In the Japanese yakuza, which enjoys a greater official tolerance than its Sicilian counterpart, ikka (family) names are not determined by the name of the boss; they have an openly acknowledged significance and are transmitted through a succession system which rules out sons as heirs (Iwai 1986). In the mafia, by contrast, the reputation of a firm often depends on customers' knowing who occupies the key positions and seldom, at least in Sicily, reaches a point where the name of a family generates credibility irrespective of who carries it. The name of a family is also the name of its head. As Buscetta explained in court, "The Inzerillo family still exists, but it changed its name. It is no longer Inzerillo; the head of the family is Buscemi" (TB-GdS, April 6, 1986).

XREF: Contrasts with how corporate reputation attaches to individuals in Western institutions, and echoes the distinction between institutional and personal legitimacy studied in political science.

Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Busi…, loc. 168