The Nishikiyama Family[a] (錦山組, Nishikiyama-gumi) is a subsidiary family of the Tojo Clan.
History[]
Background[]
The Nishikiyama family was first established in 1996 as a subsidiary of the Kazama Family after its first patriarch, Akira Nishikiyama was promoted within the organization. Initially, it was his oath brother Kazuma Kiryu who was supposed to be promoted and granted his own family, but after Kiryu took the fall for the murder of Dojima Family patriarch Sohei Dojima in 1995, Nishikiyama was granted the honor instead.
In 2000, the Nishikiyama Family branched away from the Kazama Family and became a direct subsidiary of the Tojo Clan. Matsushige originally served as the Family's captain, but he was murdered by Nishikiyama for his constant insubordination.
Yakuza/Yakuza Kiwami[]
By 2005, the Nishikiyama Family had become one of the three largest groups within the Tojo Clan, rivaled only by the Kazama Family and the Shimano Family. On December of that year, the Nishikiyama Family kickstarted a civil war within the Tojo Clan by disclosing the theft of the Tojo's 10 billion yen reserves from Toto Bank to the Clan's patriarchs and by assassinating the Clan's Third Chairman, Masaru Sera. In the ensuing weeks, the Nishikiyama Family would fight against the Shimano Family to try to recover the money and use it to secure Nishikiyama's position as the next Tojo Chairman.
Initially unbeknownst to either group, it was Kazama patriarch Shintaro Kazama and his ward; Yumi Sawamura, who'd stolen the money with permission from Chairman Sera. The 10 billion yen had been laundered with the help of Kyohei Jingu; the Director of the intelligence agency known as the MIA, and Jingu had appropriated the money to an account he controlled; essentially stealing the Tojo's reserves through financial trickery. Jingu had been using his control over these funds to coerce Sera into using the Tojo to aid the advancement of his political career, so Sera had the money stolen to remove Jingu's leverage.
After learning of this, Patriarch Nishikiyama made a deal with Jingu to recover the money together and split it in half. Both the Nishikiyama Family and the MIA made multiple attempts to capture Yumi's daughter, Haruka, in order to coerce her into giving them the money, but they were thwarted by Nishikiyama's oath brother, Kiryu, who'd been released from prison and become Haruka's protector through his own investigation into Yumi's disappearance.
Ultimately, Jingu would betray Nishikiyama by making another plot with the Go-Ryu Clan to take the money together and Nishikiyama would go on to repent for his crimes against Kiryu and Yumi by sacrificing himself to kill Jingu with a bomb atop the Millennium Tower. Following Nishikiyama's death, his captain, Koji Shindo, became the Second Patriarch of the Nishikiyama Family.
Yakuza 2[]
By 2006, following the disbanding of the Shimano Family; the Nishikiyama Family absorbed their remaining members to become the largest single group within the Tojo Clan.
During the Tojo-Omi War of 2006, Patriarch Shindo conspired with Omi Patriarch Toranosuke Sengoku to betray the Tojo Clan. While the Sengoku Family invaded Tokyo, Shindo and the Nishikiyama Family staged a coup at the Clan headquarters, taking the leadership hostage and executing those who refused to support Shindo and Sengoku's takeover. Ultimately, their plot failed, as the Majima Construction Company's forces helped repel Sengoku's goons in Kamurocho and Kiryu and Daigo Dojima stopped Shindo and his men at the Tojo HQ, resulting in Shindo's death.
Yakuza 3[]
By 2009, the family is led by its Third Patriarch, Tsuyoshi Kanda. Under Kanda, the Nishikiyama Family aggressively expanded its holdings in Kamurocho with assistance from Yoshitaka Mine, an expert financier who'd joined the Family before eventually branching out with his own group, the Hakuho Clan. They use the name "Nishikiyama Industries" as a front.
After Daigo Dojima is shot and hospitalized, Kanda sought to stage a coup and install himself as Seventh Chairman of the Clan. In order to do so he plotted to go to war with the Kazama Family, since he knew its Second Patriarch; Osamu Kashiwagi, would oppose any attempt to replace Daigo. Unfortunately for Kanda, his plots are foiled after he and his forces are defeated in battle by Kazuma Kiryu and Rikiya Shimabukuro, who attacked him at his base in the Red Brick Hotel while they investigated the attempt on Daigo's life.
Soon after, Kanda would be murdered by Mine to put a stop to his plans to take over the Tojo, since Mine intended to fulfill Daigo's ambitions of restoring the Tojo Clan to its former glory and Kanda's coup attempts impeded that. Following Kanda's death, the Nishikiyama Family would finally be disbanded.
Notable Members[]
- Akira Nishikiyama - 1st Patriarch (1996-2005)
- Koji Shindo - Captain (Unknown-2005) / 2nd Patriarch (2006)
- Tsuyoshi Kanda - 3rd Patriarch (2007-2009)
- Yoshitaka Mine - Captain (2007-2008)
- Hasebe - Captain (2008-2009)
- Shinji Tanaka - Lieutenant (2000-2005)
- Kazuto Arase - Sergeant (Unknown-2005)
- Matsushige - Member (1996-Unknown)
- Nishino - Member (Unknown-2009)
Trivia[]
- The Nishikiyama Family is strongly associated with the theme Intelligence for Violence, including its remixes (Ideal For Violence, Independence for Violence, Innocence for Violence).
- The Nishikiyama Family crest is a rebus monogram which spells out "Nishikiyama" (錦山) by using a triangular mountain drawing to represent the 山 (yama) kanji of the name Nishikiyama (since "yama" is Japanese for "mountain").