First we will begin with Yankii. What is a Yankii? Simply put,
a Yankii is a juvenile delinquent. They are preteen and teenagers, both male and
female, that come from a variety of different backgrounds. If visiting Japan,
you’ll more than likely see them at night at parks or along street corners. Hardcore
delinquents could dress up and use special yankii-style clothing with baggy
pants and uniquely designed military or school-uniform –like jackets (as seen
in this link ).
Hardcore Yankii’s will most likely show off a rebellious side
with a variation of interesting facial gestures that used to intimidate their viewers.
These facial gestures will appear comedic and very bizarre to foreigners. There
is also a huge distinction in their attitude and the way they speak compared to
other Japanese citisens. For example, Yanki uses improper words without polite
forms (such as desu or ~masu) and just like any rebellious Japanese subculture they
also like to roll their Rs. Even though they don’t speak politely, it’s common
for Yanki’s to stir trouble so it’s best not to disrespect them in any way.
Nonetheless, most likely if one is polite to them or is interested in knowing
more about their subculture, they will more than likely be more than happy to
teach you a thing or two.
The reason individuals turn to the Yankii subculture differs.
The most common reason are to fit in, look cool, establish being unique (often because
of a strict and structured society) because of the personal desire to become
tough and fearless, to show pride or even to represent something unique to them
such as a school or a club. I believe the common reason why students and
enthusiasts become Yankii is due to pop culture. Many popular anime, manga, shows,
and movies, such as crow zero, drop, and bebop high school inspire students to
want to be part of this fictional world of rivalry, drama, and action. (here are some links: Crow Zero, Crow Zero 2, Drop, Bebop High School (1985), Bebop High School (2004)).
After delinquents finish or drop out of high school it’s
common for them to then become Bosozoku. A Bosozoku, as stated previously, is a
bike gang. The kanji for Bosozoku 暴走族, translates to "violent running tribe". This
is a mob of bikers that rides through the streets at night and in the morning with
extremely loud bikes waving banners and doing crazy stunts. The bikes in which
they ride have very crazy and unique designs that caters toward the rider’s
personal preference. Now-a-days, the Bosozoku have evolved into sports cars and
mini vans; however, I will further discuss this later.
Before I get into what it means being a Bosozoku, I will
first explain the history of Bosozoku. The Bosozoku first appeared in the 1950s.
The early participants of the Bosozoku were called the Kaminari Zoku or the “Thunder
Tribe”. The Kaminari Zoku were mostly comprised of young individuals, 20 years
or less, from mostly poor families and were very much delinquents or outcasts of
society. They would join under the idea of being cool, opposing social norms,
and expressing their dissatisfaction for the system, government, and their
place in the Japanese social structure. Some were also supposedly advocates for what remains of the imperial regime in WWII. Later the gang became more well
established with the help of their flashy attire, rough and tough attitude, and
uniquely crazy looking bikes. The more they grew the more they became rowdy and
violent. The Yakuza used the groups to do their dirty deeds and recruit the
best members to become part of their operations.
The Bosozoku were at an all-time high in the 80s and 90s. They
had become known for modifying their bikes with illegally loud exhausts and
stylistic fish-tale and personalized designs. They would commonly ride their
bikes really slow causing traffic, causing disturbances in neighborhoods, and terrorizing
anyone who got in their way with wooden swords, pipes, bats, and long bamboo sticks.
Often the Bosozoku would use their
tokufuku, which is their common kamikaze inspired militaristic attack jacket
which were filled with lines of gang related text and symbols. In addition to
the attack or suicide jacket, they commonly use wraparound sunglasses, hachimaki
headbands, surgical masks, body wraps, and perms or pompadour hairstyles.
In the mid-80s they were being targeted eavily by the police
and soon began to decline in numbers. Today these groups are near extinct. The
police have implemented regulations in which to use for arresting large groups
of individuals on motorized vehicles.
Today there remaining Bosozoku are more likely to dress like
regular people and not have such decorated motorcycles. The subculture is
mostly taken over by enthusiasts or those with delinquent intentions. Nevertheless,
today the bosozoku style and design of bikes has inspired a new generation of artists,
pop culture, and mechanic works. When one goes to a car show in Japan it’s
common to find standard cars that have been redesigned and supped up, very
flashy vans with super stereo systems, and even large multi-wheeled trucks with
hundreds of combinations of dancing lights. When the owners of the vehicles
were interviewed they had given various reasons for their interest and designs.
Therefore, ultimately the Bosozoku meaning today is simply to have one’s own
definition of what it means to be Bosozoku.
If I were to give my own definition for what I believe is
the meaning of Bosozoku, I would give a list of the combination of everything others
have stated but said in my own way. Therefore, I believe being a Bosozoku is
about being unique and standing out; being different, and not caring what
people think; making one’s own path in life;
having a fun sense of rebellion and recklessness; expressing a freedom of expression; telling
your own story; having a “going all out”
or “all or nothing” attitude; escaping expectations and social norms; being
tough, showing no weakness, and no fear;
accepting what you are and having pride over one’s imperfections; being
crude and ridiculous with a desire to have respect and in such to give respect
in return; and ultimately I believe it’s telling your story the way you want to
tell it, letting the world know that you exist, how you want to live, and how
you want to leave your mark in the world.
To finish this article, here is a link of the various videos
related to Yanki and Bosozoku subculture. Please enjoy.
Reference videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRIsHRHNU5k
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete