Graveyard of Honor

Ishikawa assaults the Aoki gang within Kawada's Shinjuku territory, stealing money and establishing himself as a volatile force. The act triggers attention from rival Shinwa and deepens the looming yakuza tensions in Tokyo.

Ishikawa robs a Sangokujin gambling den alongside Imai, who later invites him to join his gang. After the robbery, Ishikawa hides his gun with the geisha Chieko, signaling his growing ties and leverage.

Upon release from jail, Ishikawa returns for his gun and rapes Chieko, further entangling his life with her. The act seeds a troubling personal dependency and sets off a chain of violent choices.

Ishikawa severely wounds Aoki in a club after finding him within Kawada's orbit, drawing a stern rebuke from Kawada who fears Shinwa retaliation. The confrontation tightens the grip of the rival families on Tokyo's underworld.

The Shinwa and Kawada families mobilize for a tense standoff, which Kawada ends up dispersing by paying the American Military Police. The event underscores the fragile balance of power and the costly methods used to maintain it.

Nozu loses the parliamentary race, and Kawada lectures Ishikawa, who retaliates by blowing up Nozu's car. The political angle intertwines with gang politics, escalating the violence.

Ishikawa is severely beaten and told to perform yubitsume; in a drunken rage he stabs Kawada and escapes, seeking refuge with Chieko before surrendering days later. The act seals his exile from the Tokyo yakuza for a time.

Banished from the Tokyo yakuza for ten years, Ishikawa retreats to Osaka where he dives into drugs and befriends Ozaki, a fellow addict. The move marks a descent into crime beyond the yakuza's direct rules.

A year and a half later, Ishikawa returns to Tokyo with Ozaki. Imai, now a family boss, urges him to quit, but Ishikawa refuses and attacks Imai with Ozaki before hiding. The feud rekindles old loyalties and rivalries.

Ishikawa holes up with Ozaki as police close in; he is detained and arrested and receives a ten year sentence, but bail is funded by Chieko while he appeals. The pursuit of justice intersects with personal debts and loyalties.

On bail, Ishikawa tries to pay respects to Imai's widow but is turned away. He cares for a gravely ill Chieko until she commits suicide, and he arranges a gravestone for three to honor the past lives tied to him.

Ishikawa asks Kawada for turf and money; when rebuffed he robs a Kawada family member, highlighting the broken trust and ongoing conflict with Kawada's faction. The act reinforces his status as a renegade member beyond control.

While injecting drugs in a cemetery, Kawada's men attack Ishikawa with swords; he survives, but his appeal fails and he is sent back to prison. The cycle of violence closes in on him from multiple directions.

Six years into the sentence, Ishikawa commits suicide by jumping from the prison. He leaves the note What a laugh! Thirty Years of Madness and is buried at the gravestone he prepared for three, which also lists Imai.