Irezumi Japanese tattoo (meaning, sketches, photo)

Legality of irezumi tattoos

In Japan, society is very wary of any tattoos. People whose underwear painting is visible to the public are not allowed in public places. The same applies to guests of the country. It’s not at all that the Japanese are for the purity of human skin, everything is much more complicated.

There is no word for “tattoo” in Japanese. They call the tattoos the word “horimono”. Ordinary residents are afraid of this word. The fact is that even the smallest, harmless irezumi-style tattoo is identified with members of the gangster group, who are called “yakuza”. These are people of the shadow business, they are responsible for the transit and trade in drugs, weapons, they cover the sex sector. This association has been known for a long time, by tattoos it was determined that a person belonged to a criminal caste.

Where to draw

Irezumi tattoo can cover the entire body. Often intimate places are also chosen for this. However, there was a restriction on the visible areas of the body: the head, feet and hands. The conspiracy did not allow even particles of the irezumi tattoo to be left open to someone else’s gaze. The picture had to remain covered with a suit, kimono, dress. Members of the yakuza could not be afraid only of their own. Therefore, they had separate places for communication.

Irezumi sketches

At the service of those who wish, Japanese tattoo masters provide a huge number of irezumi sketches. The most popular for a millennium are such pictures as:

• koi carp;
• phoenix;
• the Dragon;
• seven gods of happiness;
• Buddhist sutras;
• residents of the cheerful quarters of Edo;
• sakura flowers;
• peonies;
• kabuki characters and so on.

I must say, tattoos were not done with single drawings, they often grew into full-fledged paintings. So they applied a tattoo on the entire arm from the hands to the shoulder, which turned into an irezumi sleeve.

Tattoo for men and women

Irezumi tattooing was originally the prerogative of men. According to legend, the owners of exquisite paintings can seduce even the most persistent girls. The weak half of society also resorts to irezumi tattoos. Again, the owners of underwear painting are among the marginalized. Prostitutes often decorate the most attractive areas for the male gaze with magical pictures. True, this beauty is only seen by the partners of the woman.

A modern take on the irezumi tattoo

The borders of countries have long been open. In the case of the Japanese tattoo, the fashion for irezumi has stepped far beyond the homeland of irezumi. Moreover, they do not carry any hidden meaning, but many lovers of underwear painting liked it. Everywhere except Japan, showing colorful paintings to others is not considered illegal. There are many groups of tattoo lovers on the Internet resources. Masters offer their services. For example, groups on the social network VK offer many sketches of irezumi tattoos.