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ANATOLIA TATTOO & Piercing - Irezumi

Irezumi

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The Japanese word irezumi dövme tattoo refers to the insertion of ink under the skin to leave a permanent, usually decorative mark, in other words, tattooing.

The word can be written in several ways, each with slightly different connotations. The most common way of writing irezumi is with the Chinese characters dövme tattoo, literally meaning to "insert ink." The characters dövme tattoo (also pronounced bunshin) suggest "decorating the body."  is more esoteric, being written with the characters for "stay" or "remain" and "blue" or "green," and probably refers to the appearance of the main shading ink under the skin. 黥 (meaning "tattooing") is rarely used, and the characters  combine the meanings "pierce," "stab," or "prick," and "blue" or "green," referring to the traditional Japanese method of tattooing by hand.

Contents

1 History of Japanese tattoos

1.1 Ainu tattoos

2 Japanese tattoos in the Edo period

3 Tattoos in modern Japan

4 The making of a Japanese tattoo

5 Glossary of Japanese tattoo terms

6 Symbolism in Japanese tattoos

7 Further reading

8 External links

[edit] History of Japanese tattoos

Tattooing for spiritual and decorative purposes in Japan is thought to extend back to at least the Jōmon or paleolithic period dövme tattoo (approximately 10000 BC). Some scholars have suggested that the distinctive cord-marked patterns observed on the faces and bodies of figures dated to that period represent tattoos, but this claim is by no means unanimous. dövme tattoo There are similarities, however, between such markings and the tattoo traditions observed in other contemporaneous cultures.

In the following Yayoi period (C. 300BC – 300 AD) tattoo designs were observed and remarked upon by Chinese visitors. dövme tattoo Such designs were thought to have spiritual significance as well as functioning as a status symbol.

Starting in the Kofun period (300-600 AD) tattoos began to assume negative connotations. Instead of being used for ritual or status purposes, tattooed marks began to be placed on criminals as a punishment (this was mirrored in ancient Rome, dövme tattoo where slaves were known to have been tattooed with mottos such as "I am a slave who has run away from his master").

 Ainu tattoos

The Ainu people, the indigenous people of Japan, are known to have used tattoos for decorative and social purposes. dövme tattoo There is no known relation to the development of Irezumi.

 Japanese tattoos in the Edo period

Until the Edo period (1600-1868 AD) the role of tattoos in Japanese society fluctuated. dövme tattoo Tattooed marks were still used as punishment, but minor fads for decorative tattoos -- some featuring designs that would be completed only when lovers' hands were joined -- also came and went. It was in the Edo period, dövme tattoo however, that Japanese decorative tattooing began to develop into the advanced art form it is known as today.

The impetus for the development of the art were the development of the art of woodblock printing and the release of the popular Chinese novel Suikoden, a tale of rebel courage and manly bravery illustrated with lavish woodblock prints showing men in heroic scenes, their bodies decorated with dragons and other mythical beasts, flowers, ferocious tigers and religious images. dövme tattoo  The novel was an immediate success, and demand for the type of tattoos seen in its illustrations was simultaneous.

Woodblock artists began tattooing. dövme tattoo They used many of the same tools for imprinting designs in human flesh as they did to create their woodblock prints, including chisels, gouges and, most importantly, unique ink known as Nara ink, dövme tattoo or Nara black, the ink that famously turns blue-green under the skin.

There is academic debate over who wore these elaborate tattoos. Some scholars say that it was the lower classes who wore -- and flaunted -- such tattoos. Others claim that wealthy merchants, dövme tattoo barred by law from flaunting their wealth, wore expensive irezumi under their clothes. It is known for certain that irezumi became associated with firemen, dashing figures of bravery and roguish sex-appeal who wore them as a form of spiritual protection (and, no doubt, for their beauty as well). dövme tattoo.

 Tattoos in modern Japan

At the beginning of the Meiji period the Japanese government, dövme tattoo  wanting to protect its image and make a good impression on the West, outlawed tattoos, and irezumi took on connotations of criminality.dövme tattoo Nevertheless, fascinated foreigners went to Japan seeking the skills of tattoo artists, and traditional tattooing continued underground.

Tattooing was legalized by the occupation forces in 1945, but unfortunately has retained its image of criminality. dövme tattoo For many years, traditional Japanese tattoos were associated with the yakuza, dövme tattoo Japan's notorious mafia, and many businesses in Japan (such as public baths, fitness centers and hot springs) still ban customers with tattoos.

Tattooing and other forms of body decoration and body modification, dövme tattoo as in much of the western world, are gaining in popularity in Japan. However, Japanese young people who choose to get tattooed are most often choosing "one point" designs -- small designs that can be completed in one sitting -- usually in the American or tribal styles. More recently, dövme tattoo however sanskrit Siddham script tattoos are becoming more and more fashionable.

