"Bosozoku" — Pressures of a Conformist Society

Photographs by Masayuki Yoshinaga

The Japanese term "Bosozoku" refers to a specific Japanese phenomenon of teenage bike gangs. These gangs are based in Japan’s major metropolises, such as Osaka and Tokyo, where they gather every weekend for mass rallies of bikers in thousands.

“Bosozoku” is the first book to capture Japanese biker gangs through a series of stunning images captured by Japanese photographer Masayuki Yoshinaga over the last six years. He himself was a member of the Bosozoku — and has gained an unprecedented access to their secret societies.

The Bosozoku first formed in the 1950s at a time when the Hell's Angels in the United States reached their apogee with Marlon Brando in “The Wild Ones.”

They are also considered in Japan to be the first rung on the ladder for would-be members of the Yakuza — the Japanese equivalent of the Mafia.

However, the Yakuza is a profession to which you belong for life — Bosozoku is not. Most Bosozoku gang members retire by the time they are 20 years old — and then re-enter Japanese society as law-abiding citizens. Only a tiny proportion of them go on to become fully-fledged members of the Yakuza fraternity.

Yoshinaga’s homage to the bikers includes images of the various Bosozoku clubs throughout Japan. They also include female bike gangs, alongside studio portraits of individual members with their customized bikes. Their mass rallies and road wars have made the Bosozoku subculture a worldwide interest of the underground phenomenon.

Bosozoku bike members are much more carefree than violent. They are full of life, teenagers dedicated to the sublime intensity of youth. They are not the violent criminals that are portrayed in the Japanese media — but rather a healthy embodiment of youth and expression of freedom.

Yoshinaga was interested in capturing a defined and underground street culture. The Bosozoku point to a Japanese subculture that is part of a larger Japanese psyche.

Masayuki Yoshinaga

Masayuki Yoshinaga is one of the leading fashion and reportage photographers of his generation. His images appear in such prestigious magazines as Studio Voice, Dazed & Confused, The Face and Barfout!

His work was recently shown in the Barbican Art Centre's Jam exhibition and at the Dazed & Confused Gallery in London. He lives in and continues to investigate the subcultures of Tokyo.

Adapted from text by Masayuki Yoshinaga
© 2003 Trolley Ltd.