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{{Short description|Japanese term meaning "girl boss" or "delinquent girl"}} |
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{{Italic title}} |
{{Italic title}} |
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{{Infobox cultural movement |
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⚫ | {{ |
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| name = ''Sukeban'' |
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| image = |
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| alt = |
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| caption = |
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| yearsactive = 1960s–1970s |
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| country = [[Japan]] |
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| majorfigures = |
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| influences = |
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| influenced = Seinen manga,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Schmidt-Rees |first1=Hannah |title=Sukeban - The Forgotten Story of Japans Girl Gangs |url=https://www.per-spex.com/articles/fashion-history/2019/2/16/sukeban-the-forgotten-story-of-japans-girl-gangs |website=Perspex |access-date=11 April 2024 |date=16 February 2019}}</ref> Pinky Violence films,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gravili |first1=Mattia |title=SUKEBAN: Japan's 70s Delinquent Girl Gangs |url=https://www.yokogaomag.com/editorial/sukeban |website=Yokogao |access-date=11 April 2024 |date=27 December 2023}}</ref> all-girl ''Bōsōzoku'' gangs<ref>{{cite web |last1=Healy |first1=Claire Marie |title=Remembering Japan's badass 70s schoolgirl gangs |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/28261/1/remembering-japans-badass-70s-schoolgirl-gangs |website=Dazed |access-date=11 April 2024 |date=5 November 2015}}</ref> |
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}} |
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⚫ | {{Nihongo||スケバン/助番|'''Sukeban'''}} is a [[Japanese language|Japanese]] term meaning {{gloss|[[Juvenile delinquency|delinquent]] girl}}, and the female equivalent to the male {{transliteration|ja|[[banchō (position)|banchō]]}} in Japanese culture. The usage of the word {{transliteration|ja|sukeban}} refers to either the leader of a girl gang or the entire gang itself,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.angelfire.com/anime4/jslang/jibiki.htm|title = The Japanese Slang Jiko}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=November 2021}} and is not used to refer to any one member of a girl gang.<ref name ="Beyond Polite Japanese">Yonekawa, Akihiko. ''Beyond Polite Japanese: A Dictionary of Japanese Slang and Colloquialisms'', 2001, pages 26–27. {{ISBN|978-4-7700-2773-3}}.</ref> |
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⚫ | The word {{ |
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⚫ | The word {{transliteration|ja|sukeban}} was originally used by delinquents, but has been used by the general population to describe the [[subculture]] since 1972. {{transliteration|ja|Sukeban}} were formed as a direct result of male gangs' refusal to accept female members, consequently the term has come to refer to the massive movement that brought [[feminism]] to public attention at a time when men of the [[yakuza]] were thriving.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}} |
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⚫ | {{ |
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⚫ | {{transliteration|ja|Sukeban}} reportedly first appeared in Japan during the 1960s, presenting themselves as the female equivalent to the {{transliteration|ja|banchō}} gangs, which were composed mostly of men. During the 1970s, as {{transliteration|ja|banchō}} gangs began to die out, {{transliteration|ja|sukeban}} girl gangs began to rise in number. Gangs were initially small groups of girls sneaking cigarettes in school bathrooms, but eventually grew in numbers, as did their level of criminality.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}} These gangs were commonly associated by violence and shop-lifting. Gangs ranged in size from Tokyo's United Shoplifters group, comprising roughly 80 members, to the Kanto Women Delinquent Alliance, rumored to have had around 20,000 members. {{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} Criminal activities and violence of the girl gangs in Japan reached such a high that sketches used to identify them in Japanese police pamphlets in the 1980s described aspects of their fashion as "omens of downfall".<ref name="Womansword" /> |
