In Japan, certain families upheld traditions centered on martial discipline, ritual loyalty, and secrecy—values woven into local clan ceremonies and esoteric Shintō rites. Dragon symbols played a key role in coastal rituals and rain-making ceremonies, representing ancestral strength, purity, and power. These customs were passed down through rural communities, carried later into cities and abroad.
By 1901, the Gen’yōsha (“Black Ocean Society”) had emerged, founded by former samurai and traditionalists led by Mitsuru Tōyama. Shortly after, Uchida Ryōhei created the Kokuryūkai (“Black Dragon Society”). These groups were known for their disciplined training, coded loyalty, and secretive alliances—an underground legacy of ritual and discipline.
During WWII, Japanese Americans were imprisoned at camps like Manzanar. Within the camp, youth groups united into what became known as the Manzanar Kuroryūkai ("Manzanar Black Dragons"). Though their early acts were petty—raiding rations, harassing others—they fostered a strong internal code and solidarity.
Following internment, some of these groups formed street-level crews in California, carrying forward the code of loyalty and solidarity forged in the camps. In San Fierro, descendants of these men organized into crews rooted in shared history and survival ethos. In early 20th‑century Japan, a family tradition grounded in secrecy, discipline, and loyalty took root — values quietly carried across the Pacific over generations.
Eiburī Saitō was born into a family tied to this legacy. Growing up in San Fierro among the Nisei Boys, a name given to second-generation Japanese Americans born in the U.S., she inherited some of their discipline, silence, and streetwise awareness.
This thread will follow the character development of Avery Saito.
