Tattoos in Japan

The shogun of Osaka

A revealing political crackdown on a usually hidden form of art

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Readers' comments





Certainly the missing pinkie finger on the gentleman's left hand says "Gangster" to anyone familiar with this part of Japanese sub-culture.


Just to add some color... It would take more than 50 sessions to complete a body suit. No one uses wooden needless and charcoal based ink anymore. Even Horiyoshi III uses a moden tattoo gun for his outlines and then uses sterilized stainless steel needles for the filling in by hand (tebori).


"Mr.Hashimoto's campaign follows his order forcing teachers in Osaka to stand for the national anthem."
Indeed they should. Students, teachers, Presidents. They should all stand for the national anthem.








Women wearing heavy perfume,excessive gold Jewellery,sporting hearty laughs in public places accompnied by elaborately tatooted male partners are dangerous...

Must be avoided even by eye contact.

People with tatoos willing to pierce their own bodies will not hesitate to injure anybody verbally or physically....tatooing is forbidden in all major religions...and rightly so with reasons,for healthy minds.But for sick minds anything goes...

Hieronymus_N in reply to Inshai

This is absolute hogwash. Most Japanese youngsters get American-style rockabilly/punk tattoos and have nothing to do with Yakuza/Gokudo. They are not any more willing "to injure" anyone without provocation than anyone else.

Inshai in reply to Hieronymus_N





T.Ware in reply to Inshai


Dr. Dixit





Something that needs banning: public display of blubbery men clothed only in loincloths.

T.Ware in reply to Palatinus

my local chome's dropping off point for the omikoshi is across the street from me. 100 grown men wearing cloth diapers and drinking litre upon litre of shochu is not a good thing for public order.



Mr. Marcus



When you can't fix the problem pick a fight.


One important historical footnote:


new student 2009 in reply to Anjin-San

You are right, and that's also a tradition inherited form China.

It was customary in Sung Dynasty and before that to tattoo the forehead of convicts and send they to the most remote corners of the country for hard labor or some thing, and never to be returned home (tattoo on the face would make sure of that).

The tattoo practice was discarded later in China when the imperial court began to send senior officials of non criminal offense to remote areas as punishment to show the Emperor's royal displeasure with that official. Many were later recalled back to the court to serve the Emperor again, according to history records.

Damn Dirty Ape




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