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==Characteristics== |
==Characteristics== |
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===Appearance and other signifiers=== |
===Appearance and other signifiers=== |
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The common signifiers of {{ |
The common signifiers of {{transliteration|ja|sukeban}} include [[Hair coloring#Exotic hair colorants|brightly-dyed]] or [[permanent wave|permed]] hair, in colours of either [[blond]]e or light brown.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2 August 2018|title=1970's Sukeban Subculture: Japanese Delinquent Gangs|url=https://japadventure.com/sukeban-subculture|access-date=1 December 2021|website=japadventure.com}}</ref> Members of {{transliteration|ja|sukeban}} also modified their [[Japanese school uniform#Sailor outfit|school uniform]] by wearing coloured socks, rolling up their sleeves and lengthening their skirt, which were sometimes decorated with gang-affiliated symbols, [[kanji]] and/or slogans.<ref name=":0" /> The long skirts were a rejection of the popularity of the [[miniskirt]], which had become popular in the 1960s during the sexual revolution. Though their skirts were long, {{transliteration|ja|sukeban}} often cut their shirts to expose their midriffs. Converse sneakers were also another addition, and their clothes often had handmade modifications, including badges and buttons. They wore very little make-up and sported thin eyebrows. Adding to these features, {{transliteration|ja|sukeban}} usually wore surgical masks,<ref name=":0" /> and often carried with them razor blades, bamboo swords and chains, which could be concealed under their skirts.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Webb|first=Beth|title=How Vicious Schoolgirl Gangs Sparked a Media Frenzy in Japan|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/mgmzxv/how-vicious-schoolgirl-gangs-sparked-media-frenzy-japan-sukeban|access-date=1 December 2021|website=vice.com|date=16 February 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=18 July 2019|title=The True Story Of Sukeban: Violent Girl Gangs Of '70s Japan|url=https://groovyhistory.com/sukeban-school-girl-gangs-japan|access-date=1 December 2021|website=groovyhistory.com}}</ref> |
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The style of the ''sukeban'' have been interpreted as a rebellion against traditional gender norms, sexism, and the objectification of women, while, more specifically, the length of their skirts has been read as a reaction to the [[sexual revolution]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Healy |first1=Claire Marie |title=Remembering Japan's badass 70s schoolgirl gangs |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/28261/1/remembering-japans-badass-70s-schoolgirl-gangs |website=Dazed |access-date=11 April 2024 |date=5 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Gravili |first1=Mattia |title=SUKEBAN: Japan's 70s Delinquent Girl Gangs |url=https://www.yokogaomag.com/editorial/sukeban |website=Yokogao |access-date=11 April 2024 |date=27 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Schmidt-Rees |first1=Hannah |title=Sukeban - The Forgotten Story of Japans Girl Gangs |url=https://www.per-spex.com/articles/fashion-history/2019/2/16/sukeban-the-forgotten-story-of-japans-girl-gangs |website=Perspex |access-date=11 April 2024 |date=16 February 2019}}</ref> |
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=== Codes of Conduct and similar attitudes === |
=== Codes of Conduct and similar attitudes === |
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{{ |
