Where did the female sukeban gangs come from, and why all Japanese were afraid of them

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Japanese culture, which is noticeably different from the European one, always seems to be something exotic, but at the same time attractive. The criminal culture of the land of the rising sun is no exception. Unlike the West, the yakuza did not hide, conducted open activities and even had their own offices. An unthinkable format of criminal activity by Western standards. As well as youth gangs were taken for granted, as one of the stages of growing up. Perhaps it was the connivance of adults that made the female sukeban groups not only intimidating, but also very popular.

All this happened with the silent consent of the authorities, who were condescending to the tricks of young criminals and tried not to sentence them to real terms. Organized crime, which is known throughout the world as "yakuza", periodically adjoined people from youth gangs, which blossomed in Japan more magnificently than sakura. Many of them attracted the attention of not only the police, but also the public, and the images of criminals were often perceived as romantic and mysterious.

As opposed to the male gang

If the men's gangs were not so zealous in protecting their ranks from women, then it is likely that the sukeban did not arise, the ladies would have completely calmed down, having become part of the current group, and with a much smaller composition. However, the bancho male gangs involved in shoplifting refused to cooperate with the girls. It is no wonder that they soon had gender opponents - street gangs of girls who did not take guys into.

The word sukeban translated from Japanese means "boss girl". And this phrase perfectly characterizes the main values of those who were part of this gang. Fearlessness and courage, audacity and struggle against the established foundations, multiplied by the youth of the Sukeban participants, made them truly dangerous. Despite the fact that it rarely came to serious and large matters, they managed to keep the whole district in fear.

Such a shocking name is fully explained by the reason for the emergence of the group, because it is based on a feminist attitude and opposing oneself to men. Initially, the group consisted of schoolgirls who were formed to defend against the bancho, often they had to participate in mass fights. Later, their interests went beyond self-defense, theft, robbery and even robbery became what the girls united. It took less than ten years for the youth gangs to grow into a network of female criminal gangs, which included more than 20 thousand girls and had their own council.

Later, a certain set of rules was formed, for violations of which punishment was provided. It could be a public flogging or burning the skin with a cigarette. It was considered a violation, for example, to be in a relationship with a guy who had previously dated another sukeban girl. In addition, the gang had its own dress code.

For the whole world, these girls were personified with the Japanese school uniform, but in fact they did not always wear it. Although they used clothes to highlight and emphasize their own unity. Subsequently, they put on a kimono or a bandage on the forehead. As for the school uniform, it has been somewhat modified. In addition to the traditional pleated skirt, vest, red scarf and white golfs, the jacket or outerwear was specially shortened so that the belly was visible, and not covered. But the skirt, on the contrary, was longer than usual.

This outfit was deliberately anti-sexual, at that time in Japan it was fashionable to wear short skirts, tight jeans, but the sukeban did not recognize the exploitation of female sexuality and deliberately refused it. For the same reason, the use of cosmetics was minimized. But the girls always carried baseball bats, chains and a cute yo-yo toy with them. Later they began to wear leather and their style became more biker, however traditional Japanese motives were always used. In this way, they opposed themselves to American culture, the dominance of which was then observed in Japan.

Subsequently, this subculture will dissolve in other groups, but the image of a teenage girl with a predatory gaze is still exploited. The boss girls were too daring and memorable.

Mischief or crime?

Kei-Ko - the leader among the same schoolgirls like her, who call her Razor, is literally the crime boss of the suburbs of Tokyo. She wears a razor on her chest, neatly wrapped in cloth, but for a split second, she will hold it against her opponent's cheek. She was just one of those legendary ones - a girl whose rebellious spirit allowed her to become a crime boss. They not only existed alongside the male gangs, but in many ways exceeded them both in numbers and in cruelty and internal discipline.

In addition to denying their own attractiveness and sexuality, there was another reason why the sukeban wore long skirts - it was convenient to hide chains or knives under them. Often dragons or other traditional Japanese prints were embroidered on jackets. The hair was etched yellow and the eyebrows were plucked into a pinstripe. Often they carried bamboo swords (they are used in school physical education lessons), and they also have a finger gesture known as "Victoria". They also wore bright socks, and with them down.

The largest union included 20 thousand girls. The yakuza, for comparison, at that time consisted of about one hundred thousand men. But the latter have a four-century history, and the sukeban have skyrocketed in two decades. However, the internal hierarchy in male and female groupings was similar - strict discipline, hierarchy and their own accounting. By the time the sukeban took off, the yakuza were already reckoning with them, although this does not fit in the head at all, given that the thieving group included adult men - crime bosses, and the first was driven by schoolgirls.

For starters, the girls stopped obeying school norms, they redid their school uniforms, dyed their hair, and wore small bags. The latter was not just an accessory, but a real symbol - this is how they expressed their disdain for the school process, because textbooks and notebooks did not fit into a tiny bag. Leather briefcases were specially cooked to make them "shrink" and become smaller. According to Japanese norms, this behavior and changes to the school uniform were akin to a riot.

The police paid attention to the girls' appearance, the adults were guided by the opinion that today the relaxation in clothes, and tomorrow in the behavior and requirements for school uniforms became more stringent. However, such remarks had nothing to do with real punishments.

