A unique cultural phenomena came about in Japan just after WWII, the Bosozoku. With rapid industrialization and a booming car market, some youth gathered around a common cause, to annoy the cack out of boring business types and stiff oldies.
They started as an informal gathering of biker youths and exploded into a uniquely Japanese subculture. Information about their early days is sketchy at best, but most of the member were young kids; the gang became so prominent that upon reaching the age of 20 (age of adulthood in Japan), some members would be offered Yakuza jobs and begin a life of crime and disobedience.
Over the next three pages we will bring you photos, old and new, of the best bosozoku examples around…
More on next page…
Even with that kind of reputation, the Bosozoku usually stuck to more benign crimes like street racing, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, waving Japanese imperial flags and starting fights with wooden swords and molotov cocktails.
The name “Bosozoku” has a couple of loose translations: Thunder tribe, Speed tribe, Reckless tribe, but essentially they are there to cause havoc and disorder. Not only was it a way for youth to rebel against a new reality they saw as bland and unappealing, but also gave them a sense of community that most members seemed to be missing.
The culture exploded during the post war years, membership peaked around the 80’s with more than 42,000 heads, and the group still exists today. Today, however, with stricter road rules, tougher fines for rambunctious behavior and new laws that make it illegal to gather in such large groups, the Bosozoku’s numbers have severely diminished.
Where once their membership was an intimidating and frightening sight, now it hovers at around just 7,000. Their impact on car culture can’t be denied, out of the Bosozoku Hydra spawned other customization trends like outrageously low rider cards and bedazzled trucks and a whole style of dress.
But, the real reason I’m even writing this is because of the bikes. These customised, mid-price, Japanese motorcycles are too cool to pass up. The look is slick, bright and obnoxious. Customized to rattle your brains and burn out your pupils, they grab your attention and leave it begging for mercy. The backrests usually jut out in the night sky like a shark on the prowl and the light cover is tapered like a missile’s payload.
The colours range from tame to bizarre and are almost always customised. More modern versions are even more outlandish and have a very pop feel to them. With most male riders having left the group there is a growing number of female riders whose feminine flair has also changed the modern Bosozoku style.
