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Tattoo History - 'Irezumi, Yakuza Tattoo'
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01 Jul '03 -
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Het is weer tijd voor: Dreadloki en Haida's Dinsdag Tatoeage-dag! Een uitermate zuighende themadag, maar daarom niet minder leerzaam, lieve kijkbuiskinderen! Echter, in tegenstelling tot die slappe spin-off van de wereldberoemde Dreadloki en Haida's Dinsdag Tatoeage-dag, iets met Foto .... nog iets Vrijdag, hoeft u zelf niks, maar dan ook helemaal niks bij te dragen. U hoeft dit alles slechts in u op te nemen. En deze week vestigen wij de aandacht op : Irezumi, Yakuza Tattoo!
History
The word yakuza means 8-9-3. Ya means 8, ku 9, za 3. it comes from Japans counterpart to Black Jack, Oicho-kabu. The generally difference between the both card games are that in Oicho-kabu the cards' objective is to be 19 instead of 21. As you see, the sum of 8, 9 and 3, is 20, which is without any worth in Oicho-kabu. It's from there the name, yakuza, comes from, they are without worth for society. This doesn't mean that they have no use in society, it means that the members are people who somehow do not fit into society - society's misfits.
Origin Kabuki-mono
Yakuzas origin can be followed far back as to the year 1612, when men known as kabuki-mono (the crazy ones), became known by the local authorities. Their odd clothing style, the distinctive haircuts and bad behavior, simultaneously carrying long sword did that they fast got everybody's attention.
Kabuki-mono had a bad habit to harass and terrorize all in their surrounding. They could go as far that they stab down people for pleasure. Kabuki-mono were distinctive samurais that's gave their bands a scary name and spoke in vigorous slang. Something that was remarkable were their loyalty against each other. They protected each other regardless the menace, also if it meant going against their own families.
Kabuki-mono were from the beginning samurai (knights) that during a longer time in peace had been forced in to unemployment. They were known as masterless samurai, ronin, and several of them began to wander around in Japan as band of robbers, plundering villages and small cities. Yakuza, however, do not wish to see kabuki-mono as their "ancestors" instead they see machi-yakko (town servant), as their origin. These men was they that took to weapons and defended the villages and the cities against the raging kabuki-mono. They had professions like storekeepers, tavern owners, homeless warriors and also ronin. Machi-yakko were skillful hazard gamblers ever so highly bound to each other and their leader, much like today's yakuza. Machi-yakko became soon the people's heroes, praised by the citizens for their help against kabuki-mono. Machi-yakko were often weaker and worse trained and equipped than kabuki-mono and therefore compared with England's Robin Hood that fought against Prince John and his underling sheriff of Nothingham. It was written many fairy-tales and plays about machi-yakko.
The current yakuza came not until at middle of the 17th century. Its members was bakuto (gamblers) and tekiya (street vendors). These names for the members are still in use these days. Several categories of yakuza have been added that will be described along with bakuto and tekiya more, later on.
Almost all yakuza members have the same type of background: poor, criminals and misfits. Yakuza becomes a family for them. They get help with problems, get attention and can feel a certain safety.
Irezumi
To the Japanese, tattoos are the art of the Irezumi, literally meaning the ‘insertion of ink’ or more classically and elegantly ‘hori-mono’ meaning which is ‘carved’, sculpted’ or ‘engraved’. The word most commonly used is contracted to Irezumi, and it may be used either as an adjective or a noun, applied either to the tattooist, the wearer of a tattoo or to the inked design itself, indeed it may even refer to that group of people who are involved in tattoo art.
Within Japan today, there are perhaps a hundred recognised practitioners of Irezumi and perhaps 75.000 to 100.000 wearers of tattoos. In a densely populated country of 127 million people, that is a small proportion of people indeed, yet the mystery associated with the Irezumi remains, and continues to impress. So much so, that the practice of Irezumi is both a legitimate art and the mark of the Yakuza, a criminal element of Japanese society.
