professor of History at Williams College.

Gamblers, ruffians, thugs, and yakuza have left a major imprint on contemporary Japanese politics and political style, and Siniawer tells their story well.(Journal of Asian Studies) In this important work, Eiko Maruko Siniawer argues very convincingly that violence, especially political violence, was a pervasive, highly influential, and nearly continuous force in Japan between the late Tokugawa age and the 1960s.(Japanese Studies) Siniawer's essential contention—that violence was a systemic, continuous feature of politics, which exerted a major impact on the nature of Japanese democracy—is demonstrated convincingly. Scholars inclined to emphasize the 'brighter side' of Japan's modern history may find this work troublesome. And that is a good thing.(Pacific Affairs)

• IntroductionPolitical Violence in Historiographical PerspectiveViolence, Violence Specialists, and PoliticsViolence and DemocracyApproaches to Comparative HistoryChapter 1. Patriots and Gamblers: Violence and the Formation of the Meiji StateShishi: Assassins, Rebels, PatriotsShishi Legacies in the Early Meiji PeriodBakuto: Outlaws, Robin Hoods, Local LeadersBakuto and the Meiji RestorationBakuto as Political Violence Specialists: The Freedom and People's Rights MovementChapter 2. Violent Democracy: Ruffians and the Birth of Parliamentary PoliticsFrom Activist to Ruffian: Soshi in the 1880sExporting Violence: Nationalist Tairiku Ronin across BordersParliamentary Politics and the Professionalization of SoshiState Violence and the Second General ElectionChapter 3. Institutionalized Ruffianism and a Culture of Political ViolenceThe Jiyuto Ingaidan and Its BossesThe Seiyukai Ingaidan in Party PoliticsCultures of Violence: Yakuza Bosses in Diet PoliticsChapter 4. Fascist Violence: Ideology and Power in Prewar JapanFascist IdeologiesFascist ViolenceThe Nationalist Nexus in the Metropole and BeyondViolence in the Decline of the Political PartiesChapter 5. Democracy Reconstructed: Violence Specialists in the Postwar PeriodThe Decline of Soshi and the Remaking of Ingaidan ViolenceViolence as a Political and Discursive Weapon in Diet Politics"Boryokudan" Redux: Yakuza and the Conservative Nexus1960: The Apogee of Postwar Violence SpecialistsCoda: Political Violence after 1960AfterwordViolence and DemocracyViolence, Fascism, MilitarismViolence Specialists and HistoryA Contemporary Perspective on Violent DemocracyGlossaryNotesBibliographyIndex

Eiko Maruko Siniawer is Associate Professor of History at Williams College.

Gamblers, ruffians, thugs, and yakuza have left a major imprint on contemporary Japanese politics and political style, and Siniawer tells their story well.(Journal of Asian Studies) In this important work, Eiko Maruko Siniawer argues very convincingly that violence, especially political violence, was a pervasive, highly influential, and nearly continuous force in Japan between the late Tokugawa age and the 1960s.(Japanese Studies) Siniawer's essential contention—that violence was a systemic, continuous feature of politics, which exerted a major impact on the nature of Japanese democracy—is demonstrated convincingly. Scholars inclined to emphasize the 'brighter side' of Japan's modern history may find this work troublesome. And that is a good thing.(Pacific Affairs)

• IntroductionPolitical Violence in Historiographical PerspectiveViolence, Violence Specialists, and PoliticsViolence and DemocracyApproaches to Comparative HistoryChapter 1. Patriots and Gamblers: Violence and the Formation of the Meiji StateShishi: Assassins, Rebels, PatriotsShishi Legacies in the Early Meiji PeriodBakuto: Outlaws, Robin Hoods, Local LeadersBakuto and the Meiji RestorationBakuto as Political Violence Specialists: The Freedom and People's Rights MovementChapter 2. Violent Democracy: Ruffians and the Birth of Parliamentary PoliticsFrom Activist to Ruffian: Soshi in the 1880sExporting Violence: Nationalist Tairiku Ronin across BordersParliamentary Politics and the Professionalization of SoshiState Violence and the Second General ElectionChapter 3. Institutionalized Ruffianism and a Culture of Political ViolenceThe Jiyuto Ingaidan and Its BossesThe Seiyukai Ingaidan in Party PoliticsCultures of Violence: Yakuza Bosses in Diet PoliticsChapter 4. Fascist Violence: Ideology and Power in Prewar JapanFascist IdeologiesFascist ViolenceThe Nationalist Nexus in the Metropole and BeyondViolence in the Decline of the Political PartiesChapter 5. Democracy Reconstructed: Violence Specialists in the Postwar PeriodThe Decline of Soshi and the Remaking of Ingaidan ViolenceViolence as a Political and Discursive Weapon in Diet Politics"Boryokudan" Redux: Yakuza and the Conservative Nexus1960: The Apogee of Postwar Violence SpecialistsCoda: Political Violence after 1960AfterwordViolence and DemocracyViolence, Fascism, MilitarismViolence Specialists and HistoryA Contemporary Perspective on Violent DemocracyGlossaryNotesBibliographyIndex