The legislation of the land of the rising sun implies the so-called pre-delinquent behavior, this is when teenagers (and in Japan this age ends at 20) commit some deeds that are not a crime, but later may result in them. These behaviors could include skipping classes, smoking, poor grades, and unclear acquaintances. But at the same time, it is believed that this is the period of growing up and all people go through it. That is why it is customary to treat such a phenomenon as teenage gangs in the land of the rising sun not as a criminal phenomenon, but as teenage pampering. Although they do not close their eyes to this.

In the 70s, when Japan was at the dawn of its economic recovery, an oil crisis broke out, which caused a sharp drop in growth rates. This could not but affect the social situation in Japan. A particularly painful question for Japan - the inability to go to the "white collars", representatives of the working class, has become even more acute. And during the period of economic growth, girls had much less opportunities to build a career and become an influential person.

In addition, the system of remuneration based on the age of the employee applied exclusively to men. The country's authorities were confident that women were comfortable in the kitchen, and therefore the place itself. In addition, no payments and benefits were provided for housewives, women staying at home and engaged in raising children.

It is not surprising that people from poor families did not see any prospects and most often joined gangs, replenishing the mafia population. Children from the working class could hardly get an education; high admission scores to universities, paid preparatory courses and a special calculation of educational success did not give them a chance.

The social stratification of society, in which there was also an infringement of women's rights, became fertile ground for the growth of precisely female gangster formations. In addition, it already existed, it was only necessary to enter into it. The massiveness and widespread popularity of the sukeban in this historical period is explained precisely by socio-economic reasons and the desire to change the position of women in the country. It is this fact that gives every reason to believe that the sukeban is not just a bandit group, but something more - a movement for their own rights and interests.

Sukeban and feminism

The image of a Japanese woman, elevated to a cult, was created in deeply patriarchal foundations. There is even a special idiom in Japanese that literally translates to "Japanese carnation." That is, a woman should be fragile and thin, but at the same time firm and unshakable. Exceptional wisdom, constant understanding is expected from her - however, the Japanese have not come up with anything new in this area.

During World War II, the image of the ideal wife and mother was especially cultivated, women were encouraged to reproduce, because the country needs new citizens. The Japanese women received equality only in 1947, according to the new constitution. However, this did little to change the real position of women in society.

Japan had its own fem movements, but the emancipation of this country is associated with Western influences. Despite the legal assistance from outside, it was still too early to talk about complete equality. Here, a clash of two cultures took place, so that Japanese feminism could rightfully stand on its feet, there was simply no space. On the other hand, the sexual revolution proceeded in the Western manner, and women's emancipation took a completely different path. After the war, the old patriarchal ideals of female chastity collapsed completely. The stream, hitherto restrained, poured into a full-flowing river, which, however, again, hit women's rights and position in society. Perceiving them as an object for the embodiment of their own desires, men did not see them as equal partners.

The Sukeban denied both the patriarchal foundations in force before, and the deliberate permissiveness, the use of women for comfort and the lifting of all prohibitions. They did not see a female destiny in either one or the other; they were rather wary of the sexual revolution. At the same time, they were forced to reckon with themselves, and for this they used male methods of intimidation. In some ways, after all, they managed to ensure that they were reckoned with.

Sukeban in culture

The popularity of the gang has become a separate trend in pop culture, they began to devote films. Moreover, in the 70s, the so-called pink films, which are dedicated to women and crime, and are abundantly flavored with erotic scenes and violence, become popular. Such films were shown in private screenings, since they had an age limit.

Such a striking phenomenon almost immediately formed the basis of cinematography. The most famous films on this topic were "Hooligan", "Horrible School for Girls" and others. Most often, such films talk about gender inequality, and if a woman at first appears weak and defenseless, then very soon life circumstances put her in such conditions that she is forced to show her strength. Fights, motorcycles, jailbreak are just a small part of all the adventures. Moreover, in all tests, she demonstrates the strength of character and spirit, always comes out the winner and knows how to be stronger than men.

In such films, men appear tough simply by the fact of their existence, while a woman always shows aggression reasonably, having a goal and motives. She either takes revenge or achieves her goals. Despite the fact that the sukeban denied sexuality, the filmmakers made their heroines extremely seductive, and this was their other strength. Such stories, seasoned with elements of action films and the beauty of heroines, have become a new page in Japanese cinema.

By the 80s, the popularity of the sukeban increased its more, but the criminal component disappeared. Now it is more of a subculture that is built on a rebellious spirit, militant feminism, rather than theft and robbery. They still honor their code of honor, wear clothes according to their dress code, and their Japanese school uniforms, along with their yo-yos, have become symbols of the struggle for gender equality. To some extent, it was the sukeban who changed the attitude towards women in Japan, having achieved that they were considered, moreover, they did it in a masculine way - forcing themselves to be afraid, and therefore respect.

Despite the fact that by the 90s, women's gangs as a phenomenon had disappeared, the image of daring and dangerous schoolgirls is still popular today. It can be found in anime, computer games. The romantic image of a rebel, a girl who was not afraid to fight for something more than her personal happiness, is still perceived romantically.