Traditional irezumi is still done by specialist tattooists, dövme tattoo but it is painful, time-consuming and expensive: a typical traditional body suit (covering the arms, back, upper legs and chest, but leaving an untattooed space down the center of the body) can take 1-5 years of once-per-week visits to complete and cost more than US$30,000.

 The making of a Japanese tattoo

The prospective tattooee must first find a traditional tattoo artist. dövme tattoo  This in itself can be a daunting task (though it has been made easier by advent of the Internet) because such artists are often surprisingly secretive, dövme tattoo  and introductions are frequently made by word of mouth only.

A traditional tattoo artist trains for many years under a master. He (for they are nearly exclusively male) will sometimes live in the master's house. He may spend years cleaning the studio, observing, practicing on his own flesh, making the needles and other tools required, mixing inks, and painstakingly copying designs from the master's book before he is allowed to tattoo clients. He must master all the intricate skills -- unique styles of shading, the techniques used for tattooing by hand -- required to create the tattoos his clients will request. He will usually be given a tattoo name by his master, most often incorporating the word "hori" (to engrave) and a syllable derived from the master's own name or some other significant word. In some cases, the apprentice will take the master's name, dövme tattoo and will become The Second or Third (and so on).

After an initial consultation during which the client will discuss with the tattooist the designs he (again,dövme tattoo  clients are most frequently male; though women do wear traditional irezumi, they are most often the wives or girlfriends of tattoo artists) is interested in, and work begins with the tattooing of the outline. This will usually be done in one sitting, dövme tattoo often freehand (without the use of a stencil), which may require several hours to complete. When the outline is complete, the shading and colouring is done in weekly visits, whenever the client has money to spare. dövme tattoo When the tattoo is finished, the artist will "sign" his name in a space reserved for that purpose, most often somewhere on the back.

Wearers of traditional tattoos can often afford little else. dövme tattoo They frequently keep their art secret, dövme tattoo  as tattoos are still seen as a sign of criminality in Japan, particularly by older people and in the work place. Ironically, many yakuza and other criminals themselves avoid tattoos for this very reason.

[edit] Glossary of Japanese tattoo terms

Irezumi  (also pronounced bunshin), -- tattoo (noun or verb)

Horimono , literally carving, engraving) -- tattoo. This is another word for traditional Japanese tattoos.

Horishi -- a tattoo artist.

Bokukei, bokkei -- punishment by tattooing.

Tebori (literally to carve by hand) -- describes the technique of tattooing by hand.

Hanebori ( literally to carve with a feather) -- a hand-tattooing tecnhique employing a feathering motion.

Tsuki-bori ( -- a hand-tattooing tecnhique emplying a thrusting motion.

Kakushibori (, literally hidden carving) -- tattooing near the armpits, the inside of the thighs and other "hidden" body areas. Also refers to the tattooing of hidden words, for example among the petals of flowers.

Kebori ( -- the tattooing of fine lines or of hair on tattooed figures.

Sujibori  -- outlining, the outline of a tattoo.

Shakki -- the sound needles make when they puncture the skin.

Irebokuro -- from ire or ireru, which means to insert, and bokuro or hokuro, a beauty spot

Yobori -- "Yo" (European) tattooing. The Japanese-English slang term for tattooing done with the Machine.

Sumi -- The ink used to tattoo, traditionally mixed by the apprentice

Hikae -- Chest panel tattoo

Nagasode -- Arm tattoo, to the wrist

Shichibu -- Tattoo 7/10ths of the sleeve to the forearm

Gobu -- Tattoo 5/10ths of the sleeve to above the elbow

[edit] Symbolism in Japanese tattoos

Some common images in traditional Japanese tattoos include:

Mythological beasts and monsters: Dragons, Kirin, Foo Dogs, Hō-ō (鳳凰, Phoenixes)

Animals: Birds, Koi (Carp), Tigers, Snakes

Flowers: Peonies, Cherry Blossoms, Lotuses, Chrysanthemums

Other plants: Bamboo, Maple leaves

Characters from traditional folklore and literature, such as the Suikoden

Images of the "Floating World" inspired by ukiyo-e prints: geisha, samurai

Buddhas and Buddhist deities such as Fudō Myōō and Kannon

Shinto kami (deities) such as tengu

Backgrounds: clouds, waves, wind bars.

[edit] Further reading

Joshua Andrews, The Art of Tattooing

Donald Baruma and Ian Ritchie, The Japanese Tattoo

Sandi Fellman, The Japanese Tattoo

[edit] External links

Japanese Tattoo Art - Japanese Tattoo Reference Books

Tattoology - The Science of Tattoos and Tattooing

Tao of Tattoos - The Art of Japanese Tattoos

BMEZine - Body Modification EZine

Irezumi - Irezumi by Horiyoshi III

     

 

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