The Bosozoku Biker Girl Gangs Of Japan - Tattooed Outlaws With Varnished Nails And Badass Bikes

Bosozoku biker gangs are part of modern Japanese mythology but they don't always have to be men-only affairs, the Bosozoku biker girls of Japan are one such example of a women-only badass biker girl gang. Bosozoku are a subculture in Japan centered around customized motorcycles (and these days also cars, especially exhausts). Originally it was a name the police gave the Japanese bikers when the Bosozoku subculture started back in the 1980s, and it means "violent run tribe."

Website DangerousMinds.net reports "Back in the 1970s the term bōsōzoku (or “speed tribes”) was first used to describe Japanese biker gangs that routinely fought in the streets with rival gangs and the police. Often dressed like Kamikaze pilots, they wreaked havoc speeding through the streets on their illegally modified bikes, blowing through red lights, and smashing the car windows of any motorist that dared defy them with baseball bats. Foreigners were an especially favorite target of the their aggression."

After being shut down by police and driven underground the Bosozoku motorcycle gangs are making a comeback, even though new laws in Japan make it difficult for the gangs to operate.

So Who Are The Bosozoku Biker Girl Gangs?

The Bosozoku biker girls are outlaws, some of whom used to be girlfriends of Bosozoku men but, as they state in the video above by Vocativ, they got tired of sitting behind a guy so ditched them and got their own motorcycles and style. "When I was 16, I was dating Bōsōzoku guys. I thought the bike was so cool. [But] I didn’t just want to sit behind a guy rider. Women are becoming stronger now." says one of them.

The women in the biker girl gangs can be just as violent as their male gang counterparts and in a culture where females are supposed to stay at home and be subordinate, joining a biker gang is the ultimate act of rebellion.

Fashion also plays an important role, with the women having long, pointed, bright nails that match the bold designs of their bikes—along with baroque tattoos, uniforms with gang names, and long styled hair. As members of the motorcycle gang in the video explain, it's all about showing that "Japanese women can wipe their own ass."

You can check out some Bosozoku fashion, style, and motorcycles below.