Designs
It is impossible to talk about Japanese irezumi without mentioning Utagawa Kuniyoshi's "Tsuzoku Suikoden Gôketsu Hyakuhachinin" (108 Heroes of the Suikoden). These designs form a large part of all full body tattoos and are often copied or else the artist will draw his own illustration of another part of the story. Pictures of the tattooed men often appear on tattooed men and this is no doubt due to the attraction of an honourable band of criminals to the yakuza who would consider themselves just that. However, other art forms appealing to the proletariat and the underworld such as Kabuki theatre often form the basis of irezumi designs. In several Kabuki plays including "The Scarlet Princess of Edo", the lead roles are tattooed and where Kabuki masks form the background to large tattoos, the central design is often taken from a Kabuki story. Benten Kôzô is a particularly popular irezumi design. He was a thief who often disguised himself as a woman. When he was caught he pulled off his clothing and revealed a heavily tattooed man.
However, the "Suikoden" and Kabuki theatre are not the only themes central to irezumi tattoos. Other mythical people, creatures and stories also feature. Dragons, Koi carp and Gods all have their own meaning, as do the blue clouds, pink sakura, maple leaves and waves which make up the backgrounds of these amazing decorations.
Perhaps the most ubiquitous of all Japanese mythological beasts and certainly the image which has frequently been tattooed in the West is the dragon. Dragons are clearly very alluring creatures and it is as common to see a tattoo of a dragon borrowed from irezumi in a shop in Britain as it is in Japan. Symbolically it denotes wealth and it is a monster which draws strength from all the creatures forming it. It is a serpent that has the horns of a deer, the scales of a carp, the four clawed talons of an eagle, the nose of a goblin and whiskers and a moustache to accompany the flames growing from its shoulders and hips. Because it lives in both air and water, it is considered to offer protection from fire. For this reason it was often chosen by Edo period fire fighters who tattooed themselves superstitiously for protection in their work.
Iconography
All tattoos mean something. Usually the symbols represent qualities (good or bad), either possessed or desired. In the West, for example, one of the most popular images has been the eagle, given the qualities of bravery, nobility, . . . Another is the heart, a symbol for fidelity, honesty and so on. In Japan too the tattoo design symbolizes these kinds of qualities. Classical Japanese tattooing limits itself to various flora and fauna, to religious motifs, and to te representation of heroes and folk figures. (all of which have symbolic qualities)
Flora :
- the peony : symbolises wealth and good fortune
- the chrysanthemum : symbolises steadiness and determination
- the cherry blossom : is the symbol for all that is transient and evanescent in life
(the samurai adopted the cherry blossom as a personal insignia, indicating that they might die in battle the next day) (The first two flowers have a Chinese origin)
Animal designs :
- the lion : also known as the Chinese temple dog, symbolises the guarding of
- the tiger : the sole reason for becoming a motif would be that one of the Suikoden heroes had a tiger tattooed on his back.
- the carp (usually one is swimming upstream and one downstream)
Tattoo-technique
(...)ddv: Do a lot of customers quit before the tattoo is complete?
h: A lot. Approximately 80% give up prematurely.
ddv: Is it because the customers are losing interest, are running out of money, or cannot stand the pain?
h: It takes a certain amount of character to endure the pain and to see the work to completion. After a few sessions I can usually see whether a person will be strong enough to finish what was started. Also, if a person cannot stand pain, then I cannot do a good job. It is very hard to do a good tattoo while the person wriggles and moans in pain.
ddv: How much does it hurt?
h: Very much. Do you want to try?