{{transliteration|ja|Sukeban}} girls followed strict rules and codes of conduct within their gangs. Each gang possessed a hierarchy as well as their own means of punishment; cigarette burns were considered a minor punishment for stealing a boyfriend or disrespecting a senior member. {{transliteration|ja|Sukeban}} were reported to engage in activities such as stimulant use, shoplifting, theft, and violence, but if arrested, could be charged with the lesser offence of "pre-delinquency".<ref name="Womansword">{{cite book|last=Cherry|first=Kittredge |year=1991 |title=Womansword: What Japanese Words Say About Women|publisher=Kodansha International Ltd.|orig-year=1987|isbn=4-7700-1655-7|edition=First mass market |location=Tokyo |pages=51–52|chapter=Christmas Cake Sweepstakes: Girlhood to Wedding|type=paperback}}</ref><ref name="Beyond Polite Japanese" /> Stimulants use often included sniffing paint thinner or glue.<ref name="vintagenewsdaily">{{Cite web|last=Everyday|first=Vintage|date=October 18, 2018|title=Sukeban: 20 Amazing Photographs Capture Badass Girl Gangs in Japan From the 1970s and 1980s|url=https://vintagenewsdaily.com/sukeban-20-amazing-photographs-capture-badass-girl-gangs-in-japan-from-the-1970s-and-1980s/|access-date=1 December 2021|website=vintagenewsdaily.com}}</ref> |
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== Media and cultural influence == |
== Media and cultural influence == |
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⚫ | In the 1970s and 1980s, {{transliteration|ja|sukeban}} became popular characters in {{transliteration|ja|[[seinen manga|seinen]]}} manga.<ref name="Womansword"/> {{transliteration|ja|Sukeban}} characters could also be seen in {{transliteration|ja|[[shōjo manga|shōjō]]}} manga publications. {{transliteration|ja|[[Sukeban Deka]]}}, ''[[Tales of Yajikita College]]'' and {{transliteration|ja|[[Hana no Asuka-gumi!]]}} were three popular {{transliteration|ja|shōjo}} series that had a mostly {{transliteration|ja|sukeban}} cast.<ref>[http://okazu.yuricon.com/2004/03/03/yuri-mangayuri-anime-sukeban-deka/ Yuri Manga: Sukeban Deka Review], [[Yuricon#Publishing and Outreach|Okazu]], Erica Friedman of [[Yuricon]] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905235728/http://okazu.yuricon.com/2004/03/03/yuri-mangayuri-anime-sukeban-deka/|date=September 5, 2015}}</ref> |
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⚫ | [[Pink film]] director [[Norifumi Suzuki]] made the first films in the seven-film ''Girl Boss'' ({{transliteration|ja|Sukeban}}) series. He also started the four-film ''[[Terrifying Girls' High School]]'' series (1971–1972) featuring {{transliteration|ja|sukeban}} characters. Both series featured prominent ''Pinky violent'' actresses [[Reiko Ike]] and [[Miki Sugimoto]], as well as former beauty queen Reiko Oshida. On December 6, 2005, Panik House company released a four-disc [[DVD region code|region-1]] [[DVD]] collection surveying {{transl|ja|Sukeban}} films entitled ''The Pinky Violence Collection''. These films challenged traditional constructions of gender and female sexuality in postwar Japan.<ref>{{cite journal|first1=Alicia|last1=Kozma|title=Pinky Violence: Shock, awe and the exploitation of sexual liberation|url=https://doi.org/10.1386/jjkc.3.1.37_1|journal=Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema|date=1 January 2012|issn=1756-4905|pages=37–44|volume=3|issue=1|doi=10.1386/jjkc.3.1.37_1|s2cid=147655347 }}</ref> |
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⚫ | In the 1970s and 1980s, {{ |
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⚫ | [[Pink film]] director [[Norifumi Suzuki]] made the first films in the seven-film ''Girl Boss'' ({{ |
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⚫ | {{quote|What is unusual is that in the yakuza, women have no authority and there are almost no female members. That the female gangs even existed is an oddity in Japan's generally sexist male-dominated deviant culture... the world was about feminism and liberation, and perhaps they felt like women have the right to be just as stupid, promiscuous, risk-seeking, adrenaline junkies and violent as their male counterparts.<ref name=":1" />}} |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* {{Transliteration|ja|[[Oira Sukeban]]}} |
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*[[Banchō (position)]] |
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* [[Bōsōzoku]] |
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*[[Oira Sukeban]] (AKA ''Sukeban Boy'' and ''Delinquent in Drag'') |
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* {{Ill|Yankī|ja|ヤンキー (不良少年)|display=1}} |
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* {{Ill|Teamer|ja|チーマー}} (Chīmā) |
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* {{Ill|Color Gang|ja|カラーギャング}} |
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== |
