Ishikawa is severely beaten and told to commit yubitsume; however, he gets drunk, stabs boss Kawada and flees to Chieko before turning himself into police some days later.

Having committed an unforgivable offense, he is banished from the Tokyo yakuza for 10 years, and retreats to Osaka upon his release from prison.

After being detained and arrested Ishikawa is sentenced to 10 years, but using funds raised by Chieko is able to make bail while he appeals the decision.

Making bail, he attempts to pay his respects to Imai's widow, but is turned away and spends his days shooting drugs and taking care of the ill Chieko until she commits suicide.

Kawada initially approves giving him some turf, before walking away because of the bizarre situation and Ishikawa's asking for a large sum of money.

Assistant director Kenichi Oguri recalls that the February 1975 release date for Graveyard of Honor was set beforehand, with filming beginning in December of the previous year or January.

Ishikawa's suicide scene was shot with a stuntman jumping from a four-story building onto cardboard boxes placed on a gymnastics mat.

[6] Glenn Erickson of DVD Talk wrote that despite Graveyard of Honor aiming for originality amongst the 1970s' violent and nihilistic yakuza films with its 'true biography' account of Ishikawa, viewers never learn much about him, so he never becomes an interesting character.