To live and die by the sword is a life honoured throughout most of the world, and no place is it respected more than in Japan. Tales of this ancient land are filled with noble samurai and pious monks who fought with honour to protect the helpless and vanquish evil. But history is never so black and white, and even in this land of heroes there are those whose lives are far more grey than we might care to admit.

In the slums and back streets of 17th century Edo, the great city which would one day be named Tokyo, a new type of warrior was gaining infamy. Warriors who came from the lowest rung of Japan's crushing social order and who many would name as criminals. In this week's episode of the Cloak and Dagger podcast, we explore the origins of Japan's infamous criminal syndicates, the Yakuza.

If you want to see this episode’s accompanying images, bonus facts and a sneak peek of upcoming assassinations, follow us on Instagram - @cloakanddaggerpodcast 

Music:

Positive Fat Bass Intro Loop by WinnieTheMoogLink: https://filmmusic.io/song/6093-positive-fat-bass-intro-loop
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license