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What is okeshou kei?

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The quick definition of okeshou kei

Okeshou kei (お化粧系) was not a subgenre of visual kei, nor a genre itself. It was a trend across several existing genres, in which certain bands wore hair, makeup, and/or costumes that were unusual (compared to their peers), to stand out among the band boom of the 1980s. Many of these bands (but not all) became visual kei in the 1990s.

A brief history of okeshou kei

1970s influences: hard rock and glam rock

In the 1970s, David Bowie, T.Rex, and KISS all held high-profile concerts in Japan for the first time. (It is said that KISS, due to their iconic face-paint, was referred to as okeshou (お化粧) {wearing makeup} by a certain women's magazine.) A number of hard rock and glam rock bands formed throughout Japan afterward.

The most notable Japanese glam rock band during this period was the short-lived Rouge. But perhaps more important was the massively popular male idol Sawada Kenji (沢田研二), who began wearing makeup and glam-inspired clothing during the decade.

The “visuals” of Sawada Kenji (沢田研二), as he referred to them, were groundbreaking for a popular domestic artist: he was the first to wear feminine makeup, colored contacts, bloody bandages, military uniforms, and so on. Many of the iconic images of early visual kei bands can be traced directly back to his influence.

At the end of the decade, NOVELA formed. They were a progressive rock band, but came after the genre had died in the West. As such, most progressive rock bands in Japan were inspired by them, rather than their Western peers—in fact, the genre was sometimes called NOVELA kei (ノヴェラ系) {NOVELA style} instead of progressive rock.

Despite their progressive rock sound, NOVELA wore teased hair, platforms, leg warmers, and other trappings that were more associated with glam rock. These looks, along with their collaborations with shoujo manga, gained them a large female following.

These female fans were known to gather in conspicuous groups outside of livehouses, all with sticker-adorned aluminum cases, thickly-applied makeup, teased bleach-blonde hair, and frilly dresses from brand VIOLON (ヴィオロン). Collectively known as the VIOLONzoku (ヴィオロン族) {VIOLON tribe}—or BIYORON (ビヨロン) {VIOLON}—these were an example of bangya culture that would later become essential to visual kei.

Contrary to popular assumption, glam rock actually had very little direct influence on visual kei—neither the look nor the sound of glam rock are common in the genre. But it's certain that the existence of these artists made it possible for the okeshou kei movement to occur in the 1980s.

Early 1980s influences: Japanese metal

At the turn of the decade, VISUAL SCANDAL led a small group of Tokyo (東京) bands who mixed glam rock looks and heavy metal sounds. Allegedly, local media referred to the collective as “okeshou bands” (お化粧バンド)—the first time the phrase was used to describe a specific group of domestic artists, rather than the aesthetics of bands like KISS.

The name VISUAL SCANDAL (supposedly a reference to a local clothing shop) also marks the first known usage of the English word “visual”—as in one's overall appearance, especially in contrast to norms—in Japanese metal. Although the band did not coin the term visual kei, we can see that “visual” was already in the zeitgeist at the start of the 1980s.

At the national level, the first half of the 1980s saw a boom in Japanese metal: pioneers BOWWOW, 44MAGNUM, EARTHSHAKER, and LOUDNESS, along with record label Being, led a wave of metal major debuts. Although the major boom was over after only a few years, Japanese metal had proven itself a lucrative corner of the rock scene.

Each of those four pioneers influenced Japanese rock in general, but 44MAGNUM was especially important to okeshou kei. Their teased, bleach-blonde hair (still a novelty at the time, and adopted at the suggestion of their record label) played a large part in their initial popularity, and proved shocking looks to be a viable strategy for growth.

(It should also be noted that EARTHSHAKER was the first to insert pop melodies into hard rock, which would later become a staple of visual kei.)

The first half of the 1980s also gave rise to pioneers of nascent genres that would be part of the okeshou kei trend: THE WILLARD (punk); GASTUNK (hardcore punk + metal); DER ZIBET (new wave/hard rock); AUTO-MOD (positive punk); AION and MEIN KAMPF (thrash); and others.

