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The tattoo aesthetic that evolved in Japan is both bold and secretive
Japanese tattoos are known for their full body styling, bold lines, historic patterns and traditional images. The techniques for tattooing that developed in Japan used hand tools, and it wasn't until the mid 20th century that machines first came to Japanese tattooing. Whereas Western tattooing often grows as a varied collection, in Japanese tattooing there are often large-scale full sleeve or leg tattoos, and entire bodysuit tattoos which cover from wrists to ankles.
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all about Japanese tattooing
- The first time I saw a "real" Japanese tattoo
- The Absolute BEST Book On Japanese Tattooing
- Japanese Tattoo Info
- Hand-Tattooed Kanji
- Kanji Tattoos
- Japanese Tattoo Gear
- Maron's Horiyoshi III Bodysuit
- The Japanese Tattoo Design Handbook, Vol. I
- Tattoo Artists in Japan
- Pictures of Japanese Tattoos
- The Japanese Tattoo Design Handbook, Vol. 2
- Irezumi
- More Book Recommendations for Japanese Tattooing
- Hand Tattooing Videos
- INK CITY
The first time I saw a "real" Japanese tattoo
Going back to 1994
This photograph is from 1994. This picture was taken during the NTA convention "meet and greet." This meant it was a huge photo op for anyone with a certain amount of convention access. I shot close to 80 pictures in the space of about two hours, running around a giant ballroom full of tattooed people.This was the first time I got to see or photograph traditional Japanese hand tattooing. I was struck immediately by the subtlety of some of the shading. There is a quality to it that you just don't see in Western tattooing.
The young man wearing the tattoo didn't speak any English, so I wasn't able to talk to him. You could tell by looking at his face as he turned slowly to be photographed by dozens of onlookers that he was very proud of his tattoo, and that he wished he could ask some questions of all of us too.
The Absolute BEST Book On Japanese Tattooing
The Japanese Tattoo
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This groundbreaking photography book features images made using an oversize Polaroid, which actually produced near-life-size images of the subjects. The detail captured is as if you were able to look at the person up close with your own eyes.
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Japanese Tattoo Info
- Japanese Style Tattoos - Body Art
- Japanese-style tattooing is very popular in Western tattoo culture. Take a closer look the dragons, koi, kanji and waves of Japanese tattoos.
- Horimono: The Japanese Tattoo
- The only English language website devoted entirely to the academic research of traditional Japanese tattoo culture.
- keibunsha.com
- The Japan Tattoo Institute is the first organization devoted to preserving and encouraging the traditional Japanese art of hand-tattooing known as "tebori".
- ORIENTAL IREZUMI AND OCCIDENTAL TATTOOING IN CONTEMPORARY JAPAN
- ORIENTAL IREZUMI AND OCCIDENTAL TATTOOING IN CONTEMPORARY JAPAN by Helena Burton, Oxford University
- Japanese Koi Tattoos
- One of the most popular Japanese tattoo designs is the koi, the sacred carp. Learn more about and see these colorful fish designs.
- Japanese Tattoo: Travelers' Tales
- Japanese Tattoo by Dustin Leavitt. The author learns the history of this art straight from the master.
- Tokyo Journal "Horitoshi – deep skin" (02/00)
- Art can quite literally get under your skin sometimes. Especially when applied under the pressure of up to 36 specially sharpened needles. Dr D. Vice visited the studio of top Japanese tattoo artist Horitoshi, looked into the eye of the needle, pricked up his ears, and finally got skin deep.
- Tattoos & Tattooing in Japan
- Information on tattooing in Japan, Osaka - featuring Chopstick Tattoos, where Eastern and Western styles meet.
- Japanese Tattoo Art
- artelino - Introduction to Japanese tattoo art
- The Art of the Japanese Tattoo
- Japanese Tattoos and Japanese woodblock prints
- Sasuga Japanese Bookstore
- Tattoo Books from Sasuga - "Japan at your fingertips"
- Five Must-Knows When Getting a Kanji Tattoo
- from Tattoo Club of Great Britain
- .:Echo Magazine
- Lost in Translation: Here's what those cool-looking Japanese tattoos really say By Junko Hamaguchi
- Japanese Tattooing from the Past to the Present by Mieko Yamada
- The origin of tattooing in Japan has been traced back to the Jomon period (10,000 B. C. ~ 300 B. C.). Jomon means "pattern of rope." Many ceramic pots with markings of rope were found in that period. Clay figurines produced in this period are called dogu. Scholars consider that some dogus show tattoo-like markings on their faces and bodies.
- Japanese Tattooing from the Tattoo Archive
- It was 1853 before most of the world got its first glimpse of Japanese tattooing. That was the year that Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry of the United States Navy opened Japan to world trade.
