Yubitsume: ritualistic self-amputation of proximal digits Among the yakuza

Authors

  • Anand Bosmia Children's hospital, Birmingham AL
  • Christoph J. Griessenauer Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham
  • R. Shane Tubbs Children's hospital, Birmingham AL

Keywords:

amputation, digits, Japan

Abstract

Yubitsumeis the ritualistic self-amputation of the proximal digits at the distal interphalangeal joint (DIP) among members of the Japanese mafia, or yakuza.  This practice of self-mutilation is done as a sign of apology for making a mistake deemed punishable by higher-ranking members or violating the code of the yakuza.  Members of the yakuza may present to emergency departments seeking medical assistance to stop hemorrhage following self-amputation or to have the severed portion of the injured finger reattached. © 2013 KUMS, All rights reserved

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Published

2013-10-09

How to Cite

Bosmia, A., Griessenauer, C. J., & Tubbs, R. S. (2013). Yubitsume: ritualistic self-amputation of proximal digits Among the yakuza. Journal of Injury and Violence Research, 6(2), 54–56. Retrieved from https://jivresearch.org/jivr/index.php/jivr/article/view/489

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 2 (2014): JULY

Section

Commentary

License

Copyright.  In accordance with Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing (released June 20, 2003, available from: http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/bethesda.htm), all works published in JIVR are open access and are immediately available to anyone on the website of the journal without cost. JIVR is an open-access journal distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.