Traditional Japanese tattooing is known as irezumi. The complexity of the Japanese relationship with tattoos begins in the s, when the government enacted a policy that all criminals must be tattooed — an act known as bokkei.
This would make it difficult for them to gain acceptance again in society. This policy of branding endured for over years. The full-body tattoo was a creation of the yakuza and continues to be popular to this day. Even today, though fewer yakuza members get tattoos so as to be able to go unnoticed in society, the process is still seen as a rite of passage.
Rich in symbolism, Japanese tradition and storytelling, they include staples such as the koi fish, dragon, phoenix, snake and others. The Maori people of New Zealand have a rich history of tattoos. Originally thought to have reached the Maori via east Polynesia, tattooing became an integral part of their culture.
If a Maori was highly ranked, it was certain that the person would be tattooed. Similarly, anyone without status would likely have no tattoos. The practice of tattooing started at puberty. A sacred ritual, it took place as part of a religious practice.
Tattoos made warriors more attractive to women and more fearsome to opponents. Due to the rudimentary and painful nature of the tattooing process, a person would often be rendered bedridden for many days while the swelling reduced and the tattoo wounds healed. The fascinating fact here is that, while tattoos are often seen as rebellious in western culture, in Maori culture they were expected. To refuse to be tattooed was the rebellious act.
The New Zealand government banned Maori tattoos in with the Tohunga Suppression Act, which intended to replace traditional Maori practices with modern medicinal practices. This act served, tragically, to threaten Maori culture as a whole. Fortunately, it was repealed in the s, and Maori tattoos have since made a comeback. Africa has one of the oldest histories with tattoos anywhere in the world. From an Egyptian mummy found with a tattoo dating to near BCE to an example found in Libya, Africa offers a rich history of tattoos.
While the Egyptian tattoos are believed to have symbolized things like fertility and worship of the gods, they have other meanings in other parts of Africa. North Africa has largely seen tattooing as taboo due to its Islamic influences throughout history. Tattoos are seen as akin to spraying graffiti on the body, which is a gift from Allah. Regardless, there is still some history of tattoos throughout North Africa, perhaps as a subculture and perhaps born out of rebellion.
In sub-Saharan Africa, there is a unique practice of tattooing known as skin scarification. In it, a practitioner uses an instrument with a sharp blade to cut the skin in particular patterns. Eventually, scar tissue forms over the wound and the shape remains. Though dangerous due to the risk of infection, these scars were used to ward off evil. Today, a similar process called cicatrization is widely used. The first coil machine was invented by Thomas Riley in London, using a single coil.
The first twin coil machine, the predecessor of the modern configuration, was invented by Alfred Charles, in Tattooing had little respect in American culture. Design boom. A Brief History of Tattoos. In the late s, the attitude towards tattooing changed. Much credit can be given to Lyle Tuttle. He is charming and interesting and knows how to use the media. He tattooed celebrities, mostly women. Magazines and television went to Lyle to get information about this ancient art form. Lyle Tuttle born is a well-known American tattoo artist and historian of the medium, who has been tattooing since He was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, after having tattooed Janis Joplin and several other notable musicians and celebrities of the time.
Lyle Tuttle. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. When deciding what type of tattoo to get, a person may want to go into the shop and look around first to make sure that it is clean and safe. Make sure that they use sterilized equipment. These are tattoos that the artist has designed or have placed on individuals.
If the customer has a design in mind, they can talk to the artist to see if they can draw one especially for them. Sometimes they will design a tattoo that the customer wants exactly, or they might not be able to come up with what they want. If that is the case, the customer can always look on the internet or in books. Usually the individual will want something unique that no one else would have that expresses them. The most common method of tattooing in modern times is the electric tattoo machine, which inserts ink into the skin via a group of needles that are soldered onto a bar, which is attached to an oscillating unit.
