45 What is a yankī or furyō? (About Japanese Teenage Delinquent Culture)

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What is a yankī or furyō?

Topics Discussed

• What a furyō is
• The literal meaning of furyō
• All about juvenile delinquent culture in Japan
• The possible origin of the term furyō
• What a yankī is
• The possible origins of the Japanese term yankī and its links to Osaka's Amemura area
• What a tsuppari is
• Classic furyo fashion
• About the rīzento (pompadour/duck's tail) hairstyle
• How furyō would alter their gakuran (school uniforms)
• About dokan and bontan pants
• What a sukeban is
• The stereotypical appearance of a sukeban
• About Sukeban Deka
• A theory about why furyo started shaving off their eyebrows
• Dying one's hair blonde and associations with juvenile delinquency in Japan
• Japanese school rules
• The "two block" (tsūburokku) hairstyle
• How the idea of a furyo has changed over time
• And much more!

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• Support on Patreon

Sources, Links, Videos, Etc.

Here are some of the English-language sources used for this episode.

• Pompadour (Wikipedia)

Here are some of the Japanese-language sources used for this episode.

• 不良行為少年 (Wikipedia)
• ヤンキー
• 中井正広のブラックバラエティ20050508 ツッパリファッシ
• 【文化】日本の心？「ヤンキー」の歴史を知ることは若者の文化を知ることだった！前編
• スケバン (Wikipedia)
• レディース　女連　全日本女番連盟
• 不良のことをなんでヤンキーと呼ぶの？語源を調べてみたら興味深いことが分かった！
• ヤンキー (不良少年) (Wikipedia)
• 【Regent style】リーゼント歴８年　リーゼントのメリット、デメリットの紹介
• ヤンキーの足元を紹介するにあたり…
• ヤンキーはなぜサンダルやスウェットを着るのか？徹底考察！！
• なぜ昔のヤンキーはお母ちゃんのツッカケを履いてたのですか？
• なんで不良の人は眉毛剃る(薄くする)んでしょうか
• 昭和のヤンキーと平成のヤンキーを徹底的に比較してみた

Here is a link to a channel run by a guy who creates a lot of content about his life with a pompadour.

• Regent Times

Here is the video about Sukeban Deka.

• The Original Kill La Kill | Sukeban Deka (1991) | Anime Retrospective

Here's another related video about a sukeban shows that you might enjoy.

• When Delinquent Girls Ruled | Hana no Asuka-gumi! (1988) Sukeban Review

To learn more about Shoe Murakami, check out the Japan Station episode below.

• The Fascinating Life of Stand-Up Comedian Shuhei "Shoe" Murakami | Japan Station 45

Shoe also appears on episode 38 of Ichimon Japan.

• What first person pronoun should I use when speaking Japanese? | Ichimon Japan 38

Check out the latest episode of Japan Station, see the link below.

• The Kimono Tattoo: Discussing Kyoto, Kimono & More w. Dr. Rebecca Copeland | Japan Station 67

Support the show by picking up a t-shirt at KimitoDesigns.com.

• Check out Kimito Designs

Japanese Vocabulary List

Most episodes feature at least one or two interesting Japanese words or phrases. Here's some of the ones that came up on this episode. All information is from Jim Breen's WWWJDIC.

• Furyō
  • 不良 【ふりょう】 (adj-no,adj-na,n) (1) bad; poor; inferior; (n,adj-no,adj-na) (2) delinquent; hoodlum; hooligan
• Yankī
  • ヤンキー (n) (1) (col) delinquent (youth); delinquency; (n) (2) Yankee
• Tsuppari
  • ツッパリ (n) delinquent youth; delinquent youngster
• Furyōkōishōnen
  • 不良行為少年 【ふりょうこういしょうねん】 (n) (See 不良・2) juvenile delinquent
• Gakuran
  • 学ラン : 学ラン; 学らん; 学蘭 【がくラン(学ラン); がくらん(学らん,学蘭)】 (n) (col) school uniform for boys, often with stand-up collar, long jacket and loose trousers
• Bōsōzoku
  • 暴走族 【ぼうそうぞく】 (n) (See 珍走団) young motorcycle-riding delinquents; bōsōzoku;
• Rīzento
  • リーゼント (n) (abbr) (See リーゼントスタイル) Regent hairstyle; ducktail; Pompadour
• Tsūburokku
  • ツーブロック : ツーブロック; ツー・ブロック (n) undercut (hairstyle) (wasei: two block)

We Want Your Questions

Is there something about Japan that confuses you? Is there something about Japanese culture that you would like to learn more about? Is there something in Japanese history that you would like us to explain? We're always looking for new questions about Japan to answer, so if you have one, please send it to ichimon@japankyo.com.

Special Thanks

Opening/Closing Theme: Produced by Apol (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Fiverr)

Ichimon Japan cover art: Produced by Erik R.

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Full Show Notes

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