What are furries called in Japan? An in-depth look at the kemono community - 33rd Square (2024)

Hey there! Terry Williams here, your resident tech geek and data analyst with a passion for gaming and streaming. Today I want to provide an extensive expert-level breakdown of the furry community in Japan, known as kemono. As someone fascinated by internet subcultures around the world, I‘ve done a deep dive into research on kemono to uncover all the details on this unique Japanese furry fandom. There‘s a ton of interesting info to cover, so let‘s get started!

A Quick Intro to Furries and Kemono

For those new to the term, furries are people with an interest in anthropomorphic animal characters – animals with human personalities and characteristics. Most furries have a fursona – an animal character they identify with – and involve themselves in furry fandom activities like meetups, conventions, online community sites, and even fursuiting (wearing elaborate furry costumes).

Meanwhile, kemono emerged independently in Japan to describe their local version of furry fandom centered around media and art featuring anthropomorphic animals. The word kemono translates to "beast" or "animal" in Japanese. So just like Western furries, kemono fans enjoy dressing up as animals, attending kemono conventions, drawing furry art, appreciating movies and shows with furry characters, and really immersing themselves in their beastly personas.

Now that we‘ve got the basics down, let‘s explore the kemono community more in depth!

The Origins and History of Kemono in Japan

While kemono culture might seem like a recent trend inspired by Western furries, it actually has roots reaching far back in Japanese history and folklore:

• Ancient Japanese mythology frequently featured intelligent animal spirits, shapeshifters, and anthropomorphic foxes and raccoon dogs known as kitsune and tanuki respectively.
• Ukiyo-e, a classic form of Japanese art popular from the 17th-19th century, prominently depicted animals in very human situations and roles.
• Anthropomorphic animals like Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion starred in some of the first widely popular manga and anime in the 1960s.
• Legendary manga artist Osamu Tezuka was famous for his humanized animal characters, helping set the foundation for kemono designs and stories.

But when did this distinct Japanese furry fandom really start taking shape?

• In the 1980s, fanzines dedicated to furry manga started circulating in Japan, allowing fans to connect.
• During the 1990s, internet forums like 2channel allowed online kemono fan communities to thrive.
• The major turning point came in 2015 with the first kemono-focused convention, Kemocon. This boosted interest in kemono fursuiting.

So while kemono shares the DNA of various Japanese culture elements, it only truly solidified into an organized fandom in recent decades. And as Japanese fans connected with worldwide furry communities on the internet, it gradually adopted aspects of Western furry fandom while retaining its unique Japanese style and tastes.

A Look at Kemono Furry Fandom and Expression in Japan

Now that we‘ve covered its origins, what does kemono fandom look like in Japan today? Here are some key facts about how kemoners express themselves and interact with the community:

• Kemono-themed artwork and online engagement are massive, especially on sites like Pixiv and Twitter. In fact, searching Japanese social media gives an idea of just how popular furry media consumption and creation is.
• On the other hand, public fursuiting is less common compared to Western furries. Kemono fans usually confine fursuit meets to indoor spaces rather than city streets.
• Anthropomorphic foxes, wolves, cats, and dogs are common kemono fursonas, along with Japanese-specific choices like kitsune. But fantastical, original creature designs are popular as well.
• Several recent anime feature canon kemono characters, including Brand New Animal, Aggressive Retsuko, and Beastars. This provides fuel for new fans and fursona inspiration.
• While numbers are hard to pin down, Japan likely has the largest kemono/furry fanbase outside of the USA and Europe. Anime media exposure is likely the major factor.

So in summary, kemono fandom is expressed largely through online community engagement and the massive Japanese animation industry. Fursuiting doesn‘t have quite as strong a presence, though the fandom is still thriving.

What Makes Kemono Different from Western Furries?