== Footnotes == |
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{{ |
{{Reflist}} |
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== Sources == |
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==Bibliography== |
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{{Japanese subcultures}} |
{{Japanese subcultures}} |
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[[Category:Female stock characters in anime and manga]] |
[[Category:Female stock characters in anime and manga]] |
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[[Category:Japanese subcultures]] |
[[Category:Japanese subcultures]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Japanese words and phrases]] |
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[[Category:Juvenile delinquency in fiction]] |
[[Category:Juvenile delinquency in fiction]] |
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[[Category:Women in Japan]] |
[[Category:Women in Japan]] |
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Latest revision as of 14:20, 12 October 2024
Years active | 1960s–1970s |
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Country | Japan |
Influenced | Seinen manga,[1] Pinky Violence films,[2] all-girl Bōsōzoku gangs[3] |
Sukeban (スケバン/助番) is a Japanese term meaning 'delinquent girl', and the female equivalent to the male banchō in Japanese culture. The usage of the word sukeban refers to either the leader of a girl gang or the entire gang itself,[4][better source needed] and is not used to refer to any one member of a girl gang.[5]
The word sukeban was originally used by delinquents, but has been used by the general population to describe the subculture since 1972. Sukeban were formed as a direct result of male gangs' refusal to accept female members, consequently the term has come to refer to the massive movement that brought feminism to public attention at a time when men of the yakuza were thriving.[citation needed]
Sukeban reportedly first appeared in Japan during the 1960s, presenting themselves as the female equivalent to the banchō gangs, which were composed mostly of men. During the 1970s, as banchō gangs began to die out, sukeban girl gangs began to rise in number. Gangs were initially small groups of girls sneaking cigarettes in school bathrooms, but eventually grew in numbers, as did their level of criminality.[citation needed] These gangs were commonly associated by violence and shop-lifting. Gangs ranged in size from Tokyo's United Shoplifters group, comprising roughly 80 members, to the Kanto Women Delinquent Alliance, rumored to have had around 20,000 members. [citation needed] Criminal activities and violence of the girl gangs in Japan reached such a high that sketches used to identify them in Japanese police pamphlets in the 1980s described aspects of their fashion as "omens of downfall".[6]
Characteristics
[edit]Appearance and other signifiers
[edit]The common signifiers of sukeban include brightly-dyed or permed hair, in colours of either blonde or light brown.[7] Members of sukeban also modified their school uniform by wearing coloured socks, rolling up their sleeves and lengthening their skirt, which were sometimes decorated with gang-affiliated symbols, kanji and/or slogans.[7] The long skirts were a rejection of the popularity of the miniskirt, which had become popular in the 1960s during the sexual revolution. Though their skirts were long, sukeban often cut their shirts to expose their midriffs. Converse sneakers were also another addition, and their clothes often had handmade modifications, including badges and buttons. They wore very little make-up and sported thin eyebrows. Adding to these features, sukeban usually wore surgical masks,[7] and often carried with them razor blades, bamboo swords and chains, which could be concealed under their skirts.[8][9]
The style of the sukeban have been interpreted as a rebellion against traditional gender norms, sexism, and the objectification of women, while, more specifically, the length of their skirts has been read as a reaction to the sexual revolution.[10][11][12]
Codes of Conduct and similar attitudes
