then-acting boss of Yamaguchi and Watanabe's main rival, formally exchanged cups. Great Hanshin Earthquake On January 17, 1995 a powerful earthquake struck Japan. Yoshinori Watanabe's house and headquarters, the Castle, seemed not to be damaged by the quake, but one of Yoshinori Watanabe's office buildings was destroyed. Yoshinori Watanabe ordered his affiliates to provide food and water to the needy, but it is believed that the yakuza forced businesses to provide them food and water at discounted price or even for free. After the quake, the Yamaguchi Gumi bought a lot of the land in Kobe for very cheap because many of the owners could not afford to pay for the reconstruction. The reconstruction of Kobe cost more than 120 billion dollars. Yamaguchi Gumi was active in the construction industry of Kobe before the earthquake. It is believed that the Yoshinori Watanabe was the largest beneficiary of the earthquake because of his organization's extensive links in the Kobe construction industry. Because of the nature of the business, it is very difficult to prosecute someone for illegal practices in the construction industry. Personal life He was born in Tochigi Prefecture in 1941, and had five siblings. He moved to Tokyo after graduating from high school. While in Tokyo, Watanabe Yoshinori made noodles. After two years of making noodles, he moved to Kobe, where he joined the Yamaken Gumi, one of many gangs that are part of the Yamaguchi Gumi Yakuza. He was very private as kumicho, giving no media interviews. His interests were golf, weight-lifting, jogging, and Chinese history. References Yakuza members Yamaguchi-gumi 1941 births Japanese crime bosses 2012 deaths People from Tochigi Prefecture People from Kobe