By Saori Abe Watch out for people with tattoos! They are ヤクザ, Yakuzas, oppressive and anti-social gangsters. A man covered all over his body with tattoos terrifies me. He seems to dislike everything in society and shows his objection to us. This is how I felt about tattoos for the past 20 years. Many people in Japan feel the same way because the original purpose of tattoos was to mark people as criminals. The Japanese in general associate tattoos with criminal figures. For this reason, people with tattoos are often prohibited from entering public areas like hot springs and swimming pools. But despite this public perception, tattoos have also become part of contemporary fashion. Q. How did tattooing begin in Japan? Tattooing began in the early 17th century. Tattooing probably came from the idea of 指詰め, Yubitsume, the act of cutting off the tip of a finger to show apology and disobedience. Originally, tattoos were used as a way of punishing criminals due to the extreme pain involved. Also, tattoos were meant to expose the status of criminals to the rest of the world. After being discharged from prison, however, these people began to form groups called 任侠団体 or Ninkyo Dantai, a name for chivalric organizations. They kept their tattoos and created new ones as symbols for the group. But why did they want new tattoos at the expense of more pain? It was to show their courage and determination. One original tool of tattooing was called 入れ墨 or Irezumi, meaning insertion of ink under the skin. These were hand-made tattoos done by poking the skin with a needle made either of steel or bamboo. Compared to modern techniques, these needles cause much more pain for a longer period of time. This is how Japanese tattoos emerged into society and spread. 鬼 Oni Tattoo (Demon) The third most popular Japanese tattoo is the Oni Tattoo, a very common one in Japan. Oni is usually known as an evil figure in Japanese folklore (it looks very evil), wrecking villages and killing people, spreading disease, etc. However, Oni is actually a symbol of a good protector for mankind, punishing injustice and evil. Since tattoos began to be associated with criminals, new ones have developed that are less easily seen. For instance, as in the pictures below, some tattoos are designed to be hidden under the neck and above the elbow. The design of Japanese tattoos, however, haven’t changed much for many centuries. In other words, traditional designs are still used, although sometimes in more modernized forms. Yet the concept of tattooing has changed, in Japan as in the rest of the world. More and more young Japanese enjoy tattoos as a kind of fashion, and people have changed their concepts. The young consider tattoos as a form of body art. Therefore, people with tattoos are not necessarily considered gangsters anymore. However, there are still many people, especially the older generation, who consider tattoos inappropriate. Clearly, a bias against tattoos still exists among many people in Japan. After doing my own research, I have gotten to know more about the history of tattooing, and my own perception has changed. I realize that you don’t have to be a gangster to get a tattoo. It can simply be a form of modern fashion, and it can even convey positive meanings.
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May 2024
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