Ruehl, who were the “Black Dragons?
They were members of an ultranationalist Japanese secret faction known as “The Black Dragon Society”(also called “The Amur River Society” or Kokuryu-kai). Founded in 1895 by Ryohei Uchida, they set about achieving world dominance for their country through murder and warfare. Members typically dressed in long black overcoats and large oversized black hats, and even pasted false black beards on their chins! Dragons assassinated politicians who opposed Japanese expansion, often fanatically committing suicide after the nefarious deed, not unlike today’s terrorists. As their members gained political power, they first instigated the 1905 Russo-Japanese War, then later the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Many were tried for war crimes after WW2, but others formed the nucleus for the crime syndicate known as the Yakuza. The 1942 film, “Black Dragons,” depicted their (presumably fictional) plot to replace key American industrialists with society members who were transmogrified by a Nazi plastic su