[edit]Sukeban girls followed strict rules and codes of conduct within their gangs. Each gang possessed a hierarchy as well as their own means of punishment; cigarette burns were considered a minor punishment for stealing a boyfriend or disrespecting a senior member. Sukeban were reported to engage in activities such as stimulant use, shoplifting, theft, and violence, but if arrested, could be charged with the lesser offence of "pre-delinquency".[6][5] Stimulants use often included sniffing paint thinner or glue.[13]
Media and cultural influence
[edit]In the 1970s and 1980s, sukeban became popular characters in seinen manga.[6] Sukeban characters could also be seen in shōjō manga publications. Sukeban Deka, Tales of Yajikita College and Hana no Asuka-gumi! were three popular shōjo series that had a mostly sukeban cast.[14]
Pink film director Norifumi Suzuki made the first films in the seven-film Girl Boss (Sukeban) series. He also started the four-film Terrifying Girls' High School series (1971–1972) featuring sukeban characters. Both series featured prominent Pinky violent actresses Reiko Ike and Miki Sugimoto, as well as former beauty queen Reiko Oshida. On December 6, 2005, Panik House company released a four-disc region-1 DVD collection surveying Sukeban films entitled The Pinky Violence Collection. These films challenged traditional constructions of gender and female sexuality in postwar Japan.[15]
Japanese crime writer Jake Adelstein said with regards to sukeban:
What is unusual is that in the yakuza, women have no authority and there are almost no female members. That the female gangs even existed is an oddity in Japan's generally sexist male-dominated deviant culture... the world was about feminism and liberation, and perhaps they felt like women have the right to be just as stupid, promiscuous, risk-seeking, adrenaline junkies and violent as their male counterparts.[8]
See also
[edit]- Oira Sukeban
- Bōsōzoku
- Yankī
- Teamer (Chīmā)
- Color Gang
Footnotes
[edit]- ^ Schmidt-Rees, Hannah (16 February 2019). "Sukeban - The Forgotten Story of Japans Girl Gangs". Perspex. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ Gravili, Mattia (27 December 2023). "SUKEBAN: Japan's 70s Delinquent Girl Gangs". Yokogao. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ Healy, Claire Marie (5 November 2015). "Remembering Japan's badass 70s schoolgirl gangs". Dazed. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "The Japanese Slang Jiko".
- ^ a b Yonekawa, Akihiko. Beyond Polite Japanese: A Dictionary of Japanese Slang and Colloquialisms, 2001, pages 26–27. ISBN 978-4-7700-2773-3.
- ^ a b c Cherry, Kittredge (1991) [1987]. "Christmas Cake Sweepstakes: Girlhood to Wedding". Womansword: What Japanese Words Say About Women (paperback) (First mass market ed.). Tokyo: Kodansha International Ltd. pp. 51–52. ISBN 4-7700-1655-7.
- ^ a b c "1970's Sukeban Subculture: Japanese Delinquent Gangs". japadventure.com. 2 August 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ a b Webb, Beth (16 February 2016). "How Vicious Schoolgirl Gangs Sparked a Media Frenzy in Japan". vice.com. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ "The True Story Of Sukeban: Violent Girl Gangs Of '70s Japan". groovyhistory.com. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ Healy, Claire Marie (5 November 2015). "Remembering Japan's badass 70s schoolgirl gangs". Dazed. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ Gravili, Mattia (27 December 2023). "SUKEBAN: Japan's 70s Delinquent Girl Gangs". Yokogao. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ Schmidt-Rees, Hannah (16 February 2019). "Sukeban - The Forgotten Story of Japans Girl Gangs". Perspex. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ Everyday, Vintage (October 18, 2018). "Sukeban: 20 Amazing Photographs Capture Badass Girl Gangs in Japan From the 1970s and 1980s". vintagenewsdaily.com. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ Yuri Manga: Sukeban Deka Review, Okazu, Erica Friedman of Yuricon Archived September 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Kozma, Alicia (1 January 2012). "Pinky Violence: Shock, awe and the exploitation of sexual liberation". Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema. 3 (1): 37–44. doi:10.1386/jjkc.3.1.37_1. ISSN 1756-4905. S2CID 147655347.
Sources
[edit]- Ashcraft, Brian with Ueda Shoko (2010). Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential: How Teenage Girls Made a Nation Cool. Kodansha. ISBN 978-4-7700-3115-0.
- Weisser, Yuko Mihara (2nd Quarter 2001). "Japanese Fighting Divas 101". Asian Cult Cinema #31.