1950s/60s Subcultures that emerged in the early post-war decades include the "motorcycle-riding" Thunder Tribe (
kaminarizoku), the amplified-music-loving Electric Tribe (
erekizoku), and the Psychedelic Tribe (
saikezoku)." Although
zoku was applied to others in society, like
senior citizens,
salarymen, and political activists (e.g.
Uyoku dantai), it was mostly used to label youth subcultures.
Shintaro Ishihara's 1950s novel
Season of the Sun gave rise to a reckless and carefree expression of youth which became stylised in subsequent films as
taiyo zoku (太陽族, sun tribe). This subculture had some parallels with the
rocker and
greaser subcultures being promoted by
Hollywood films such as
Rebel without a Cause. Traditional Japanese considered the post-war
taiyo zoku violent and promiscuous. Some Japanese youths admired American music, and Japanese
Bill Haley clones were known as
rokabiri zoku (the
rockabilly tribe). At the height of the
hippy movement and the
psychedelic age in the 1960s, the
futen zoku (フーテン族) or vagabond tribe emerged in the
Shinjuku area of Japan. Japanese media depicted them as dangerous because of their
substance abuse and their public presence. More recreational drug users who patronized clubs and coffee shops were known as
danmo zoku (ダンモ族).
1970s/80s A 1970s Japanese
punk movement was known as
karasu zoku (からす族, crow tribe) because they wore black clothing and accessories. Young women readers of the 1970s magazines "
an an" and "
Non-no" were known as the
an-non zoku (アンノン族). In the 1980s, fashion became mixed with music and dance in the form of the
takenoko-zoku (bamboo-shoot tribe). This subculture was named after a boutique in
Harajuku. Other parts of Tokyo such as
Roppongi and
Ginza have been centers of
Japanese popular culture, and many zoku have been named after sites in these localities. Another very significant group of the 1980s was the
kurisutaru zoku (crystal tribe), which were branded a social group after the success of the novel
Nantonaku, Kurisutaru (
Somehow, Crystal). This label applied to youth who were swept up in the freedoms of the economic boom of the 1980s and became
materialistic and conscious of their image, much like
yuppies. They have been contrasted with the rougher groups that had existed since the 1950s. The
Hanako zoku (ハナコ族) of the late 1980s was associated with a popular magazine for young women called
Hanako. ==Glossary==