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Japanese Tattoos

Japanese tattoos also known as Irezumi to the Japanese has dated back to around 10,000 BC during the Jomon Period. The very first tattoo designs where by the Jomon's where they had characteristically tattooed ancient people with cord like patterns on the face and body. These tattoos were made by using hand made tools. In the Yayoi period Chinese visitors to Japan had been mesmerised by the art of Irezumi and had recorded them in texts. The purpose of the Yayoi's tattoos were for spirititual and ritual reasons and were also social class markers for who was lower class etc. In the Kofun period tattoos were used as a way of marking criminals as punishment for their offenses and wrong doing against people and the public. Hundreds of years later in the Edo period was the rise and interest of Irezumi. The rise and interest of Irezumi was due to Japanese Woodblock printing becoming more popular and  a Chinese novel with illustrations by the name of Suikoden which was about a rebellion of bravery and showed man showing courage and heroics. The illustrations in the book had shown the men's bodies covered in images of dragons, mythical beings, flowers, tigers and religious content. The novel's popularity had prompted the general public to have the same body tattoos as the ones depicted in the novel. Wood block artists started to become tattoo artists and they had made their engraving tools for wood blocks into chisels, gouges and used nara ink on human bodies for tattooing. Nara Ink was famous for the fact that when etched onto the skin turns a beautiful blue-green colour. Irezumi was known to be tattooed at the time on firemen or heroic men who wore these designs because they believed that the tattoos would spiritually protect them from harm and evil. Scholars argue that rich merchants had also worn these expensive Irezumi tattoos under the garments, they hid them due to the fact that they would have been punished for showing off their wealth etc. Other scholars argue that lower classes had worn the decorative tattoos and not the wealthy classes. In the Meiji period the government in charge had outlawed Irezumi because it was thought to be something of disdain and disgust and the Japanese government wanted to make a good impression on the Westerners. Even though Irezumi was outlawed by the government artists still practiced it illegally in underground areas on criminals etc. In 1945 Irezumi become legal and was allowed in the eye of the general public but is not allowed in gyms, public baths and businesses to this day.  

The History of Irezumi: The Ancient Art of Japanese Tattooing - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com. 2013. [ONLINE] Available at: http://voices.yahoo.com/the-history-irezumi-ancient-art-japanese-60800.html?cat=7. [Accessed 20 May 2013].

Japanese irezumi tattoo, an overview of the history and development . 2013. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.tantalizing-tattoo.com/japanese-irezumi-tattoo.html. [Accessed 20 May 2013].