Kabukimono

• Japanese: 傾奇者　(kabukimono)

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 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 kill innocent civilians. Fuwa Kazuemon of the 47 Ronin was said to be a member of a kabukimono gang.

The theatrical form Kabuki is often said to have its origins among these kabukimono; Izumo no Okuni, who is usually credited with originating the form, is often described as one. The word for the drama form has, however, come to be written with different characters - namely, 『歌舞伎』, meaning, literally, "song," "dance," and "technique."

References

• Rankin, Andrew. Seppuku. Tokyo: Kodansha International Ltd., 2011.