#TJS The Kanjozoku

Who are the Kanjozoku?

The Kanjozoku are a group of people who race exclusively civics and the occasional integra on the Kanjo Loop in Osaka. In the map shown below the Kanjo is the oval in the middle. They are also regarded as some of the original founders of “JDM” car culture.

One would compare the Kanjo with the Wangan, however where the Wangan is wide, straight and long the Kanjo is tighter, shorter than the wangan and has narrow corners meaning the Wangan is home to high powered cars geared towards top speed and the Kanjo is perfect for cars with insane 0-60 times and amazing handling and agility.

You can instantly distinguish the Kanjozoku from any other group of street racers just from the paintjobs on the cars. The Kanjozoku get the ideas for their designs from the civics that used to race in Group A back in the 80s and 90s.

Why use the civic?

When the Kanjozoku were asked why they used the civic out of the number of performance cars to come out of Japan in the 80s and 90s they responded by saying:

The Civic definately has a unique charm. It's fast, stops on a dime and handles very well. We've driven different FRs like the 86 Levins but the Civic is definately a seductive car. I've always been a fan of the Civic, but it's different when you take one for a ride. The VTEC engine, how it's amazingly nimble, and the fact that you can outrun more powerful cars, these are the reasons why i can't stop using the Civic. The Kanjo is filled with ordinary drivers, and a Civic can weave through this traffic perfectly. It's the best car for the Kanjo. The root of the Civic culture stems from the fact that Suzuka Circuit is so close to Osaka. You see, at Suzuka Circuit they made Civic "one make" races a long time ago. We brought that "one make" style directly onto the Kanjo. That's why "JDM" is really something that originated from the Osaka /Kansai area. You can look all over Japan but you won't find a scene where the Civic is so dominant.

The most common civics you’ll come across on the Kanjo are mildly tuned EF9, EG6, and EK4 civics. And these cars are the perfect example of function over form.

The Kanjozoku use a number of methods to conceal their identities from the police, the most common methods are ski masks, hockey masks, racing nets and some have their number plates on a hinge so when they race they pull it up and have it fixed there, then when they stop racing they pull it down and have it like a normal number plate. I’m also convinced this creates extra downforce.

In the past decade the police have really cracked down and prevented the infamous Kanjozoku from racing. Many people being arrested and have had their cars impounded. Lots people have quit, moved to tracks but there are people who want the Kanjo culture to remain and who won’t quit until they are satisfied that the kanjo culture has been fully passed down to the next generation. They have even set up a team in the UK called Kanjo UK to make sure kanjo culture stays alive.

There is still limited information about the Kanjozoku so i have done the best with what i could find. I hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!