Hanabishi-kai Civil War

The Hanabishi-kai Civil War was a major gang war within the Hanabishi-kai Gokudo group in Yamatai. Occurring between 2012 and 2013, the civil war saw the Hanabishi-kai splitting into three main factions in the aftermath of the conflict. Over 43 people were killed during the war due to gang violence.

By 2012, the Tojo-kai and the Yomei Alliance were the biggest subsidiaries of the Hanabishi-kai, with the Sanno-kai following closely behind. The gang war was triggered in early 2012 when a civilian (the term used by Gokudo to refer to non-Gokudo, who are forbidden to be harmed in Gokudo conflicts) security guard, Takayama Enjirō, was accidentally killed during a drug deal being brokered with Yeongseonin gangsters by the Masuzoe-gumi, a Tojo-kai subsidiary. The Masuzoe Ichiro, the patriarch of the Masuzoe-gumi, was carrying out a favour for Fuse Shigeru, the patriarch of the Yomei Alliance. However, Fuse allowed Masuzoe to be arrested by the authorities, sparking a major dispute within the Hanabishi-kai leadership between the Tojo-kai and Yomei Alliance factions.

Subsequently, the Yomei Alliance's subsidiary Koshimizu-gumi began to move in on the weakened Masuzoe-gumi's territory in Niihama, sparking a turf war between the Tojo-kai and the Yomei Alliance and allegations that Fuse Shigeru had planned the whole situation to gain territory. The Tojo-kai and its subsidiaries were able to gain the upper hand in the war, when in July a hit was carried out on a Tojo-kai wedding by the Yomei Alliance, critically wounding Funaki Tetsushi, the patriarch of the Tojo-kai. The Yomei Alliance then began an offensive to drive the Tojo-kai out of Niihama.

The Tojo-kai and the Sanno-kai formed an alliance to oppose the Yomei Alliance in Niihama. In January 2013, Fuse Shigeru was assassinated, throwing the Yomei Alliance into chaos. In this context, the Heian-based Inugane-gumi began to enter Niihama, absorbing several smaller Yomei Alliance families and muscling in on abandoned Tojo-kai turf. A truce was called in order to oppose the Inugane-gumi's expansion.

In June 2013, Iwami Takeru, the leader of the Hanabishi-kai, stepped down from his position and accepted responsibility for the gang war, officially ending the gang war.