Mid 1980s: indie influences

After the major metal boom ended in the mid 1980s, the first of the “second generation Japanese metal” bands formed. In particular, DEAD END was immensely popular, and would become one the most influential bands on the sound of visual kei.

Crucially, DEAD END, sold 10,000+ copies of their debut album as an indie act (and broke a similar record by fellow indie metal band REACTION). This not only challenged the notion that “indie = punk bands,” but showed that bands could be profitable without going major—in other words, the indie rock scene was now a legitimate force in Japanese music.

The Japanese rock scene was pushed to even greater heights by the “indies big three” (インディーズ御三家), THE WILLARD, UCHOTEN (有頂天), and LAUGHIN' NOSE. Their success led to a boom of new bands competing for a piece of the now-lucrative indie scene.

The system of independent record labels grew during this time too. Of particular note: TRANSRECORDS, which supported positive punk; NAGOMU RECORDS (ナゴムレコード), home of “bizarre” acts that would later influence Misshitsu kei (密室系); and CAPTAIN RECORDS, which supported important metal, positive punk, and early visual kei bands.

TRANSRECORDS and NAGOMU RECORDS (ナゴムレコード) were also associated with two other precursors to visual kei bangya culture, by way of the strangely-colorful NAGOMU gals (ナゴムギャル) and darkly-chic TRANS gals (トランスギャル).

Late 1980s influences: the band boom

By the late 1980s, BOØWY had achieved unheard-of success due to their cool makeup, designer suits, and hair-sprayed-high hair, as well as their unique beat rock sound (a genre that they are credited with creating).

This success was far beyond the indie boom: BOØWY, REBECCA, and PRINCESS PRINCESS all achieved sales of 1+ million for individual records—previously unheard-of for rock bands. In turn, a larger band boom swept the country, with kids excitedly forming rock bands for a shot at success, and labels eager to sign the next big act before they took off.

The band boom was stoked by magazines which were associated with record labels. FOOL'S MATE (later the biggest visual kei magazine) was founded by the owner of TRANSRECORDS; and Takarajima (宝島), long-running youth culture magazine, formed CAPTAIN RECORDS, and spun off series such as VOS. They also published the uber-influential BAND YAROZE (バンドやろうぜ), which taught teens how to create new rock bands.

Minikomi (ミニコミ)—smaller, independent magazines—also became an important part of music culture during this time, especially centered on heavy metal. (These would also be a staple of early visual kei.)

The boom was also aided by the appearance of band competition TV show Miyake Yuuji no Ikasu! BAND Tengoku (三宅裕司のイカす!バンド天国)—a.k.a. Ikaten (イカ天). The show was short-lived but uber-influential, as it introduced all manner of bands into the homes of normal citizens. A single appearance could create stars overnight, and the TV format meant that extreme looks were often beneficial.

During the same era, TV variety show Tensai・Takeshi no Genki ga Deru TELEVI!! (天才・たけしの元気が出るテレビ!!) occasionally featured Japanese metal bands. Although it treated them more like comedy acts or freak shows, it nevertheless spread awareness of them. (This is the program on which X JAPAN famously terrorized a small restaurant.)

More sincere exposure was extended by the short-lived (but influential) TV program HEBIMETA Tora no Ana (ヘビメタ虎の穴). It focused exclusively on Japanese metal—and given that genre's close ties with visual kei, many bands who appeared back then are now evaluated as okeshou or visual.

New bands formed so quickly during the boom that livehouses were often overbooked, and many artists instead performed on public streets to gain exposure. In particular, the hokosha tengoku (歩行者天国) {pedestrian mall} area in Harajuku (原宿)—Hokoten (ホコ天) for short—became another star-making opportunity for new bands.

Okeshou kei (1985~1992)

With these circumstances in context, the picture of okeshou kei hopefully becomes clearer. The various successes of rock bands in the 1980s made the genre extremely lucrative, which in turn created extreme competition for resources. To stand out, a band had to be the best, the most persistent, and the luckiest—or, they could try to “cut the line” by looking shocking.

