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Kabukimono gangs were flamboyant rogue groups comprised of increasingly bored samurai during the late [[Sengoku]] period and throughout the [[Edo period]]. They were noted for wearing loud, gaudy kimono (some used kimono intended for use by women) and engaging in wild behavior. Most of their members were made up of young men who were not in line to inherit their family positions or holdings. Often these groups were known to bully townspeople and others of lower classes, indulge in protection rackets, become gangs of thieves, or even [[tsujigiri|kill innocent civilians]]. [[Fuwa Kazuemon]] of the [[47 Ronin]] was known to be a member of a Kabukimono gang.

 

''Kabukimono'' gangs were groups of flamboyant rogues comprised of increasingly bored samurai during the late [[Sengoku period]] and early [[Edo period]]. The term translates roughly to "eccentric," as the [[kanji|characters]] that comprise it mean, essentially, one (者) who leans (傾) [away from normal, or away from the norm] and is unusual (奇).

 

''Kabukimono'' were noted for wearing loud, gaudy kimono and otherwise violating fashion norms (some wore women's kimono) and engaging in wild behavior. An early 17th century painting known as The [[Hikone Screen]] (due to its location in the collection of [[Hikone castle]]) is a particularly famous and oft-cited visual example of the appearance of the ''kabukimono''; it serves as a particularly convenient example because the central figure is not only dressed unusually, but is actually bending or leaning in an eccentric manner.

 

Most of their members were made up of young men who were not in line to inherit their family positions or holdings. Often these groups were known to bully townspeople and others of lower classes, indulge in protection rackets, become gangs of thieves, or even [[tsujigiri|kill innocent civilians]]. [[Fuwa Kazuemon]] of the [[47 Ronin]] was said to be a member of a ''kabukimono'' gang.

 

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