BŌSŌZOKU - The History of Japan’s KAMIKAZE Biker Gangs
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- Опубликовано: 27 май 2024
- The Bosozoku, a group of Japanese bikers, represents one of numerous subcultures that were allowed to prosper during the difficult, yet hopeful post-war era of Japan. They are loud, their fashion choices are OUTRAGEOUS, and at times, they were not only a pain in the butt of the Japanese, they were also genuinely violent AND terrifying. Today, we take a look at how a group of rebellious biker gangs was born from the LITERAL ashes of a devastated post-war Japan. We’ll take a look at how they dressed, how they drove and why you don’t really see these guys anymore, nowadays.
#japan #crime #motorcycle
SOURCES:
www.mookychick.co.uk/indie-fa...
web.archive.org/web/200912280...
www.returnofthecaferacers.com...
www.vice.com/en/article/kzz79...
www.highsnobiety.com/p/bosozo...
it.oneblockdown.it/blogs/arch...
www.anothermag.com/design-liv...
academic.mu.edu/meissnerd/eri...
• Revisiting the Glory D...
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
01:44 - History
04:57 - Second Generation
08:30 - Fashion
09:39 - Bikes
11:43 - Driving
14:37 - Decline 
Авто/Мото
You forgot to mention the time when one of these teen bikers got psychic powers and turned into a giant body-horror monster.
Cannnaaaaaaadddaaaaaaa!
Did that same biker also Have a massive forehead.
You forget one of them became a great teacher too.
You forgot one of them turned into a ghost detective (yu yu hakusho)
You forgot one of them grew up and could time travel back into his biker gang days.
I like how their story started out with old guys who just love riding bikes and ended with old guys who just love riding bikes.
Actually by historic correct chronological order the story started with rather young guys (early twentys) and ended with middle aged guys who both liked riding bikes.
It’s the circle of life.
Most bikers I’ve seen in the USA are also pretty old, with the youngest probably in their 40s, and many in their 60s and 70s. The ones I’ve dealt with were polite and well-behaved, with only a couple of exceptions.
I think you mean started out young
I live in Japan. I still see some of these types of bikes and gangs around Tokyo, Aichi, and Kanagawa. They're not numerous but are around. Still they are rare to see.
I rarely saw them when I lived in Ibaraki... But I heard them quite often! They must have been using open exhausts to get so loud.
@@Sushi227 I worked in Tsukuba 2017/2018, you could hear them once a week driving their loud bikes during the evening
I was stationed in Okinawa for four years from 2015-2019 and saw them a few times.
Always been fascinated by the Bosozoku subculture. Other than the Vice documentary there isnt a lot of easily accesible media that isnt fully in Japanese.
Thanks for making this video, and shedding more light on such a unique niche of motorcycle subculture!
Yeah I been looking for another video on them for years now
Yeah, I've tried to track down media about bosozoku, and what little DOES exist, is hard to track down, especially with English translation.
There's a pretty DIY, black and white doco from, I think it's early 70s, called "Godspeed You Black Emperor" (or "Goddo Supiido Yuu burakku Emparaa"), which is cool, but it's before the real bosozoku style really caught on- They dress/look/customise their bikes more like the "Rocker/Yankee" style, than proper bosozoku. (pretty sure that's still on YT)
"Crazy Thunder Road" (1980) is the other big movie, which is cool as hell.
There's a few anime about bosozoku gangs- Tokyo Revengers, Shonan Junai Gumi (prequel to GTO, which also has a few boso moments), Shonan Bakusozoku (probably the most boso-focused, from the 80s when the scene was big. Also has a live-action remake). Also an OVA called "Wild 7" ("Wurido 7", I think is the Japanese title)
Akira had massive bosozoku influence, of course. And some VERY brief scenes of bosozoku bikes/characters in anime like Kill la Kill, Durarara, Hinamatsuri, Mob Psycho, Kurozuka, and Chios School Road.
