Modern-Day Samurai Who Are Here To Literally Clean Up The Streets?

The figures of the Gomi-hiroi Samurai (which roughly translates to litter-picking samurai) have become common sights in Tokyo, Japan. These street samurai, in their denim kimonos and fedoras, have a unique way of taking on one of the city’s common enemies… litter. With collection baskets worn on their backs, and fire tongs at their sides like the shining steel swords of old, these offshoots of a sword-fighting theatrical group have been getting a lot of attention, but their impact goes beyond what they do.

Even if it is impressive to watch.

Impacting Behavior Through Performance?

There’s only so much that even a dedicated street team can do when it comes to picking up litter, especially in a place that operates on the sheer size and scale of Tokyo. However, the individual actions of the street samurai are only one part of the formula. The idea is that by making a show of what they’re doing, that it will have an outsized impact not just on their fellow citizens, but also around the world.

And they’re not exactly wrong. As Nion points out, videos of the troupe have gone viral, and they’ve become a recognizable sight on the street. However, as members of the group have said, their goal is to make what they do (cleaning up litter, not joining a sword-fighting theater group) seem like a cool thing to be part of. The idea that morality should be a part of modern life, and that you should not only take care of the place you live but feel some pride in it, is something that can be shown through a rather interesting performance.

A cadre of samurai picking up litter might not change much on their own… but how many people can they inspire? Because if all those people go on to change their habits, then they have certainly made quite a difference in the world.