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Zoku (族) is aSino-Japanese term meaningtribe, clan, or family. As a suffix it has been used extensively within Japan to define subcultural phenomena, though many zoku do not acquire the suffix (e.g.cosplay).
Azoku may be labeled with a Japanese stem (e.g.kaminari zoku) or a foreign language (gairaigo) stem (e.g.saike zoku, wheresaike comes from "psychedelic").
As with the usual practice elsewhere,subcultures inJapan have almost certainly been labeled by an outsider to the group, often an influential person in themedia.
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)."[1]
Althoughzoku was applied to others in society, likesenior citizens,salarymen, and political activists (e.g.Uyoku dantai), it was mostly used to label youth subcultures.
Shintaro Ishihara's 1950s novelSeason of the Sun gave rise to a reckless and carefree expression of youth which became stylised in subsequent films astaiyo zoku (太陽族, sun tribe). This subculture had some parallels with therocker andgreaser subcultures being promoted byHollywood films such asRebel without a Cause. Traditional Japanese considered the post-wartaiyo zoku violent and promiscuous. Some Japanese youths admired American music, and JapaneseBill Haley clones were known asrokabiri zoku (therockabilly tribe).
At the height of thehippy movement and thepsychedelic age in the 1960s, thefuten zoku (フーテン族) or vagabond tribe emerged in theShinjuku area of Japan. Japanese media depicted them as dangerous because of theirsubstance abuse and their public presence.[2] More recreational drug users who patronized clubs and coffee shops were known asdanmo zoku (ダンモ族).
A 1970s Japanesepunk movement was known askarasu 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 thean-non zoku (アンノン族).
In the 1980s, fashion became mixed with music and dance in the form of thetakenoko-zoku (bamboo-shoot tribe). This subculture was named after a boutique inHarajuku. Other parts of Tokyo such asRoppongi andGinza have been centers ofJapanese popular culture, and many zoku have been named after sites in these localities.
Another very significant group of the 1980s was thekurisutaru zoku (crystal tribe), which were branded a social group after the success of the novelNantonaku, Kurisutaru (Somehow, Crystal). This label applied to youth who were swept up in the freedoms of the economic boom of the 1980s and becamematerialistic and conscious of their image, much likeyuppies. They have been contrasted with the rougher groups that had existed since the 1950s.
TheHanako zoku (ハナコ族) of the late 1980s was associated with a popular magazine for young women calledHanako.[3]