Why Tattoos Attract People

The art of tattooing has a long and rich history in Japan. The custom of making tattoos has been a eminent part of the Japanese culture although the conception of the art form has changed over the years.

The terms Irezumi and Horimono are generally used to refer to the Japanese art of tattooing in spite of the fact that the word Irezumi can be used to represent the custom of tattooing the large body parts. Full body tattoos also are designed by the Japanese people.

Mainly because of the Buddhist and Confucianist influences on the art of tattooing, it was often associated with a negative aspect in Japan. So many people in Japan believe tattooing as a symbol of the Japanese Mafia or an uncivilized butch.

The earliest remains of the art of tattooing belong to the Ainu people who were amongst the early settlers of Japan. The Wa people is another tribe that was known for its full body tattooing practice. The history of tattoo art dates back to 1700 years ago.

In China, although they were more advanced in the field of art than Japan, tattooing was counted as a malpractice and uncivilized convention. When Buddhism moved from China to Japan, this thought also followed it. As a result tattooing became notorious for its use as a punishment and as a label for the criminals.

Tattoos had a remarkable change in the Edo period and it developed as a global trend. Firemen and labourers used to tattoo themselves and even prostitutes used tattoos to pull their clients because of their intriguing charm.

In the 18th century, the practice of cutting off the ears and nose of criminals was replaced with tattooing. A ring-shaped tattoo on the forearm became a simple method to distinguish a guilty person and in special cases, a character tattoo was placed on the brow. It continued to be so until the Meiji government put an end to this practice in 1870.

This type of punishment became a reason for the emergence of a rejected class of people and they were always kept away from the society. Most of them were Samurai people called Ronin who had no masters. They had no way other than forming their own gangs and these circumstances led to the formation of the Japanese Mafia and became a social nuisance.

For all that, today things have changed and now the art of tattooing has got a positive sense. No doubt, that negative connotation still remains inside Japan, but in a global perspective tattooing has become a fashion of the new generation.

Traditional Japanese tattoo art are often given preferance to contemporary methods due to spiritual reasons . To read more about Japanese flower art please click on the links.