For this reason, the term “okeshou kei band” was often viewed as a pejorative: an accusation that the band lacked real talent. But of course, the same view was held of the term “heavy metal” prior to that, and of “visual kei” later. At any rate, bands that we now lovingly call okeshou kei emerged across several genres in the late 1980s:

First, BUCK-TICK led the beat rock lane. They formed in the wake of BOØWY, played similar music and dressed similarly, but had even more extreme hair-sprayed-high hair. They became super popular in their own right, and would become the start of kurofuku kei (黒服系).

Second, the heavy metal lane was X. They were loud and destructive, prioritized looking cool even if technique suffered, continuously sought new ways to shock, and appeared in media that other metal bands scoffed at. It paid off: their debut sold 10,000 copies in one week, and each subsequent release broke new records.

YOSHIKI, of course, was also responsible for EXTASY RECORDS, which would become home to ZI:KILL, LUNA SEA, GLAY, and other heavy hitters of early visual kei.

Third, the punk lane was led by COLOR and KAMAITACHI (かまいたち), who paired an anti-establishment spirit with staggeringly tall hair dyed in shocking red hues. These bands were known for their frenzy-inducing lives (so much so that the latter had to pause activities after a deadly incident).

DYNAMITE TOMMY of COLOR also founded Free-Will, which was seen as an equal to EXTASY RECORDS in the early days of visual kei. His label has continued to be the most important label in the genre thanks to its long-running activity and wide-reaching distribution.

Fourth, an idol-like hard rock lane existed around AURA (who were known for each member having color-coded hair and costumes) and BY-SEXUAL (who had color-coded hair and went major when they were just 16).

Finally, a modern glam rock lane, then known as bad boys rock (バッドボイーズロック), centered on ZIGGY. (Although glam rock was largely ignored by visual kei proper, a few of these bands retained connections to the nascent genre because of their okeshou kei period.)

Through the end of the 1980s, each of these lanes became increasingly intermingled through live events, record shops, magazine features, and so on. And by the early 1990s, these bands were more often featured with each other than with peers from their original genres—resulting in a new mashed-together genre that we now call visual kei.

There's no official cutoff for the switch from okeshou kei to visual kei, but most attribute it to the launch of SHOXX magazine at the end of 1990, or to the wider acceptance of the term “visual kei” circa 1993. (And because the era was not neatly categorized in real-time, some publications continued to use the term “okeshou kei” as late as 1996.)

At any rate, once visual kei became an accepted term, okeshou kei essentially ceased to exist: okeshou kei bands who still looked like okeshou bands were now known as visual kei bands; and okeshou kei bands who dropped the makeup simply continued in their original genres.

Why is it called okeshou kei?

The word okeshou (お化粧) {makeup} was allegedly first used (in reference to a band) in an article about KISS, in a women's magazine from the 1970s. The term was also used in this generic sense to refer to new wave/glam metal bands like JAPAN and Poison.

Allegedly, a small number of glam metal bands active in the early 1980s in Tokyo (東京) were referred to by local media as okeshou bands (お化粧バンド) {makeup bands}.

In the second half of the 1980s, okeshou kei (お化粧系) {makeup style} became used by media nationwide to refer to groups such as X JAPAN and ZIGGY. It's unclear when the term first appeared outside of Tokyo (東京) or who coined it.

There were several other names used for such bands in real-time, but okeshou kei was the most popular.

What are the other names for okeshou kei?

Slight variations like okeshou band (お化粧バンド) {makeup bands} or okeshou kei band (お化粧系バンド) {makeup style bands} are sometimes used instead.

The shortened form okeban (オケバン) {oke[shou] ban[d]} was used very frequently, and may have even been more popular at the time (there is no data available to prove this either way).

Since many of these bands wore extreme, hair-sprayed-high hairstyles, kamitate kei (髪立て系) {stuck-up-hair style} was a fairly popular term. In rarer cases, tsuntsun kei {spiky [hair] style} was used for similar reasons.

Because okeshou kei was most closely associated with Japanese metal, some fans referred to all okeshou kei bands as heavy metal (ヘビーメタル) or Japanese metal (ジャパメタ).

Similarly, some conflated the okeshou kei trend with the indie boom and used the term indie scene (インディーズシーン) to describe it.

