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Kabukimono (
Etymology
editThe term kabukimono is often translated into English as "strange things" or "the crazy ones", believed to be derived from kabuku, meaning "to slant" or "to deviate"; the term is also the origin of the name for kabuki theatre (
Description
editKabukimono would often dress in flamboyant clothing, disregarding traditional colours such as light yellow and dark blue, often accessorised by wearing haori jackets with lead weights in the hem, velvet lapels, wide obi belts and even women's clothes. Exoticism was characteristic and included items such as European clothing, Chinese hats, jinbaori vests made from Persian rugs.[3][4] Kabukimono also often had uncommon hairstyles and facial hair, either styled up in various fashions, or left to grow long. Their katana would often have fancy hilts, large or square tsuba, red scabbards and were usually longer than normal length. Some kabukimono even used extremely long kiseru pipes as weapons.
Gang activities
editKabukimono were known for their violent and unsociable behavior, such as not paying at restaurants or robbing townsfolk. Cases of the gang members cutting people down simply to test a new sword (tsujigiri), or larger-scale violent incidents were common in areas where kabukimono could be found (particularly in large cities such as Edo and Kyoto). Wrestling, loud singing and dancing in the streets were also common, as was fighting between gangs after dark. The peak of kabukimono activity was during the Keichō period (1596–1615), although also during that time, the bakufu (shogunate) became more strict, and the kabukimono faded away.[5]
Later influence
editIt is thought that the modern yakuza originated from either groups of kabukimono or bands of villagers gathered to fight their abusers, though other scholars believe that the yakuza origins are to be found in the machi yakko (
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "かぶき
者 とは". kotobank. Retrieved December 14, 2020. - ^ "Kabuki" in Frederic, Louis (2002). Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
- ^ "Persian rug".
- ^ a b "The Yakuza - the japanese mafia". Archived from the original on 2009-03-08. Retrieved 2009-05-13. "Yakuza, Kabukimono, Machi-Yakko"
- ^ Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan; 1983, Kodansha America