Ratta Tattoo
RSS Twitter Facebook
  • Home
  • Tattoo Articles
  • Tattoo Artists
  • Tattoo Videos
  • Tattoo Designs
  • Tattoo Pictures

Yakuza Tattoos: Japanese Gang Members wear the Culture of Crime

Yakuza tattoos are a source of fascination for many tattoo lovers. The high level of secrecy surrounding the tattoos, combined with the painful method of “hand-poking” the designs and the association with the Japanese underworld gives yakuza tattoo art a mysterious appeal. 

Yakuza gang members pose for a photograph that shows their traditional irezumi tattoo designs

Yakuza gang members pose for a photograph that shows their traditional irezumi tattoo designs. Although the designs are each created in traditional Japanese styles, the content of the design depends on what the owner of the tattoo would like to express to the world. Fierce looking samurai warriors are often shown in yakuza tattoos as a symbol of honor, strength and tradition. [source]

 

The History of Japanese Yakuza Gang Tattoos

The history of the yakuza begins in the early 17th century in Japan. Members of the Japanese underclass; men who sold stolen or illegal goods or ran gambling dens began to form groups that they called ninkyō dantai (chivalrous organizations). Many of these men had been to prison where they had been tattooed by authorities to mark them as criminals. Early yakuza members began to incorporate tattoo art into the customs and traditions of the group, adding to existing prison tattoos and creating new tattoos as a symbol of status within the organization. Tattoo art wasn’t widely practiced in the region at the time because of the association between tattoos and Japanese criminals.

This yakuza tattoo design stops at the neck and elbows so that it can be hidden beneath clothing

This yakuza tattoo design stops at the neck and elbows so that it can be hidden beneath clothing. This tradition of hiding tattoos from Japanese society began centuries ago when tattoos began to be associated with criminals. [source]

 

Many traditions formed within the yakuza groups during the next few centuries, including body art and body modification. One tradition, yubitsume, is the act of cutting off the tip of a finger as a way to apologize to the gang for disobedience. Gang members also began to modify their bodies with tattoo designs in a painful process called irezumi (hand poked tattoos) as a way to identify themselves to other yakuza members and wear symbolic imagery on their skin. Because of the painful process, an irezumi body suit is a way for a yakuza gang member to prove their courage and determination. The cost of the tattoos is a symbol of success – being able to afford and entire body suit of irezumi tattoos means the yakuza member is successful in his business pursuits.

Body modification plays a role in yakuza gang life, including marking the skin with tattoo designs

Body modification plays a role in yakuza gang life, including marking the skin with tattoo designs. Like the practice of cutting of a fingertip, yakuza tattoos are a way of marking yakuza gang members for life. [source]

 

Irezumi, Tattooing the Art of Pain

Irezumi artists begin their careers as apprentices. For the first few years the apprentice cleans the work space, prepares tools and watches the irezumi artist tattooing clients. The apprentice is then allowed to begin practicing designs by drawing them. Only when the apprentice is a competent artist may they begin practicing tattoo art, often on themselves. Many irezumi artists lead fairly mysterious lives and prefer to gain new clients through word-of-mouth rather than advertising their services.

An irezumi artist tattoos a yakuza member with the traiditional hand poking method

An irezumi artist tattoos a yakuza member with the traiditional hand poking method. These tattoo parlors are very different from modern, westernized tattoo parlors because of the lack of equipment such as electric tattoo machines and adjustable chairs. In irezumi parlors both the client and the artist sit on the floor, a stable surface that enables the tattoo artist to maintain a steady hand. [source]

 

Hand poked tattoos, known as irezumi in Japan, are created using a “brush” made from either steel or bamboo. The tattoo artist dips the needle tips in ink and repetitively pokes the skin to create a design. Compared to modern, high speed tattoo machines, this method of delivering tattoo ink to the skin is remarkably painful and slow. The traditional yakuza body suit of tattoos can take decades to complete, as the yakuza member can only add to the design when he has time and money available. To see an irezumi artist creating a traditional hand-poked tattoo, watch the video in The Painful Hand-poked Method of Traditional Japanese Tattoos

A yakuza tattoo that depicts a geisha figure. The traditional hand poking method of tattooing is very painful

A yakuza tattoo that depicts a geisha figure. The hand poking method of tattooing is painful and the process is slow, meaning that each yakuza tattoo design costs not only money, but time and pain too. [source]

 

Yakuza Tattoo Body Suits

Because of the connection between criminals and tattoos in Japan, yakuza members traditionally wear their tattoos on parts of the body that can be hidden by clothing. Yakuza tattoos often cover the entire body from the ankles to the wrists and the collar, a placement of body art that means the hands, feet and face can be shown in public without revealing the presence of the body art beneath the clothing. Some yakuza tattoo body suits have a strip of bare skin running down the center of the chest so that the yakuza member can unbutton his shirt without the tattoos being seen.

