The Underbelly Of Japanese Art

Every day, hordes of smartly dressed men and women crowd the streets and subways of Japan, moving with hypnotising synchrony.

- Yong Xin Ni Elyssa

Art or taboo? Tattoos are a controversial topic in Japan’s conservative society

But underneath the pressed blazers and polished loafers, a vast canvas of inked skin hidden in plain sight straddles the line between art and taboo.

Due to the explosive proliferation of yakuza films in Japan, many with just a passing understanding of irezumi – the Japanese term for all tattoo styles – would associate the art form with the notorious crime syndicate. This has cemented wabori, which refers to Japanese style tattooing, as a “mark of disaffiliation” from conventional society and a taboo subject amongst many in Japan today. The stigma and cultural aversion surrounding tattoos is so strong that those who adorn themselves with tattoos, referred to as irezumi no kata, or tattooed person, find themselves turned away from public establishments like bathhouses, pools, beaches, gyms, and even some restaurants due to their perceived affiliation with deviancy and crime. The modern Japanese perception of tattoos has complicated its standing as an art form, but to understand the struggle between taboo and art, there is a need to understand the numerous purposes and cultural implications of tattoos over the course of the nation’s history.

For many Japanese, tattoos are synonymous with criminal and deviant behaviour

Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s woodblock print (ca. 1823) depicts an underwater fight between bandit Tammeijiro Genshogo, known for his striking tattoos, and General Ko

Kabuki actor performing on stage