But the one I've been trying to track down forever, but can't find, is a low-budget, English Language doco made in 2012 (so after the scene was basically dead... But with a handfull of old guys still hanging around; But before it became 100% a retro/nostalgia thing) by American film-makers, hanging out with an ex-member, catching up on buddies from the glory days, and going thru his scrapbooks. It's called "Sayonara Speed Tribes". There's short clips floating around YT, but I can't find the full movie anywhere.
But from what I HAVE seen (the short clips, and photo shoots done for the doco), if you're into the crazy bosozoku-style bikes, with the jacked-up racing fairings, and giant sissy-bars, and wild, metal-flake paint, this movie is the Holy Grail. It has some absolutely incredible bikes.
If anyone knows where you can see/download/buy "Sayonara Speed Tribes", I'd give my right arm for that info. I think I first started looking for that movie in 2015, and still hunting...
@@baconsarny-geddon8298 great info
@@baconsarny-geddon8298i help you bro plus buy i bike and make it bosozoku styled i have done it you can do it too👍
@@baconsarny-geddon8298I feel like that's because the government wants to sweep it under the rug like they do with everything related to the war and rebellion too. They want to force every single thing to be nice and neat for the tourism but truly can't, so they do the next best thing, scrub out the bad parts of history and statistics.
I remember that one of them became a great teacher back in the 80s-90s. Onizuka was his name.
I lived in Japan in the late 90s and these guys would come at 3 AM, revving their bikes, waking everybody up, and you would just see two police cars following them slowly from behind not doing anything. I’d see them now and then, I just thought they were crazy. The area I lived had a big yakuza contingent and I would see them as well. I guess I got to see history.
He got to see AKIRA and Like a Dragon in real life all in the same area …
@@cletusmandeletusman2328 Remember those days well!
Rember those days well!!!
That's annoying 😃 and not fun at all 😀 but it is history! Cool ❤
You are so lucky! 😊 I can’t even afford to visit atm. 🙏
This subculture inspired so many great anime series and movies. GTO is by far the best... Unfortunately I've forgotten the names of most of the anime movies from the 80's and 90's that came out at this point
Nah Akira is the best
@@Smoothyoki wow how’d I forget Akira 🤣
Didn't the Black Emperors inspire Tokyo Revengers?
@@kumikoloh9190Let's not mention that
Megazone 23
*corrected* Although these stylings were beloved among the Bosozoku gangs, they did not create them. There were many types of youth groups at the time participating in these clubs & subcultures. Many youth in Japan, were influenced by Doowop, Rock n Roll, and Western "teenage" culture brought by GIs in the 50s to Yokohama. The popular things at the time were customizing and or racing cars & motorcycles, hanging out on Saturday nights, going driving with friends.
Kaido Racers, though liked by the gangs, were not gang cars or even "Bosozoku" affiliated oftentimes. For instance, you used a picture of Naito-sans Skyline at 11:12. He is not part of a Bosozoku gang. Runaway Tribes, Rolling Tribes, Noise Tribes, Drift Tribes, other versions of these youth rebellion movements, were not all "Bosozoku" there is some overlap of course. Some, just angst filled teenagers with nothing better to do, others just car guys & gals looking to stand out or seek some thrills. Its about personalization & standing out.
Having a bike or car club does not make it a "Bosozoku gang" either. Its like saying "All organized kustom car & motorcycle clubs from California in the 50s and 60s were all gangs involved in illegal activity." Every prefecture had their own thing going on, their own unique styles of customizing (Look at Chibaragi, (Chiba & Ibaraki prefectures) Fukuoka or Hokkaido Styles for instance, very different.) Just because they ran with a "Team" or "Tribe" or rode a Boso-bike or drove a Kaido racer, or had a banner above the window, does not mean they were involved in the illegal activities or initiations, of the Bosozoku. Felt that was worth clearing up. (Even I get things wrong, I am still learning as well. Made a couple of edits here because I've learned more since I posted this.)
This feels reminiscent of biker clubs across Australia or the USA, where many made use of a LOT of counter-culture imagery, wearing German stalhelms or using Iron Cross imagery on their bikes and having a strong rebel spirit.
Many are immediately associated with violence or some involvement with drugs - but just because someone rides a custom cruiser and is part of a crew doesn't mean they shake people down and manufacture meth!
