Information about Yubitsume

Yubitsume (Japanese 指詰め, literally, "finger shortening") is a Japanese ritual to atone for offenses to another, a way to be punished or to show sincere apology to another, by means of amputating portions of one's own little finger. It is almost exclusively performed by the Yakuza, the prominent Japanese criminal organization.

The act of committing yubitsume is also referred to as yubi o tobasu. Meaning, he "made his finger fly".

Origin

The ritual is thought to have originated with the bakuto, itinerant gamblers who were predecessors of the modern Yakuza. If a person was unable to pay off a gambling debt, yubitsume was sometimes considered as an alternate form of repayment.

In Japanese swordsmanship, the pinky fingers' grip is the tightest on the hilt. A pinky-amputee was therefore unable to grip his sword properly, weakening him in battle.

Details of Yubitsume

To perform yubitsume, one lays down a small clean cloth and the person performing the ritual lays their hand onto the cloth facing down. Using an extremely sharp knife or Tantō, the person cuts off the portion of his left pinky finger above the top knuckle on the finger or the tip of the finger. He then wraps the severed portion in the cloth his hand was resting on and submits the "package" very graciously to his oyabun (boss), who also is referred to as a kumicho (Godfather).

If more offenses are committed, then the person moves on to the next joint of the finger to perform yubitsume. More infractions could mean removing portions of the right pinky finger when no more joints of the left finger remain. In some cases being expelled from a yakuza gang might be accompanied by the person being expelled having to perform the yubitsume ritual.

The finger of the yakuza directly responsible for an offense is called an iki yubi, "living finger", while the finger of the yakuza that is directly in charge of him is called a shinu yubi, "dead finger".

Yubitsume in culture

A yubitsume scene is a staple of Japanese Yakuza-eiga, or Yakuza movies.

One American film in which the ritual appears is Black Rain, starring Andy Garcia and Michael Douglas. The 1975 film The Yakuza, starring Robert Mitchum, also has a memorable yubitsume scene.

Yubitsume was portrayed in a more humorous (if perhaps less accurate) light in a skit on the TV show Saturday Night Live. The skit featured an American character, played by Chris Farley, who unwittingly went on a game show while on vacation in Japan. Not speaking Japanese, the protagonist was horrified to see the other two contestants that incorrectly answered a question have a finger chopped off as a penalty.

The Yubitsume ritual is also seen in the movie Showdown in Little Tokyo, starring Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee, and Shimotsuma Monogatari (Kamikaze Girls in the United States), where the main character's father took a portion of the money for his family. He then proclaims, "Not that one, that's my piano playing finger!"

There is a similar scene in the movie, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance.

In the 2006 movie , Matthew Pritchard has the end of his little finger on his right hand cut off in Japan with a cigar cutter.

Michael Slade's novel Kamikaze has many instances of yubitsume as a punishment for failing the kumicho (Godfather) of the local Yakuza.

External links

• Yubitsume