The unit rapidly and repeatedly drives the needles in and out of the skin, usually 80 to times a second. This modern procedure is ordinarily sanitary. The needles are single-use needles that come packaged individually. The tattoo artist must wash his or her hands, and the area that will be tattooed.
Gloves must be worn at all times and the wound must be wiped frequently with a wet disposable towel of some kind. As the tattooing became cheaper it again was seen as a mark of a lower class. It stayed like that until s and the hippie movement when it slowly entered mainstream changing from deviant behavior to acceptable form of self-expression. It became so mainstream that even Mattel started selling barbie dolls with tattoos.
People of both sexes, of all economic classes, and of all ages wear tattoos if they want so. History of Tattoos - Meaning and Origin Tattooing is an art form and form of body modification where a pigment is inserted into a skin to change its color permanently.
Tattoo History We may see tattoos as an act of rebellion against the society but that is only one of the many reasons why people wore and still wear tattoos. Dragons in the West were envisioned as reptilians with wings and four limbs, while in the East they were wingless and snakelike.
Within the Asian culture of tattooing, dragons can vary greatly from artist to artist and often their faces will be a combination of many different animals, while still retaining the wingless and snakelike body.
Another important aspect of Asian dragons is that they will often be depicted clutching a sphere, jewel, or orb the closed lotus form in one of their claws. This is meant to represent the essence of the universe that the dragon is able to control and manipulate, and it is a motif that can often be seen in Buddhist temples. Though Chinese and Japanese dragons can seem similar, one of the ways of telling them apart is by their claws: Chinese dragons usually have five claws while Japanese have just three.
Because dragons have been so strongly linked with Japan and China, in the naval context a dragon tattoo was used to represent a sailor who had served in Asia. Dragons are also featured in the mythology of the British Isles, most notably in the legend of Saint George and the Dragon, and is thus a popular choice as a means of showing patriotism and heritage; the red Welsh Dragon serves a similar function.
The colour of a dragon, whether it has horns or not, and what form it takes, all have various meanings, and it is therefore important to know such details when choosing a design. Whenever the symbol of the eagle is used, it is to show power or dominance. But not only is it a sign of brute strength, but also of knowledge and foresight, and the power that comes with those, too. In Freemasonry, a double-headed eagle is used as a sign of the union of opposites.
A popular image in both the artistic and the tattooing worlds, eye tattoos are a choice for many people who are attracted by its simple beauty and arcane meanings. Eye tattoo meanings vary a lot depending on the culture you are in, and your own personal history:.
Admired as much for their beauty as for what they symbolize, feathers have long been a popular design choice in tattooing. Typically, feather tattoos symbolize the attributes we usually associate with birds — freedom of mind and heart; our flight through life, and the wings to reach spiritual enlightenment. Many different countries around the world use the symbol of the fox. Overall, the imagery of the fox usually means power, playfulness, and wisdom. In tattoing, foxes symbolize many different personality traits:.
The Fu dog is another Eastern symbol that comes from China. However, these creatures are not dogs at all, but lions - Lions of Buddha, to be precise. Because of these qualities of strength, protection, and courage , fu dogs are popular motifs not only in Japanese tattoo culture but also in Western tattooing. Millions of people worship Ganesha, and pray to this Indian god for protection, prosperity, and help during challenging times. A skeletal, hooded figure carrying a huge scythe, the Grim Reaper has come to represent death throughout the world.
The Grim Reaper or tattoos associated with death can seem morbid. But these types of tattoos have powerful meaning to people:. Hamsa tattoos are another religious symbol that can display religious meaning. The Hamsa hands are also called the hands of God, and this image has been around for thousands of years - it dates back as far as ancient Mesopotamia and Phoenicia. One of the core principles of Japanese tattoos is that they should be big and frightening. They must be visible from a distance and have the ability to scare anyone who sees them.
Therefore, oni, or horned demons or trolls, are one of the most popular Japanese tattoo designs. Though their facial features will change from artist to artist, oni are almost always shown with horns and often coloured pink, red, or bluish-grey.
