<b>Tattoo</b> you: <b>Tattoos</b> in <b>Japanese</b> history and society - LinguaLift blog | Japanese Tattoos |
| <b>Tattoo</b> you: <b>Tattoos</b> in <b>Japanese</b> history and society - LinguaLift blog Posted: 18 Oct 2013 07:05 PM PDT In 2012, Osaka Governor and right-wing nut Toru Hashimoto launched a campaign to make the city's public workers submit documentation of all the tattoos on their bodies in embarrassing detail. He did this because he was concerned about public workers having tattoos, a sign that they are of questionable character or have underworld ties. Being the son of a yakuza himself, Hashimoto would know. (By the way, he's in the news again with his foot stuffed deep inside his mouth for making comments thanking Korean sex slaves for helping Japanese soldiers unwind and cope with the stresses of war. Yeesh.)
Perhaps this story better illustrates Hashimoto's hypocrisy and heavy-handed governing style than Japan's attitude toward tattoos, but anyone who has lived in Japan knows that there is a taboo against tattoos. Many onsen (温泉 – public bath), gyms, public schools and golf courses don't allow people with tattoos. Tattoos tend to have underworld connotations in Japan. Full body tattoos especially are associated with the yakuza. But the yakuza don't have a monopoly on body art. Organized crime has only recently coopted tattooing, which is an old tradition in Japan that has evolved over the centuries. The tradition of tattooing in JapanThe traditional style of tattooing in Japan is called irezumi (刺青). A literal translation of the name would be something like 'skin poke,' which refers to the way ink is inserted just under the skin. The tradition of tattooing in Japan probably goes as far back as the Jomon Period (14,000 BC to 300 BC). Cord markings on figures from the Jomon Period appear to be tattoos, although this can't be verified. Chinese writers from the Yayoi Period (300 BC to 300 AD) commented on the tattoos of the Japanese in their writing. These tattoos were decorative but also probably associated with spiritual beliefs and religious rituals. The Kofun Era, which started in 300 AD, was where there began to be negative connotations associated with tattoos. Criminals began to be tattooed as a form of punishment. Tattoos in the Edo periodAlthough tattooing became associated with criminals, decorative body art continued after the Kofun Era and culminated in the designs of the Edo Period (1600-1868). Body art from this period was heavily influenced by ukiyo-e (浮世絵 – woodblock prints) and their designs. But it was also during the Edo Period that tattoos became a mainstay of organized crime and tattooing was outlawed by the Edo government. The art of Japanese tattoo was kept alive largely by artists that continued to work during this prohibition, practicing their art on foreign people who were in Japan during the Meiji Era. This is the reason why it's so advanced today despite its underworld connotations. Changing attitudesTattoos are gaining popularity among young people and attitudes toward body art are relaxing. Celebrities like Mika Nakashima, Amuro Namie and Hamasaki Ayumi show off their tattoos and this has led many young Japanese to get tattoos. Japan is known throughout the world as a good place to get high-quality tattoos. Cover photo by davegolden  |
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