Japan has one of the most impressive
collections of tattoo designs, with an astonishing history to match. Carrying
on with our series of tattoo cultures we are going to look into what makes the
Japanese tattoo culture one of the most interesting tattoo topics ever.
The original Japanese tattoos were done
with simpler marks and symbolism rather than imagery, up until the Edo period
(1600-1868). This period saw the development of the Japanese tattoo into the
beautiful ‘decorative’ style we know it as today.
‘Irezumi’ is the traditional Japanese style, where the body is decorated with mythical beasts, flowers, leafs and other designs from myths, stories and tales. The force for the development of this style was due to the progression of woodblock prints where the depicted hero would be heavily decorated with Irezumi, and so wearing Irezumi became a symbol of aspiration to the goals in the wearer’s life.
The artists that designed the woodblock
words began the tattooing using the same tools for that they used for the wood,
such as chisels, gouges, and a unique ink known as Nara black. This ink
famously turns blue green underneath the skin, which is the true look of the
tattoos.
The people that wore these tattoos are
constantly under debate; with some saying it was the lower class who wore them,
where others claim that wealthy merchants, barred by law from flaunting their
wealth would wear expensive Irezumi under their clothes. One group it was
heavily associated with were the firemen of Japan, as they represented their
bravery and roguish sex-appeal. They also believed that they would bring
spiritual aid and protection. The ‘Suit of Nine Dragons’ was popular as it
would apparently give power over wind and water.
In Japan tattoos were outlawed in 1869 as
the Japanese government wanted to raise its public image and make good
impressions on the west. In doing this, Irezumi came to be associated with
criminality. However, it didn’t stop foreigners’ travelling to Japan to see the
beautiful artistry of Japan’s tattoos. Traditional tattooing still carried on underground!
There is a belief that the British King
Edward VII had a Japanese tattoo artist brought to his kingdom and had dragons
tattooed on his fore arms, and later sent the tattoo artist to New England to
have his American friends tattooed by him as a gift.
Although it was legalized in 1945, tattoos still
remain a symbol of criminality, and are heavily associated with the Yakuza,
Japans famous Mafia; because of this many businesses and public places (such as
baths) ban people that have tattoos.
The original Irezumi is still done by
certain tattooists, but it’s a slow and painful procedure as they don’t use
modern tattoo guns. For a full
traditional body suit it can take up to 5 years to complete with weekly visits.
There are a large number of Japanese designs, so we can’t mention them all, but here are the top 5 most popular designs and their basic meanings. Different combinations of the designs give different overall meanings to the tattoo.
Symbolise: Courage, Control, and the
ability to achieve goals with an understanding of life.
The Koi fish is a specially bred form of
carp and a fish native to China. The Koi are given masculine qualities in
traditional eastern folklore, such as strength and bravery, because they were
known to attempt to swim upstream in the Yellow River, however only a few could
swim past a point known as ‘Dragons Gate’. Rumour had it that Koi that made it
past would be rewarded by turning in a dragon.
Symbolise: Wisdom, Strength, Force for
Good, and Wind and Water.
In the west we perceive dragons to be
greedy, strong, destructive, fire-breathing monsters, whereas in Eastern
culture they have a totally different view on the mythical creatures. They
consider dragons as guardians. In tattoos and art, dragons are generous, kind
creatures that use their strength for good to help mankind. All these positive
connotations have made the dragon one of the most popular Japanese tattoo
designs.
Symbolise: Good & Evil, Protectors,
Tricksters, and Demons.
Another common design is the Oni Mask, and
refers to the belief in a spirit world, in which demons carry out their roles
of punishing the evil. They could be worn to scare away evil and protect the
wearer, or if the wearer considers themselves evil.
Symbolise: Rebirth, Triumph, and Fire.
The phoenix has a shared cultural
background and most of us are familiar with the story of the phoenix, a bird
that is consumed by fire and rises again from its own ashes.
Symbolise: Beauty, Delicacy, and Life.
The small, subtle beauty and fragility of the cherry
blossom can refer to the fragility of human existence. They are also called
Sakura, and in Japan are symbols of life.
There are many more designs including lions, warriors,
and other flowers that are all as interesting, so get out there and do some
research!
Here at Body Shock we believe that Japanese tattoos are one of the most beautiful designs in the tattoo industry. If you are looking for tattoo supplies for your tattoo parlour, including flash artwork stands, contact us now on 01922 744088.