An irezumi tattoo that shows the yakuza tattoo body suit which can be hidden under clothing

An irezumi tattoo that shows the yakuza tattoo body suit which can be hidden under clothing. The tattoo design ends at the wrists and neck and leaves an area of bare skin on the chest, which means that the tattoo will only be revealed to the yakuza member’s closest allies and family. [source]

 

The majority of designs in yakuza tattoos focus on Japanese mythology and history. Dragons and koi fish often appear in yakuza tattoos as symbols of wealth and prosperity. Samurai warriors represent honor and a moral code, while geisha stand as symbols of fertility, good fortune and tradition. Other traditional Japanese designs that feature in yakuza tattoos are lotus flowers and cherry blossoms, tigers and elemental symbols.

A yakuza gang member wears a tattoo of shisa, a cross between a dog and a lion that protects good spirits

A yakuza gang member wears a tattoo of shisa, a cross between a dog and a lion that protects good spirits and wards off evil spirits. A shisa with a closed mouth guards good spirits while an open-mouthed shisa protects the wearer from evil spirits, The shisa emerge from a lotus flower, a traditional Japanese symbol of beauty emerging from the mud of life – a poignant reminder of the origins of the yakuza gangs. [source]

 

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
February 7, 2013 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse

Next

Pietro Romano combines a human skull and mathematical formula in this abstract tattoo designPietro Romano combines a human skull and mathematical formula in this abstract tattoo design

Artistic Abstract and Graphics Tattoos by Pietro Romano

Pietro Romano is an Italian tattoo artist who has taken to creating Avant-garde, abstract and graphics tattoos. Born in Torino, Italy in 1978, Romano followed his passion for all things artistic by studying fine arts before settling on tattoo art as his favorite medium. His bold, unusual designs bring fine art into the world of […]

February 12, 2013 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse

Prev

Abstract tattoo artist Musa uses the popular heart icon to add more meaning to this tattoo design of an angel character

Musa’s Abstract Tattoos Transform Body Art into Fine Art

Little is known about this Czech tattoo artist. Instead of providing biographical info on his website, Musa keeps his personal identity a close secret. This allows his tattoo art to speak for itself; a tactic that many artists have used in the past but is seldom employed by current artists. It also adds to the abstract […]

January 31, 2013 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • February 7, 2013
  • by Catherine Nessworthy
  • Tattoo Articles
  • art, asian, body, body art, criminal, design, dragon, gang, geisha, guys, honor, images, ink, irezumi, japan, japanese, koi, lotus, man, men, oriental, pictures, prison, samurai, strength, symbol, tattoo, yakuza

You may also like

  • The Painful Hand-poked Method of Traditional Japanese Tattoos
    February 13, 2013 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • The Link between Jail Tattoos and the Japanese Yakuza Gang Tattoos
    January 13, 2013 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Lion Tattoos that You can Wear with Pride
    March 11, 2013 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Check out Tattoo Artist Ben Shaw’s Dark and Dangerous Designs
    January 16, 2017 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Gorgeous Goldfish Tattoos
    September 14, 2012 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Dragon Tattoo Designs for Guys and Girls
    June 20, 2012 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Koi Tattoos are a Sign of Success
    July 18, 2012 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Top 10 Tribal Tattoos
    June 18, 2012 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Peter “Walrus” Madsen Breathes Modern Spiritualism into Tribal Tattoos
    June 11, 2013 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Glamorous Geisha Tattoos by Venus Flytrap
    July 17, 2013 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Iron Man Tattoos are Skin Deep Superheroes
    September 13, 2012 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Hide Ichibay: When a Perfectionist becomes a Tattoo Artist
    April 29, 2013 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Wing Tattoos across the Shoulders and Back
    June 26, 2012 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • 92 Year Old Whang Od still creates Hand-Poked Tribal Tattoos
    November 21, 2013 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Wear a Piece of Living Art with a Javi Wolf Tattoo
    July 17, 2014 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Tattoos of the God Ganesh Create a Skin Religion
    November 8, 2012 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Beautiful Bird Tattoos give Wings to Skin
    June 21, 2012 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Hard-hitting Russian Prison Tattoos Documentary
    July 26, 2013 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Star Tattoos Shine a Light on Body Art
    July 4, 2012 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Yin Yang Tattoos Balance Life through Body Art
    July 11, 2012 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • The Spiritual Magic of Mandala Tattoos
    July 7, 2012 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Tentacles and Tattoos: Octopus Tattoo Designs
    October 1, 2012 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Life’s a Gallop with Horse Tattoos
    October 15, 2012 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • The Sweetest Sea Horse Tattoos
    October 17, 2012 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Falling in Love with Heart Tattoos
    June 23, 2012 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Anime Tattoos Animate the Skin
    September 28, 2012 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Musa’s Abstract Tattoos Transform Body Art into Fine Art
    January 31, 2013 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Artistic Tattoos by Self-taught Artist Gene Coffey
    September 24, 2013 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse
  • Inspiration and Ideas for Mandala Tattoos
    January 23, 2014 Catherine Nessworthy Mayhem & Muse

Tags

    abstract america animal art artist artistic asian bird body body art cartoon character color creature cute death design dotwork europe feminine flight floral flower geometric girl guys illustration images ink inspiration life man mandala meaning of men painting pictures spiritual symbol tattoo totem video watercolor wings woman
© Copyright 2012 - 2019 Ratta Tattoo.