@@AdamOwenBrowning My understanding is a lot of that German stuff was originally about returning servicemen showing off theiw war trophies, even.
Don't worry about it this guy just read wikipedia with top row Google pictures on top.
Yeah, you're right about it. These youtubers are just wiki-audio-books.
Thanks! So what's a Bosozuku specifically again?
Thank you sir! Found a new back catalog to watch and keep up with.
Thank you as always for providing an incredibly entertaining and historically impeccable video 😎
And thank you as always for watching! Always good to see returning viewers in the comments 😬
My buddy and I back in the day were riding a scooter his dad got him for Christmas. I was 16, he was 14. I took all the plastic panels of and modded the yoke with corrugated steel. Painted blue gray with primer. It was dangerous af, with serrated edges. Basically as annoying as possible. His dad took it all off, saying it was to dangerous. I did drawings of motorbikes, one of which inspired his dads own mod of a Moto Guzzi California into something more road rebel. Your video just reminded me of some good times. I was my own bosozuka of sorts, and I just found out 30 years later. Greetings from Ireland!
I lived in Okinawa during the 80's and the Yakuza did a large New Year
spectacle with hundreds of motor bikes with members swinging Samurai
swords in the air. This was on the main strip that went from Camp Butler
to Kadena Airbase and beyond (Naha City, etc.)
GREAT video brother. 👊🏻
Love the content!!!
This gives so much context to Great Teacher Onizuka. So much of that show gives you a window into what Japan was like in the early 90s. Its like the samurai spirit transeneded into the Biker Gangs mixed with all the American exposure in post WW2 reconstruction and a generation later this is what emerged, a fusion of Japanese and American cultures mixed with the fearlessness and recklessness of youth.
So, this was the inspiration for Kaneda's gangs and the clowns in Akira?
Yes.
Exactly! I actually wanted to mention that but didn't know where to fit it in. Love that movie though, one of the all-time greats!
Thank you for the knowledge ❤
Yay! Thank you for this video :)
And thank you for tuning in! 🙏🏻🔥
Akira, and other biker-related anime and manga from the 80s make a lot more sense now. ty.
I vividly remember these guys in Japan while stationed there from 1984-1995, as well as the illegal street racing culture that was found almost everywhere during that time! Being a Red Blooded American male at the time I really got in with the illegal street racing culture when I bought a 78 Camaro (had to introduce the Japanese to the wonderful world of American Muscle) and a Skyline there and was getting it on with the heavy hitters in the Tokyo/Yokohama area. The Bopzuoku's not so much, used to often drive around at night and harass them with it often times turning pretty violent at times. Due to their common affiliation with the Yakuza, you did have to tread lightly often times.
Would love to see a mini documentry on the illegal Street racing scene during that time frame!
In 2023 It's still possible to see Bosuzoku in Japan. If you go to Katasae Enoshima on a Sunday night between 8pm and 10pm you will see and HEAR them on their Sunday night ride. The sound is so bad and so loud it feels like the world is about to end as they ride past.
Gday mate, as an old Aussie biker (not in any gang) I would get a great laugh out of seeing that. Can you tell me where that is so I can go and watch next time I'm in Japan. Cheers, Tuck 🐨😎👍
G’day Mate
Go to Katasae Enoshima station, Enoshima, Kanagawa prefecture on a Sunday night after dark and walk out the front across the road to the Aquarium. You will hear them before you see them!
@@mattblack429 thanks Matt, sounds like a bit of a laugh. Cheers from Tuck. P.s. probably a coincidence but I knew a spray painter in Queensland named Matt Black, I assume you are not him?
Try that sound in the middle of the night when you’re dead asleep. I’ve heard that.
Tokyo revengers for real
"It was all Mikey's fault..."
Great video
Great video as always ✌️, also visually: the animation with the Bosozoku "itinerary" is beautifully done 👍 🤩
Beautiful video subscribed*
Kuze's Pledge of Demon for the intro music, perfect choice. Guy comes at you on a motorcycle, pipe in one hand, bandaged at the waist - perfection for suiting the tone of the video!
This was so interesting, thank you!
Thanks for watching!
