Misplaced Pages

#975024

26-409: Bōsōzoku ( 暴走族 , lit.   ' reckless driving group ' ) is a Japanese youth subculture associated with customized motorcycles . The first appearance of these types of biker gangs was in the 1950s. Popularity climbed throughout the 1980s, peaking at an estimated 42,510 members in 1982. Their numbers dropped dramatically in the 2000s, with fewer than 7,297 members in 2012. Later, in 2020,

52-422: A Bōsōzoku rally that used to attract thousands of members only had 53 members, with police stating that it was a long time since they had to round up that many people. Bōsōzoku style traditionally involves boilersuits similar to those of manual laborers or leather military jackets with baggy pants, and tall boots. This uniform became known as the tokkō-fuku ( 特攻服 , "special attack clothing") and

78-451: A shugo exhaust system (multiple tube header ), squeezing the handlebars inwards (known as shibori , from the verb shiboru , "to squeeze"), and adding a three- or four-trumpet horn - sanren or yonren , respectively. Loud paint schemes on the fenders or the gas tanks with motifs such as flames or kamikaze-style " rising sun " designs are also quite common. The bikes will often be adorned with stickers and/or flags depicting

104-424: A British café racer . Examples of modifications that are taken from these styles are raised handle bars like those on a chopper or over-sized fairings like those found on café racers (though bōsōzoku usually fit them much higher on the bike than their original position, and angled upwards at the front). A typical customized bōsōzoku bike starts off by taking an average 250-400cc Japanese road bike, adding

130-516: A few bōsōzoku . However, as these groups become less common, their ties to the yakuza become less apparent, as they begin recruiting from other marginalized groups, such as the Japanese burakumin or Zainichi ethnic Koreans. Youth subculture Youth music genres are associated with many youth subcultures, such as hip-hop , punks , emos , ravers , juggalos , metalheads , and goths . The study of subcultures often consists of

156-463: A large proportion of Japanese criminal activity, being involved in vandalism, road traffic violations, and other criminal activity. Their lives of crime generally do not end after they turn twenty though. It is estimated that around 25% of bōsōzoku are above the age of twenty. Alongside that, they have been shown to have ties to various yakuza organizations. In fact, some numbers predict that as many as one-third of yakuza recruits come from one of

182-409: A status symbol to many, symbolizing both their pride in themselves and their strength. They were often worn open in the front, with bandage wrappings around their waist. They would also often be accompanied by rounded sunglasses and tasuki sashes. The word bōsōzoku is also applied to motorcycle subculture with an interest in motorcycle customizing, often illegal, and making noise by removing

208-613: A whole. Stuart Hall and Tony Jefferson describe youth subcultures as symbolic or ritualistic attempts to resist the power of bourgeois hegemony by consciously adopting behavior that appears threatening to the establishment. Conversely, Marxists of the Frankfurt School of social studies argue that youth culture is inherently consumerist and integral to the divide-and-rule strategy of capitalism. They argue that it creates generation gaps and pits groups of youths against each other (e.g. mods and rockers ), especially as youth culture

234-648: Is often adorned with kanji slogans. Typical accessories to this uniform are hachimaki , surgical masks, and patches displaying the Rising Sun Flag . Bōsōzoku members are known for taking Japanese road bikes and adding modifications such as over-sized fairings , lifted handle bars shifted inwards, large seat backs, extravagant paint jobs, and modified mufflers. Bōsōzoku styles take inspiration from choppers , greasers , and Teddy boys . Bōsōzoku first started as groups of returning World War II veterans. The disobedient subculture originated in

260-410: Is reported that, by the 1990s there were around 28,000 bōsōzoku sprinkled throughout the country. In 2004, the Japanese government passed a revised road traffic law which gave the police more power to arrest bikers riding recklessly in groups. With increased arrests and prosecutions, bōsōzoku participation rapidly went into decline. As of 2010, police reported that the new trend among bōsōzoku

286-554: Is somewhat interchangeable with the term "Kaido Racer". Broadly, "Bosozoku" refers to the concept of Japanese vehicle modification, whereas "Kaido Racer" refers specifically to car modification. In general, the Japanese government sees bōsōzoku as highly organized groups, affiliated under several national federations. They generally have clear cut rules, uniforms, symbols, and other marks of organization. Some groups have membership fees and set punishments. These groups also make up

SECTION 10

#1732783787976

312-406: Is the dominant culture in the west. Interactionist theorist Stan Cohen argues youth subcultures are not coherent social groupings that arise spontaneously as a reaction to social forces, but that mass media labeling results in the creation of youth subcultures by imposing an ideological framework in which people can locate their behavior. Post-structuralist theories of subculture utilize many of

338-593: The 1950s when the young pilots came back from World War II. Many veterans faced difficulty readjusting to society after the war, and some turned to custom car making and gang-like activities on city streets to gain an adrenaline fix. These early bōsōzoku took inspiration from American greaser culture and imported Western films; bōsōzoku became known for its many similarities to old American biker culture. Many younger individuals began to see this style of life as very appealing, especially marginalized individuals looking for change. Eventually, these youngsters took over

364-593: The Detroit drum and bass scene or the London goth scene. Early studies in youth culture were mainly produced by functionalist sociologists , and focus on youth as a single form of culture. In explaining the development of the culture, they utilized the concept of anomie . The generalizations involved in this theory ignore the existence of subcultures. Marxist theories account for some diversity, because they focus on classes and class-fractions rather than youth as