- Japanese Koi Tattoo Gear
- T-shirts, belt buckles, rain boots and more, all decorated with Japanese koi tattoo designs.
Ed Hardy - Japanese Tattoo
24x36 Wall Poster
Buy From Art.com
Hand-Tattooed Kanji
the popular japanese writing/characters in tattoo form
This is a woman who had her leg tattooed entirely by hand at the 1994 NTA convention, and was kind enough to let me watch, take pictures and chat with me about it. The picture that you see of the tattoo artist working by hand in the introduction to this lens is the Japanese master working on this very tattoo.She was the partner of an American tattoo artist, and she was getting the kanji for his name on her leg along with a single cherry blossom petal. Conscious of how long it could take to work by hand, she told me she purposely made it be a small design so that the Japanese tattoo master could work entirely by hand and not use a tattoo machine to save time. In a convention setting, outlines are often done by machine just to help get the design done a lot faster, with shading then done using the hand techniques.
I asked her if she felt any difference between the sensation of having a tattoo done by machine versus by hand. She thought for a moment and then said she'd almost say the Japanese hand technique was "cool" whereas the Western machine method felt more "hot." She felt the work she was getting was less painful, but she could also feel the distinct punctures of the needles into her skin, which she said felt sort of weird. If it's very quiet, you can hear the hand tool puncturing the leg, and it makes a strange crunch/popping sound, almost like when you hear a rat or rabbit chewing on something.
The completed design, shown here, took just about an hour to tattoo. Now imagine how many square inches there are in a full Japanese body suit and you start to understand why they can take up to a decade to complete.
Kanji Tattoos
make sure the translation is the BEST you can!
The best way to not wind up a subject on this site is to do your homework and legwork when it comes to having your foreign language tattoo created. Finding a native speaker is your best bet, although it's also a good idea to consult a second opinion.
Here is a page of kanji for words that relate to people, ie man, woman, mother, father, etc.
Designing with Kanji: Japanese Character Motifs for Surface, Skin & Spirit
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Japanese Tattoo Gear
art, books, clothing and more
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Maron's Horiyoshi III Bodysuit
A stunning example of contemporary Japanese tattooing
The person shown here is Maron, who I met at Bondage A Go Go in San Francisco in 2005. He was competeing in their tattoo contest one night.His body suit was done in Japan, by tattoo master Horiyoshi III. Maron lived there for a few years, having work done on a steady basis to get it all completed in such a short time. The outline has machine work, but all the color and shading was done with the traditional hand methods.
He's covered solid from wrists to ankles. The color detail and shading you can see when standing next to him and viewing in person just can't be adequately described. The tones and blending is just amazing. There is cross-hatching and very complex shading, as in very skilled pen illustration, in the black outlines and shading of the tattoo at a level that you just don't see being done by American tattoo artists.
The Japanese Tattoo Design Handbook, Vol. I
The Japanese Tattoo Design Handbook, Vol. I
Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 07/06/2008)
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This book includes over 80 actual tattoo designs by contemporary Japanese tattoo artists, showing both traditional design styles and modern influences. If you love Japanese tattooing, this book is a must-have!
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Tattoo Artists in Japan
- Chopstick Tattoo
- Chopstick Tattoo now has three shops, two in America-mura and one in Horie.
- RENEWAL ECCENTRIC
- English, Spanish and Portugese spoken.
- MIYAZO TATTOO
- Located in Osaka.
- Welcome to Horiyasu
- In the first instance, please contact us to arrange an appointment (English or Japanese ok)
during that consultation we can discuss details pertaining to your chosen theme/placement etc. - RIN-KG Tattoo & Body Piercing Studio
- Tattooing and piercing, located in Shibuya, Tokyo.
- Kazu TATTOO STUDIO
- Oosaka, Umeda
- YELLOW BLAZE TATTOO STUDIO
- Located in Yokohama, Japan.
- TATTOO STUDIO DESPERADO
- Nishi-Shinsaibashi, Chuo-Ku, Osaka
- Three Tides Tattoo
- THREE TIDES TATTOO SHOP
- Dragon Needle Tattoo Studio
- Dragon Needle Tattoos
- TATTOO ART MIYABI
- Private Studio
- ==TATTOO CHURCH OFFICIAL WEBSITE ==
- Located in Kitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo. Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish and English spoken.
