Inagawa-kai
The daimon of Inagawa-kai
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| Founded | 1949 |
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| Founder | Kakuji Inagawa |
| Founding location | Tokyo, Japan |
| Years active | 1949–present |
| Territory | Tokyo |
| Membership | 5,800 |
| Allies | The Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi |
| Rivals | Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi |
The Inagawa-kai (稲川会?) is the third largest of Japan's yakuza groups, with approximately 15,000 members. It is based in the Kantō region, and was one of the first yakuza organizations to begin operating overseas.
The Inagawa-kai was founded in Atami, Shizuoka in 1949 as the Inagawa-gumi (稲川組?) by Kakuji Inagawa. Most of its members were drawn from the bakuto (traditional gamblers), and illegal gambling has long been the clan's main source of income. It has also expanded into such fields as drug trafficking, blackmail, extortion, and prostitution.
The Inagawa-gumi was renamed the Inagawa-kai in 1972. After Kakuji Inagawa, the gang was led by Susumu Ishii, who led it to unprecedented financial prosperity during the 1980s Japanese bubble economy. At one point the clan's assets were estimated to be over $1.5 billion. After Ishii's death in 1990, Inagawa's son Toi Inagawa took over as kumicho and led the clan until his death in May 2005. Yoshio Tsunoda took up the mantle in 2006, heading the clan until his death in February 2010. Kazuo Uchibori may be next in line to lead the clan, but his status as a kyodaibun (blood brother) to Takeuchi Teruaki, a senior member of the Yamaguchi-gumi, may complicate things.
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