Where did japanese (irezumi) tattooing come from?
Irezumi means “inserting ink” in Japanese. Tattooing in Japan is old, and for centuries tattoo marks were also used as criminal punishment. Decorative tattooing grew into the art form known today during the Edo period (1603 to 1867). A major spark was the first Japanese edition of the Chinese novel Suikoden in 1757, whose woodblock illustrations showed heroes covered in dragons, tigers and flowers.
In 1827 the print artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi began a series on the Suikoden heroes and drew them with tattoos, a novelty that soon influenced fashion in Edo. Woodblock artists took up tattooing too, using tools from their trade and Nara ink, which turns blue-green under the skin. Firemen in particular wore irezumi as a form of spiritual protection.
After Japan opened to the West at the start of the Meiji period, the government outlawed tattooing, and the craft went underground. Occupation authorities legalized it in 1948, but its association with the yakuza kept the stigma alive, and many baths, hot springs and gyms in Japan still turn away tattooed guests. Traditional masters, called horishi, still work by hand, a technique known as tebori.
The craft passes from master to apprentice along with a working name. Horiyoshi III, born Yoshihito Nakano in 1946, received his title in 1971 and is known worldwide for full-body work. His friendship with the American artist Don Ed Hardy, which began in the 1980s, is one of the bridges that carried Japanese composition into Western shops.
How do japanese (irezumi) tattoos age?
- Japanese work ages very well. Bold outlines and big, simple shapes stay readable for decades, which is why traditional bodysuits stay legible long after they were finished.
- Large dark backgrounds can soften slightly at the edges over time, but at the scale of a sleeve or back piece that softening hardly shows.
- Small, isolated motifs lose some of their strength because the style relies on background and flow. If you can, plan for a larger area from the start.