Another reason why people are quitting is that they are moving to a different part of Japan. In such a case they maybe seek out another hori-shi (traditional tattoo artist) in another town. In fact, some of my present customers’ tattoos were started by other hori-shi.
ddv: How many needles do you use?
h: It depends on the type of work and on the particular part of the body. It is anywhere between 5 or 6 to 35 or 36 needles.
ddv: Are there any work-related hazards to your health?
h: You get very tired from the work. Sitting on the floor for hours at a time, the knees become very tired. Actually, my knees have become so weak, that I can only walk a short distance before they start to give me trouble. The constant needling motion gives you stiff shoulders, and the wrist is also prone
to inflammation.
ddv: How about your eyes?
h: Not so much. Anyway the eyes are going to get tired whether you use machines or tattoo by hand. It depends on how many hours you work.
ddv: Is it difficult to “draw” on a living, three-dimensional canvass?
h: Some hori-shi are using paper as a template on the skin. However, I draw completely freehand. Because my drawings are very complicated, they also make me tired very easily. In any case, the first task is the sujibori (doing the outlines). After that, the gradations and colors will follow. (...)
interview Horitoshi by Dr.D. Vice
Tot slot nog een wetenswaardigheidje
Medical department of the University of Tokyo have a famous tatoo collection. Collection of the irezumi skins(mostly of yakuza or cheif of Yakuza families), ripped off from the body after the death of the persons , of course with their consents while they were alive. I heard that still there were some difficulties...for example, some people in the faimly are against it even if there was a consent of the chief of Yakuza himself.
... en:
Those Japanese tattoos are often referred to as "Yakuza-tattoos", or "Irezumi". Both terms are incorrect. Even in mainstream Japan of today, many regular people are sporting those beautiful traditional designs. However, because of the media-created perception
of tattoos and its alleged affiliation to the underworld..., many people don't show their bodies in public... EVER. Only the Yakuza show of their tattoo... mainly to intimidate other members of Yakuza families.
This lead to the public misconception that a tattooed body equals Yakuza membership.
The other widespread misnomer is the term "irezumi". Irezumi were PENAL tattoos (marks such as row of lines) on visible parts of the body to show that the person is a criminal. Traditionally, Irezumi are not the complex designs that are known as the Japanese style
tattoo. The proper term for those tattoos is "Horimono".
geschiedenis:
http://www2.gol.com/users/coynerhm/yakuza_the_japanese_mafia.htm (tip)
http://www.okinawan-shorinryu.com/okinawa/yakuza.html(tip!)
http://www.assemblylanguage.com/texts/Tattoos.html
http://www.thingsasian.com/goto_article/article.1732.html
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Shrine/2475/irezumi.html
http://www.bmezine.com/ritual/A10402/irezumi.html
http://www.artelino.com/articles/japanese_tattoo_art.asp?mey=16
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/acaban3/japanese_tattooing_from_the_past.htm
http://208.55.77.56/alterasian/arttattooirezumi4.html
art-&-galleries:
http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattoo_yakuza.htm
http://www.tattoosymbol.com/terisa/almost.jpg
http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/images/tattoo/horiyo.jpg
http://www.tattoo.ne.jp/j-style.html
http://www.keibunsha.com/gallery_2.htm
http://www.miyazo.com/tattoos.html
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/tattoo/horiyoshi3/horiyoshi3-art2.html
(blijven clicken)
http://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~horikoi/photo_top.html (40 backpieces)
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/office/mashuko/bunsin/ART.html (posters comic/tattoo)
http://www.ccv.ne.jp/home/ic4/joe/tattoo/tat05.html (grappig)
techniek:
http://www.funcitytattoo.com/history/japan/japan3.html
http://www.funcitytattoo.com/history/japan/japan11.jpg
http://tattoos.com/oguri.htm
http://www.funcitytattoo.com/history/japan/japanint.html
http://www.tokyo.to/backissues/feb00/tj0200p14,15,16,17,20/
http://onezine.s-one.net.sg/_Tue/12112002/Tattoo/
(5 min.video van een tattoomeester in actie!)
betekenis:
http://www.darumatattoo.com/content/p_4.htm
Tattoolog!
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