Takarajima (宝島) books often referred to all indie bands as street rock (ストリートロック), and thus some okeshou kei bands are associated with that term. That term is still in use as of 2025, but has come to refer to a certain group of non-visual bands.

Other terms such as hard shock, neo hard, neo metal, and so on were used by smaller publications who attempted to name the trend in real-time.

Lastly, because of the murkiness of the transition from okeshou kei to visual kei, and the arise of the kurofuku kei (黒服系) subgenre, all three of those terms were sometimes used interchangeably.

What does okeshou kei look like?

No cohesive look: hair, makeup, and/or costumes that were in some way “extreme” compared to peers of the same genre. But for example:

Heavy metal: Leather, vinyl, boots, armor, sports gear, wristbands, belts; with contrasting elements such as lace or dresses. Graphic, masculine contouring; graphic face paint. Straight hair, either very long or teased very high; usually brown, blonde, or red.

Glam: Tight jumpsuits; satin or animal print; platform shoes; lace and ruffles; denim; ripped t-shirts; cowboy boots; police hats. Feminine blush, eyeshadow, lipstick. Teased hair (often permed) in black or bleach-blonde.

Beat rock: Dark clothing, tailored suits from brands like Jean Paul Gaultier; tight pants (possibly vinyl) paired with billowing shirts or suit jackets. Light, masculine makeup with subtle contouring. Teased, medium-length hair, in somewhat neat shapes; usually natural tones of black or brown.

Punk: Ripped street clothing, safety pins, spikes, studs, netting, stripes. Very tall/teased hair in mohawks or similar styles; dyed bright unnatural colors such as red, green, yellow, or blue.

Others: Bands in various genres wore costumes with “foreign” or “otherworldly” theming, often color-coordinated. Simple complexion makeup with lipstick. Hair dyed bright colors to match their outfits.

What does okeshou kei sound like?

Okeshou kei does not describe a particular sound, but was a trend that seemingly only touched the following genres: heavy metal, hard rock, punk, beat rock, glam rock/bad boys rock, and positive punk. Heavy metal is the genre most closely associated with the trend.

Is okeshou kei a legitimate visual kei subgenre?

No, it was not a genre nor a subgenre. It wasn't even really an early synonym for visual kei, as only some okeshou kei bands later became visual kei. It was simply a trend across several genres of rock in the 1980s—but was such an important trend in the creation of visual kei that it warrants special recognition.

Okeshou kei alignments

N/A

When was okeshou kei active?

That depends on your viewpoint. One could say the first okeshou kei band was Rouge in 1975, or NOVELA in 1980, or 44MAGNUM in 1983. However, the majority of okeshou kei bands were not active as such until the second half of the 1980s.

Okeshou kei ended as soon as visual kei started, which also depends on your viewpoint. We subscribe to the theory that visual kei “started” with the publication of SHOXX at the end of 1990. However, the phrase okeshou kei still saw wide usage through 1993, and limited usage as late as 1996.

What are the representative okeshou kei bands?

Inspirations: 44MAGNUM, DEAD END, AUTO-MOD, GASTUNK, THE WILLARD, BOØWY, AION

Representatives: X JAPAN, BUCK-TICK, COLOR, KAMAITACHI (かまいたち), AURA, BY-SEXUAL, ZIGGY

Edit history

  • 2025-01-07: typos

  • 2025-01-10: added context about other TV shows

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What is okeshou kei?

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ベテランって、素敵ですよ☆

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This is the best information on vkei theme. Thank you so much.

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This was really useful! I previously didn't know that much of visual kei history.

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omg i liked kenji sawada and didnt rlly expect to see kenji sawada mentioned but im not surprised bro was like the japanese david bowie

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Such a good read! Thank you so much! Much appreciated!

What is okeshou kei?

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This was a good read, thanks for uploading this interesting history!

What is okeshou kei?

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fantastically put, and wonderfully compiled in an easy-to-understand format for anybody- new or old to the scenes! i am also deeply happy to see ziggy get their flowers :-)

What is okeshou kei?

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Thank you for this upload! looking forward to anything more that you write.

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this is genuinely so fascinating, thank you. looking forward to reading more about the other subgenres, too!

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