Great video i really enjoyed learning about Japanese bike culture. ❤
Excellent and informative video. The foundation of the Japanese Biker Gangs sound similar to the founding of many US Biker Gangs like the Hell's Angels...former military pilots looking for thrills and the old comradship from the war, but gradualky changed into something else as outsiders got involved.
The Hell's Angels were never pilots, not a one of them. The took their name from the title of an old movie, "Hell's Angels", about WWI pilots that had some great dogfight scenes and had a lot of old WWI pilots flying in it. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell%27s_Angels_(film) Real-world Hell's Angels were working-class/underclass guys who worked as little as possible. One of the main "clubs" (gangs) that went on to form the Hell's Angels were called "The Pissed-Off Bastards of Berdoo" lol.
The hells angels and the grim reapers were airborne soldiers coming out of ww2 and were the first 2 biker gangs in US and Canada
I will definitely support ❤ your content
Much appreciated! Thank you 😬
You might not see them now, but we certainly heard them in the 1980s!
What you said at the last minutes is part of the reason I enjoyed Tokyo Revengers so much. The protagonist and his friends never wanted anything to do with the problems of being a Bosozoku, they simply just wanted to ride their bikes and hang out with one another, Mikey even points this out himself
So Akira was actually a documentary🤔
I saw the Okinawa meet of the bosozoku in 2011/2012. Would love to see you do a follow up series on the different modern prefectures clubs 🤙🏽
I enjoyed this 😊
Now I remember. Shinji, the bōsōzoku gang leader from the River City/Kunio-kun series, was called the "Blue Emperor". It all makes sense now.
Love how your videos go in-depth about the culture that's presented in one my favorite video game series.
懐かしい! I grew up in Chiba, Japan in the 90s and saw quite a bit of these guys. As a foreign child, I was very scared of them because I knew of their reputation of not liking foreigners. Thanks for the informative video! It refreshed my memory and provided new details that I didn’t pick up as a child. I never knew that they originated from the “leftover” kamikaze pilots!
I see a lot of Japanese MC’s wear lightning bolt patches on their vests still.
Interesting to see how subtle references to the kamikaze attack groups still exist within a lot of the more modern motorcycle groups.
Good video.
cool video, not sure if it's highly accurate from the comments but still a banger
4:34 Footage from the movie "Godspeed you black emperor"
After which the canadian post-rock band took their name
A Yakuza game about these guys instead of the typical Yakuza group would be sweet as hell
Well done doc. We read the book Speed Tribes back in the 90s. Btw, traveling on motorbikes is called riding, not driving. Operators are called riders and a group outing is a ride, not drivers or drives. 😮
The spirit of Keji Maeda and the kabukimono lives on.
Lived in and around Tokyo from 1985-1990. They were everywhere. As if the bikes weren’t load enough, many had speakers mounted on the back with the back rider holding a mic to the exhaust. Shonan Kaigon in the summer was thick with them, even having one or two shootings each summer.
Outside of watching “Akira”, I actually first read about Bosozoku in an article years ago in the English edition of Newtype magazine.
Ngl i discovered bosozoku from tokyo revengers and after that i saw a video by vice of them
Bro when the Kuze theme came on I collapsed into a fit of hysterical laughter with tears. Good video though.
It's a mess and it's terrible.
You probably believed the English wikipedia, but Bosozoku has nothing to do with the military.
yeah its more like blue collar guys and violent teenegers
Loved the music XD
Great vid first time I seen these biker gangs was in a Weezer music video dope nose.
I was a US Marine stationed in Okinawa in 1986. Some buddies and walked out of a club and saw two JPs (Japanese Police, dudes you don’t want mess with) were lounging against a car facing out onto the main road. They were just smoking and talking but they had stick about the thickness of a billy club but they were 3-1/2 feet long. We decide to hag a bit to see what was happening. Suddenly we could hear motorcycles approaching. The JPs casually dropped there smokes, grabbed their stick and moved into the road. As the bikers drove past the cops, without any sort of warning swung the sticks to try to knock them of of their bikes. The bikers kicked out and I saw one swinging a chain. No real contact was scored by either side. The bikers drove off and the cops retrieved their sticks, which they had throw at them in passing, got calmly into their car and drove off..
you should make a video about the mid night club. an infamous highly exclusive car club in japan
“Lightning Tribes”? That’s a really cool name. I imagine a lot of people joined just for the name.