- wakyo tattoo
- Oriental Tattoo was opened in Hodogaya Station by the owner and main artist, Horiwakyo. The studio, located a stones throw from Hodogaya Station, is only one stop away from Yokohama Station and only 45 minutes away from central Tokyo. Due to the growing popularity of the shop a second location, run by Horiraku, was also recently added in Yokohama Station. Each location and artist has it's own vibe and unique ambiance. Hodogaya is a more traditional Irezumi studio and Yokohama is more trendy, with a black and white, clean theme. Although same day appointment are occasionally available, booking one to two weeks in advance has become the norm, so please call ahead.
Pictures of Japanese Tattoos
Japan Shige made a beautyful peony on my arm It was amazing to expe...
A Japanese full-back tattoo by Toshi, based in Osaka
Japanese tattooing technique.
Japanese tattoo
Japanese Back Tattoo
Tora by Horiyoshi III
japanese tattoo shop
japanese tattoo
Tebori, had-poked japanese tattooing...
half sleeve koista
The Japanese Tattoo Design Handbook, Vol. 2
The Japanese Tattoo Design Handbook, Vol. 2
Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 07/06/2008)
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Available right now as a pre-order, this is a second volume of modern Japanese tattoo designs.
Not yet published
Irezumi
- Irezumi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- The Japanese word irezumi refers to the insertion of ink under the skin to leave a permanent, usually decorative mark, in other words, tattooing.
- Irezumi -- History-induced Stigma:The Role of Tattoos in Japanese Society
- Despite the negative connotations typically associated with it, tattooing is slowly gaining more credibility as an art form in the West. As this occurs, Westerners look to Japanese tattoos
as the pinnacle of the art. - WHERE CAN I GET JAPANESE "IREZUMI" TATTOOS?
- Japanese "irezumi" tattoos are often associated with laborers (primarily fire fighters and carpenters) and yakuza members, who stereotypically also lack the tips of one or two digits on their hands (to signify a failed order and to show loyalty--see the movie, _Black Rain_ with
Michael Douglas for an example). - Irezumi - BME Encyclopedia
- Irezumi is one Japanese word for tattoo. In Japan the verb ireru is used for tattoo insertion (ie: "I am getting a tattoo"), literally meaning 'to insert.' sumi completes this word, meaning 'black ink.'
- All about Irezumi Tattoos
- Irezumi is the Japanese word that refers to insertion of ink under the skin that leaves a permanenent mark.
More Book Recommendations for Japanese Tattooing
Personally recommended titles from my own tattoo reference library
These collected titles provide not only many historical facts and references for Japanese tattooing, but specific images and coverage of contemporary tattooing in Japan from the 1960s right up to today. The growth and fusion of the artform over what amounts to just my own lifetime is amazing to me.
Bushido : Legacies of the Japanese Tattoo
A tattooist himself, Takahiro Kitamura takes a deep look at the ties between tattooing and samurai ethics in modern Japanese tattoo culture in BUSHIDO. Having associated with tattooist Horiyoshi III both as a tattoo client and student, Kitamura uses many of this master tattoo artist's designs to illustrate his theses.
Read Rachel's full review of BUSHIDO
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Japanese Tattooing Now!: Memory And Transition, Classic Horimono To The New One Point Style
Whereas most Japanese tattoo books talk about how Asian style tattooing influenced Western tattooing, Mike McCabe's book JAPANESE TATTOOING NOW takes a look at how Western styles have had an effect on the aesthetics and practice of tattooing as it exists in modern Japan. For anyone profiling the evolution of tattooing in Japan or looking for a tattoo artist working in Japan, this book will guide you thoroughly.
Read Rachel's full review of JAPANESE TATTOOING NOW
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Tattoos of the Floating World: Ukiyo-E Motifs in Japanese Tattoo
This book is from the same author as BUSHIDO, but this one goes back further in time and takes a look at the printmaking history that inspired the designs of Japanese tattoos. Includes dozens of great illustrations and tattoo pictures.
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Japanese Tattoo
Donald Richie has lived in Japan for most of his adult life and, as a Westerner, has studied many facets of their culture. He is considered an expert authority on Japanese cinema. This book on Japanese tattoos, written by Richie, was produced in 1980 and contains a lot of pertinent historical information along with excellent photo documentation of Japanese tattooing from recent decades.
Read Rachel's full review of THE JAPANESE TATTOO
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Hand Tattooing Videos
The Japanese word for the hand-technique is tebori.
The first selection here is a video made of the man that many consider the #1 Japanese tattooist alive today, Horiyoshi III. Much of this video is shot in close-up, which lets you observe the Japanese hand tattoo technique. If you listen carefully, as Horiyoshi III works, there's this slight crunching noise. That is actually the sound of the needles repeatedly breaking the man's skin, a sound you can't hear in Western tattooing due to the use of fewer needles and the overriding noise of the electric machine.
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