Kabukimono
or were gangs of samurai in feudal Japan. First appearing in the Azuchi–Momoyama period as the turbulent Sengoku period drew to a close, were either, wandering samurai, or men who had once worked for samurai families who, during times of peace, formed street gangs. Some, however, were also members of more prominent clans—most notably Oda Nobunaga and Maeda Toshiie.Etymology
The term is often translated into English as "strange things" or "the crazy ones", believed to be derived from, meaning "to slant" or "to deviate"; the term is also the origin of the name for kabuki theatre as the founder of kabuki, Izumo no Okuni, took heavy inspiration from the . The kanji used are ateji, used for their pronunciation, and not their inherent meaning.Description
would often dress in flamboyant clothing, disregarding traditional colours such as light yellow and dark blue, often accessorised by wearing jackets with lead weights in the hem, velvet lapels, wide belts and even women's clothing. Exoticism was characteristic and included items such as European clothing, Chinese hats, and made from Persian carpet. also often had uncommon hairstyles and facial hair, either styled up in various fashions or left to grow long. Their katana would often have fancy hilts, large or square, red scabbards and were usually longer than normal length. Some even used extremely long pipes as weapons.were known for their violent and unsociable behavior, such as not paying at restaurants or robbing townsfolk. Cases of the gang members cutting people down simply to test a new sword, or larger-scale violent incidents were common in areas where could be found. Wrestling, loud singing and dancing in the streets were also common, as was fighting between gangs after dark. The peak of activity was during the Keichō period, although also during that time, the became more strict, and the faded away.Later influence
It is thought that the modern yakuza originated from either groups of or bands of villagers gathered to fight their abusers, though other scholars believe that the yakuza origins are to be found in the, a form of private police.