Can you do a profile on the Ethnic gangs in Japan? I'm curious about their history
RIP bozozoku lol
Now I have a better understanding of Kanji's background (from Persona 4) and why people were so scared of him.
One legendary Bokuzoku actually turned to be a legendary teacher.
i'd like to see the jdm's car culture/gangs could also be covered in this channel
I visited Japan a few years ago and hoped to see the Bosozoku bikes. I saw a group of old guys riding them in Kagoshima but was not able to check them out close up. May be next time.
Biker gang? yes. Motorcycle club? No. Nicely done🔥👏👏👏👏
Modern anime like Tokyo revengers really illustrates the Japanese biker gang style very well
GTO - Bad company does it better. its old but its better imo.
9:40 OK, I love how at first that helmet seems completely ridiculous, but then you realize... no, it has to be like that because it's trying to send the airflow up over the completely ridiculous back seat, which would otherwise be a big air brake. I actually kind of respect how much work he put into having such a *stoopid* bike. 🙂
My favorites were Tetsuo and Kaneda.
No mention of the played in unison "tuned baffles" to create their individual gangs theme songs.
The Bosozoku scene was specifically for motorcycles, thes rest is just kaido, shakotan, etc styles which are very similar and synonymous
Actually, that's not true. The term bosozoku only refers to the gangs, not necessarily the bikes or cars. Bosozoku would both ride zokusha (bikes) and drive kaido racers (cars). But bosozoku doesn't only refer to bikes or cars, it's just what they called the people causing chaos
I must admit the aesthetics of their uniforms are top notch👌🏻
bro, you got to make a movie about this. the books about it are all 300 bucks. I think there are alot of people who would watch a tv show or documentary series about japanese hoodlums. I love sukiban movies, female convict scorpion, outrage, graveyard of honor and battles with out honor and humanity. I always loved the begining of Akira with the Bosozoku, I would love to know more about Black Emperor and Specter. The yakuza members who came from these clubs, and if the western clubs like Hells Angels and Outlaws have any of the Bosozoku. So much of my childhood was in a japanese ghost town in san jose ca, in my time in the early 90s there want any kids around so all i knew about japanese culture i got from 70s fukasaku movies. Please make a full movie. Stuff like box skylines and old school actresses like ike reiko and miki kagi would be cool to talk to. I spent some time in tokyo and hope i can go back soon. Lets collab.
Is the first NfS Undergeound the one with 24s by TI as a song and I think another by the ting yang twins or mystikal. Damn that game was OP!
You said need for speed underground my mind instantly when “TO THE WINDOW TO THE WALL”
Interesting... in The Crew Motorfest, when you complete the Made in Japan playlist, you get the title "Bosozoku". Now I know what it means :)
Fascinating
Interesting: the original Hells Angels were former fighter pilots as well.
The pilots in the Howard Hughes movie, yes: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell%27s_Angels_(film) the underclass types who formed groups that eventually coalesced into the Hell's Angels motorcycle gang, no.
Great Teacher Onizukaaaaaa!
I'm kinda disappointed that there are not many anime that explore more of this subculture.
Only Crows and Tokyo Revengers cover them, and look what happened.
Shonan Junai Gumi?
The Great Teacher Onizuka?
A former Biker gang member working as a high school teacher to counsel Troubled Youths..
I rather watch him than The Scared Straight Program.
@@kumikoloh9190 great teacher Onizuka isnt about bosozoku though.
@@shingosshojiopoulos6608 but he still had gang members as his buddies.
Megazone 23 Part 2.
It's cool how American biker gangs started around the same time for the same reason.
So cool to see they made a real life adaptation of a great teacher
I did not realise that “Akira” was a fantasy that included elements of reality like the Bozozoku. Probably the first 15 minutes of the movie is based on Bozozoku style and activities. Thank you for the very enjoyable and informative video.
