Sumiyoshi-kai
The daimon of the Sumiyoshi-kai
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| Founded | 1958 |
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| Founder | Matsugoro Ito |
| Founding location | Tokyo, Japan |
| Territory | Tokyo |
| Membership | 20,000 (est.) |
The Sumiyoshi-kai (住吉会?), sometimes referred to as the Sumiyoshi-rengo (住吉連合 Sumiyoshi-rengō?, "Sumiyoshi Union"), is the second-largest yakuza group in Japan with an estimated 20,000 members.
Their territories mainly consist of upscale districts such as Kabukichō and Ginza. Shops operating in these territories are often part of protection rackets in which they must pay a fee called a mikajime-ryou (みかじめ料?). The Sumiyoshi-kai is a confederation of smaller gangs. Its current sosai, or president, is Shigeo Nishiguchi. Structurally, the Sumiyoshi-kai differs from its main rival, the Yamaguchi-gumi. The Sumiyoshi-kai, as a federation, has a looser chain of command and although Nishiguchi is still the supreme Godfather, he shares some powers with several other men.
The group has a complex history, with numerous name changes along the way. It was founded in 1958 as the Minato-kai (港会) by Shigesaku Abe who was the 3rd sōchō (総長?, "Supreme Leader") of the Sumiyoshi-ikka. Yoshimitsu Sekigami who is 4th socho of Sumiyoshi-ikka renamed it to Sumiyoshi-kai. It was received the control of power, and dissolved in 1965.
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