This is the true story, as told to the doctor who looked after him just before he died, of the life of one of the last traditional yakuza in Japan. It wasn't a "good" life, in either sense of the word, but it was an adventurous one; and the tale he has to tell presents an honest and oddly attractive[...]

Written by one of Japan's leading psychiatrists, this is a penetrating exploration of the Japanese character. It offers an analysis of the Japanese group ethic and of the origins of Japanese anti-individualism. A leading psychiatrist offers not only the most satisfying explanation of Japanese behavi[...]