Can you make one of these little mini documentaries about the bosozoku that drive cars and do one about Drifting please thank you very much that's all I have to say
The bosozoku acted the same way in cars as they did bikes. If you're referring to kaido racers, that'd be a completely different subject
You can still see them in western Tokyo around midnight
Ah yes, this is where Saburo Arasaka's kid went
There’s a fun arcade game called Black Emperor based on this aesthetic.
It's not an aesthetic, it's a culture. That's like referring to the bloods or crips as an aesthetic
@@mrman10gt26 it’s based on the aesthetic of the culture, pedantic ass.
@@mrman10gt26 it’s a really great bosozoku aesthetic. I’m glad you like the aesthetic.
tokyo revengers made me so interested in biker gangs
Aniki, please check the formatting settings for the comments section. Comments do not appear entirely, if they are longer than a few lines.
Quite similar to what portrayed in Hight & Low franchise (recommended to watch if you love japanese violent gang culture), Mugen and Sannoh remind me a lot of Bosozoku, although the former use Harley Davidson wich is more cool imo...
Harley Davidson's are not, in fact, cool. First, they've got more Chinese parts than the Beijing Opera. Secondly, Japan actually produced cool bikes like the Suzuki H series, the Yamaha RD series, and gems like the Honda 400/4.
I remember learning about Bosozoku gangs from the Great teacher Onizuka manga 20ish years ago.
You mentioned how much they did not like foreigners, I had a work mate from the UK who, stupidly, decided to confront these guys after they surrounded his car one night. He got slashed up pretty bad and had to spend a few days in hospital. I had a few times in the '80s when they gave me a hard time while driving home from late night shift, I just stayed in my car and avoided eye contact. I was not as stupid as my friend :)
I do remember the total Police crack down on the Bosozoku who were being asses on the highways. Many news reports showing them and police clashing at toll gates and other check points. It was kind of crazy seeing them fighting with police, not the normal scene here in Japan.
It's interesting to see how motorcycle gang in Japan started in a similar way to America and Europe: Disenfranchised servicemen who got left behind trying to find a new purpose.
Tokyo revengers if Yano Yano
These dudes are alive and kicking in Okinawa. On the weekends I would see giant squads of these dudes buzzing around.
So funny to see those early poser dudes! Good Stuff!
i think the most recent manga iv read that has to do with this was tokyo revengers so this vid is quite interesting
6:57 On the right, Yakuza Like A Dragon vibes.
I am Japanese, and I feel very embarrassed that the culture of motorcycle gangs is being introduced to other countries. The drugs they use are cheap paint thinner and toluene. If weed were legalized, they might have become a different culture.
You do know right that kamakazi was a term of endearment? The term just means divine wind, However the term existed before the act of suicide was ever involved. American history doesn't show this. Look up pilot masaaki linuma and kenji tsukagoshi. In 1937 they flew from Japan to England. When the imperial military took off and needed propaganda to essentially fill the cockpits of their planes. They use this inspirational story about these two pilots in their long distant flight from Japan to England to muster their ranks. And these pilots would use the term kamikaze (divine wind) as a battle cry or inspiration from the two previous pilots who; at the time were seen as heroes. Just like America using propaganda, so did Japan. Suicide was a last ditch effort as well. Outta bullets, well fuck it. People talk shit about the kamikaze, but these were a group of men that only wanted the best for their country.
Very interesting/
From being a loyal subject in a imperial kingdom to their emperor. It was now the companies and their own emperors, that the people served.
And it has to vent at some point, with disdain, frustrations and the yearning for something else
Intresting. Outlaw Biker gangs in the U.S. Also began with disaffected WWII veterans.
Er, not really. Some of the gang members in the US were veterans, most were either too criminalistic to get into the US military or had not been old enough to serve in the war, AND were too criminalistic because there were plenty of jobs during and after WWII.
Interesting that world war two brought about biker clubs in more then just one country.
Tokkofuku.... Special Attack Clothing. That's absolutely great. Sometimes I just can't get enough of Japanese society. Even the criminal stuff. They are some of the most inventive minds in human society.
a great anime series about japanese biker gangs is Shounan Bakusouzoku