Japanese Traditional

The Origins of Traditional Japanese Tattooing

Irezumi, which means “insert ink” in Japanese, became a common word in Japan around 1720. During the Edo era (1603-1868), tattooing was first employed as a punishment in Japan in this year. Depending on the kind of crime or locality, several irezumi symbols were employed to identify those responsible. Forearm tattoos to kanji (Chinese character)…

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Irezumi, which means "insert ink" in Japanese, became a common word in Japan around 1720. During the Edo era (1603-1868), tattooing was first employed as a punishment in Japan in this year. Depending on the kind of crime or locality, several irezumi symbols were employed to identify those responsible. Forearm…

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Japanese design style tattooing is one of the most ancient, making it extremely sacred and traditional among the styles. It uses a hand-carved technique (also called tebori) and was made popular in Japan by the Yakuza, the Japanese criminal underworld. Similar to American traditional, it uses bold black outlines and…

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