390-562: The ages of 16 and 20 years old. They are known for their style that heavily mimics greaser culture within the United States. This includes a pompadour style haircut, tokkō-fuku uniforms, which were often modified and embroidered jumpsuits, inspired by those worn by manual laborers during the WWII era, baggy pants and military boots. Tokkō-fuku were often embroidered with various slogans and large, intricate designs. They were seen as

416-492: The gang's symbol or logo. There are also marked regional differences in motorcycle modifications. For example, Ibaraki bōsōzoku are known to modify their motorcycles in an extensively colorful, flashy way. They will often have three or four oversized fairings in a tower-like way in and an abundance of lights. In America, the term "Bosozoku" is also applied to cars that have undergone extreme modification. The term generally only applies to Japanese manufactured vehicles, and

442-651: The ideas from these other theories, including hegemony and the role of the media. In his book, Subculture: The Meaning of Style , Dick Hebdige subcultures as a reaction of subordinated groups that challenge the hegemony of the dominant culture. This theory accounts for factors such as gender, ethnicity and age. Youth can be seen as a subordinate group in relation to the dominant, adult society. Historical theorist Steven Mintz claims that until about 1955, youth subculture as such did not exist. Children aspired to (or were pulled into) adulthood as fast as their physical development allowed. Marcel Danesi argues that since then,

468-682: The identity, becoming the foundation for the modern bōsōzoku . The 1970s were when the term of bōsōzoku first truly began to emerge. This was a period of time characterized by actual riots between police and many of these youth groups. The term bōsōzoku was not actually created by these biker groups, but was eventually widely adopted and used by these various groups. In the 1980s and 1990s, bōsōzoku would often embark on massed rides, in which up to 100 bikers would cruise together slowly en masse down an expressway or major highway. The motorcyclists would run toll booths without stopping and would ignore police attempts to detain them. New Year's Eve

494-527: The inter-war period. There were examples of new youth subcultures emerging throughout that period, such as the flapper . Subcultures may also be seen as extensions of crowds , subcultures that emerge within a specific school. Certain crowds (jocks, geeks, preppies, druggies, emos) are found in many, even most, high schools across the United States, though the particular terms used by the adolescents in them may vary (nerds instead of geeks, etc.). Most of these can be found in other Western countries as well, with

520-819: The leader, who is responsible for the event and is not allowed to be overtaken. Japanese police call them Maru-Sō (police code マル走 or 丸走 ) and occasionally dispatch police vehicles to trail the groups of bikes for the reason of preventing possible incidents, which may include: riding very slowly through suburbs at speeds of 10–15 km/h (6.2–9.3 mph), creating a loud disturbance while waving imperial Japanese flags, and starting fights that may include weapons (such as wooden swords, metal pipes, baseball bats, and Molotov cocktails). Bōsōzoku are known to modify their motorcycles in peculiar and showy ways, which are called Kaizōsha ( 改造車 , "modified vehicles") . The general style of bōsōzoku bike modification appears to combine elements of an American chopper bike and

546-441: The media, advertisers and others have made youth the dominant culture of Western societies, to the point that many people retain what others consider to be immature attitudes far into adulthood. This is further supported by P. Lewis, who claims that youth culture did not originate until the 1950s, with the development of rock and roll . However, other historians have said that youth culture may have developed earlier, particularly in

SECTION 20

#1732783787976

572-463: The mufflers on their vehicles so that more noise is produced. These bōsōzoku groups sometimes ride without motorcycle helmets (which in Japan is illegal), also engage in dangerous or reckless driving, such as weaving in traffic, and running red lights. Another activity is speeding in city streets, not usually for street racing but more for thrills. With many bikes involved, the leading one is driven by

598-604: The study of the symbolism attached to clothing, music and other visible affections by members of the subculture, and also, the ways in which these symbols are interpreted by members of the dominant culture. Socioeconomic class , gender , intelligence , conformity , morality and ethnicity , can be important in relation to youth subcultures. Youth subcultures can be defined as systems, modes of expression or lifestyles , developed by groups in subordinate structural positions in response to dominant systems, which reflect their attempt to solve structural contradictions arising from

624-404: The wider societal context. The term, scene, can refer to an exclusive subculture or faction. Scenes are distinguished from the broad culture through either fashion ; identification with specific (sometimes obscure or experimental) musical genres or political perspectives; and a strong in-group or tribal mentality. The term can be used to describe geographic subsets of a subculture, such as

650-410: Was a popular occasion for the massed rides. The bikers would sometimes smash the cars and threaten or beat up any motorists or bystanders who got in the way or expressed disapproval of the bikers' behavior. Participation in the gangs peaked at 42,510 members in 1982. This made bōsōzoku the prevailing form of youth delinquency within Japan. Numbers slowly began to decline following the 1980s peak. It

676-524: Was to ride together in much smaller groups and to ride scooters instead of heavily modified motorcycles. Aichi prefecture was reported to have the highest number of riders, followed by Tokyo, Osaka, Ibaraki and Fukuoka. By 2015, there were only a reported 6,771 active bōsōzoku throughout Japan. In 2013, the National Police Agency re-classified bōsōzoku biker gangs as "pseudo- yakuza " organizations. Bōsōzoku are usually between

#975024