Kemono clearly shares a lot of similarities with the Western furry community. But Japan also puts its own cultural spin on furry fandom expression and activities:

• Japanese aesthetic tastes lean towards larger eyes, exaggerated colorful features, and a cuter, more cartoonish look for kemono fursuits and art. This contrasts with the push for realism in many Western furry circles.
• Public fursuiting regulations are stricter in Japan, limiting opportunities for meetups outside of private indoor spaces compared to large Western gatherings.
• Even Japan‘s largest kemono conventions max out at a few hundred attendees, while major US furry cons can draw crowds in the thousands.
• Aspects like fursonas and interest in media featuring anthropomorphic characters remain strong similarities between Western and Japanese furries.
• However, sexually-oriented aspects of furry fandom seem less prevalent in kemono online spaces and conventions compared to Western communities.
• Related Japanese fashion styles, like nekomimi (cat ears and tails) and kigurumi (animal costumes) overlap with but remain distinct from the kemono furry community.

So in many ways, kemono is like a parallel version of Western furries filtered through a uniquely Japanese cultural lens – the same core interest manifesting in a different form. The fandoms continue to influence each other more over time while retaining their distinct identities.

Kemono Furry Species and Characters

Now, let‘s explore some of the most popular species and archetypes found in kemono furry culture:

Foxes

• Foxes, especially magical kitsune, hold major prominence in Japanese mythology and remain the most popular kemono species. Their mystical powers and mischievous trickster nature provide great storytelling potential as well.

Wolves

• Wolves rank high as well, seen as wild, powerful, and loyal – ideal for dominant alpha fursonas. Wolf-men and wolf warriors have deep roots in Japanese tradition too.

Cats

• Graceful and cute but also unpredictable, cats match Japanese tastes for nekomimi style kemonos. Their bold attitude contrasts nicely against dog-like loyalty.

Dogs

• Faithful dogs have that same traditional appeal as wolves, especially classic Japanese breeds like shiba inu, known for their fox-like appearance.

Fantastical Creatures

• Japanese mythological creatures offer unique options compared to Western folklore. These include dragon-like eastern dragons, the pheonix-like hou-ou, and mystics like the tengu.

Original Species

• As in Western furry fandom, many kemoners design their own original species with custom designs, forms, and backstories. This creative expression lets personalities shine.

There are plenty more species found in the kemono community of course, but these represent some of the most strongly rooted in Japanese culture and storytelling tradition.

Data on Kemono Demographics and Interests

Let‘s round things out with some key data points about the kemono fandom courtesy of fandom surveys and studies:

• Japan has an estimated kemono fanbase in the tens of thousands, making it the largest community outside the West.
• Around 75-85% of kemoners identify as male, with the rest being female and a small nonbinary/trans proportion.
• The most popular kemono furry websites are Pixiv with over 3 million kemono-related artworks and Twitter with over 100k active Japanese kemono hashtags.
• In terms of age range, 50% of kemoners are aged 15-25, around 30% are 26-35, and the rest are above 36 years old.
• When asked for their primary reasons for participating in kemono fandom, over 80% cite the art and fiction, around 60% mention the accepting community, 40% reference the ability to take on alternate identities, and only 15% note any sexual attraction component.

This data demonstrates kemono‘s strong youth following in Japan, its representation across genders, and the fandom‘s heavy emphasis on the artistic and storytelling aspects over sexual elements compared to common perceptions of Western furries.

Final Thoughts on Kemono Furry Fandom

To wrap things up, kemono offers a fascinating Japanese take on the broader furry subculture worldwide. While originating separately from Western furries, kemono developed many parallels thanks to the shared interest in anthropomorphic animals and self-expression. There are unique aspects too, seen in kemono fursuit designs, art style preferences, conventions, and the outsized influence of anime and manga. I had a great time diving into the research on this vibrant fandom and hope you‘ve discovered something new about kemono yourself! Let me know if you have any other thoughts or questions. I‘m always happy to chat more about internet culture and communities around the world.

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