Japanese Style Tattoo Origins

You may be surprised to learn that much of modern Japanese art has roots that go back many many centuries. Sure, technology and tattoo sessions may be very different, but much of the symbolism and inspiration behind Japanese Tattoos is alive and well. That said, to truly appreciate what makes Japanese-inspired tattoos so special, we’ll need to do a crash course on its history.

Nowadays, you may choose a Japanese tattoo because you’re simply drawn to the style or want to mark your body with something unique. However, back in their early days, Japanese tattoos (or Irezumi) were typically a symbol of rank, position, class or religious affiliation. Family legacies and stories became woven into visual marks that followed a person, and their body, wherever they went. Japanese tattoos could have ties to home regions, family trades, aspirations and beyond. Surely, they were decorative at times, but they often had deeper meanings such as protection or strength for those who wore them. Somewhere along the way, there was a major shift and emperors even began to use tattoos as a means of marking Japanese criminals, punishing them, and essentially using ink to mark threats to society.

In its original application, Irezumi was actually done by hand with metal needles, silk threads, and a special ink, known as Nara. And back then, you wouldn’t schedule a tattoo with your local artist, you’d have to sit down with a “Brother”, and partake in a process that had been passed down from mentors to apprentices. Since everything was often freehand, there was little room for coming in and demanding a certain piece take place. Rather, the artists embarked on deep dialogue with the candidate to determine how and where a piece should live.

Shortly after WWII Japanese tattooing was forced underground when the art was dubbed illegal by the leaders of the time. As Japan and its people sought to move past the wartime horrors, tattoos and other social norms took on bad connotations and enthusiasts were forced to take their legacy art techniques and styles behind closed door and across the world.

It was during this movement, or perhaps directly because of it, that the Japanese art and the Yakuza (members of a transnationally organized crime syndicate, originating in Japan.) became very close. Regardless, it’s safe to say that modern Japanese tattooing has incredible roots, rich history, and deep symbolism.

All the same, it is alive and thriving (albeit political times and leaders shift, creating constant friction and varying perceptions and possible job repercussions in the native land).