I Have Never Been A Great Fan Of Tattoos,

and did not realise that in Japan,

criminals were tattooed with symbols that indicated the physical location where their crimes were committed up to the 17th. Century,

 but over time these tattoos were covered over to disguise them, just to get things straight as far as I am aware none of the people in this post today have any criminal record, but the pictures are used to illustrate the art of tattooing,

tattooing went on well before that period of Japanese history, 

Brief Timeline of Tattoos in Japan

5,000 BC – figurines dating back to 5,000 BC were uncovered and the engravings on their face are thought to represent tattoo marks.

297 AD – the first written record of Japanese tattooing was discovered in a Chinese text, which stated that Japanese “men young and old, all tattoo their faces and decorate their bodies with designs.” References were typically in a negative context.

720 AD – the first written account of tattooing as punishment in Japan. The rebel Hamako, Muraji of Azumi ( 安曇連浜子) was brought before the emperor but the merciful king, instead of death, commanded he be tattooed instead. The punishment was presumably 2-fold: to inflict pain but also to leave a mark that would forever label the person a criminal.

17th Century – Japan experienced a time in which penal tattooing was generally acceptable. Criminals were often tattooed with symbols indicated the physical location where their crimes were committed. However, an important change had occurred by the end of the 17th century. Criminals began covering their penal tattoos with decorative ones and the punishment became obsolete. This is thought to be the historical origin of the association of tattooing and organised crime in Japan.

Early 18th Century – Pictorial tattooing flourishes due, in part, to the development of woodblock prints and the needs of popular culture in Edo. Due to its association with criminal activity, the government outlawed tattooing. Its illegal status, along with its painfulness and permanence, solidifies the art form as a symbol of loyalty amongst yakuza gangs.

Mid 18th Century – tattooing gets another push from popular Chinese graphic novel Suikoden, which features many heroes adorned with tattoos. Various artists of the time produced their own interpretations of these characters. The story still remains popular to this day, as an aside you may have actually watched some of the adventures if you watched a series in the late 1970s called the Water Margin, I did!

19th Century – tattooing remains outlawed but artists were allowed to set up shop servicing foreign sailors. Their skills were well regarded and attracted distinguished clients like King George V and Czar Nicholas II. They also continued to tattoo Japanese clients illegally.

20th Century – tattooing in Japan remained illegal until the end of WWII when General MacArthur liberalised the Japanese laws, today tattoos remain largely unaccepted in Japan.

Today

If you’re Japanese and you get a tattoo in Japan, you’re essentially signing a non-participatory agreement for public baths, swimming pools, water parks and other places where skin is shown. If you’re a foreigner in Japan, don’t assume you’re going to get a free pass. You may, but you also may not. And because it’s probably often used as an excuse, stickers and temporary tattoos aren’t allowed either.

 but today the art of tattooing,

shows little sign of slowing down and yes I do have one, small but perfectly formed.