Irezumi- Japanese Tattoos

One of the most beautiful tattooing styles is Irezumi. Irezumi is the tradtional Japanese art of tattooing. Some artist use electric needles but there are still some who do it in the traditional way of using a bamboo stick with about eight needles and get the ink under the skin by poking the skin again and again. Suppose to be a bit painful but the end result is a beautiful piece of skin art. You often find portraits of coy geshias, sword weilding samurais and fierce looking tigers in the kind of art style seen in Japanese woodcuts. What makes these kind of tattoos distinct is that every inch of skin is covered and nothing is left blank. The skin around the larger image is covered entirely by smaller motifs like sakura blossoms which really makes the larger tats stand out and causes the eye to really look at the small details. These irezumi artists often use bright, bold colors to fill in the entire tat which really is like the icing on the cake and adds another element that bring the whole design together. To me it is all about harmony with in a design.

Irezumi has such a rich history and is deeply rooted in Japan's past. I have read that tattooing in Japan can be traced back to the early settlers, the Ainu people. However, irezumi has a bad connotation with the Yakuza (the Japanese Mafia). People with tattoos are often banned from public bathhouses. Those who have tattoos whether Yakuza or not, have to hide their tattoos. As unfornate as this is, i think it is how it gets its unqiue look. The tats are designed in a way that it can be easily covered with clothes so often the back, upper arms, chest, and upper thighs are all covered. Every inch of skin between the collarbone to the knees and sometimes the ankle is covered completely in ink. This makes it look kind of like a bodysuit it even dips below the collar so that if you wear a scoop-necked shirt it is still covered.

Today, there are a small number of people who appreicate the art and see it in a postive light. Most of them are younger people who have adapted the western/americana tattoo style.