Sailors used to get this tattoo put on their bodies to represent their strength so that they could hold on to ship ropes and riggings and not fall to their death. Icarus flew with wax wings to the sun, even as his father warned him not to fly too high or low. But Icarus did not listen, and his ambitions were too great, so he ended up drowning in the sea as his wax wings melted. The infinity symbol has long been used as a religious symbol in one form or another.
However, it was the English mathematician John Wallis who credited with first using it as a mathematical symbol, in A fish native to Central and East Asia, the koi carp can be seen in many traditional Japanese tattoos. Koi are associated with masculine characteristics such as strength and bravery, as well as being symbols of determination and the desire to succeed.
Very few would even make it to that point and any that succeeded in climbing the waterfall would be rewarded by being turned into a golden dragon. As with all Japanese tattoos, the secondary attributes of the motif are important: for this reason, colour and placement, for example, should be considered when choosing the koi as a design. The king of the beasts, the lion has always been a popular motif in folklore, art, and tattoo design. Whether rendered realistically or stylized, the lion represents strength, courage, fearlessness, and wisdom.
Many cultures feature lions in their texts, both sacred and secular, and carvings and paintings of them can be seen all over the world. Lions feature heavily in the heraldry of royalty, once again linking the lion to its place at the apex of the power hierarchy.
Lions are also associated with inner strength — symbolizing how we can reign over our emotions and actions. Not only is the lotus flower admired for its beauty, but, especially among Eastern cultures, is also laden with significance. In Hindi culture, the lotus is associated with divine beauty and purity, its unfurled leaves suggesting a spiritual awakening or expansion of the soul through meditation and insight.
In Buddhism, the lotus symbolizes purity of the body, mind, and spirit, floating on the muddy waters of attachment and desire. The colour of the lotus flower is important, too, as different colours represent different qualities or states of being. A red lotus, for instance, is related to love and compassion. Most mandala designs seek to achieve a geometric, or radial balance, both across the entire form as well an in the intricate patterns used to decorate them. In many religions, a mandala is used as a meditation aid, as a way of focusing the mind.
Many see the mandala as not only a reflection of the universe, but also as a symbol of the self and its place in the order of things. In traditional Japanese folklore, a cat washing its face meant that a viositor would soon arrive or else that it would soon rain, which in turn would entice a visitor through the door, out of the wet weather. This belief gave rise to the popular figurine known as a maneki-neko -depicting a white cat waving its paw- often worn as a good luck charm or, in larger form and made out of ceramic or plastic, displayed outside a shop.
A maneki-neko is most often shown as white, but different-coloured cats attract different things -white summons good luck, while gold brings money- and what the cat wears around its neck will depend on what the owner would like most in their life.
Often, the cat is depicted holding a coin, another symbol for good fortune and monetary wealth. The higher the beckoning paw is held, the more prosperity the cat attracts, which has resulted in some maneki-neko having very long arms. The brightest and biggest celestial body in the night sky, the moon has played central role in myth and legend- and in human consciousness- since the very dawn of humanity.
Because it appears during the hours of darkness, the moon is closely associated with mystery, magic, and witchcraft. Unlike the sun, whose image remains static, the moon waxes and wanes, changing shape as time passes, and therefore reminds us of the cycle of life and how, even though things are constant, they are also ever-changing. In some cultures, the moo is feared but at the same time respected-a symbol of power and death- while in others, it is seen as a symbol of life, birth, and rebirth.
In modern mythology, the moon is associated with madness and evil we have only to think of the pop-cultural obsession with werewolves, who traditionally underwent their transformation with each full moon , although it is also linked closely with love and magic. Whatever we associate with the moon, it remains a powerful symbol, summoning up deep emotions from the human psyche.
Across cultures and down through history, people have regarded owls with a combination of curiosity, awe, and fear. In early folklore, the owl was associated with positive characteristics such as wisdom, helpfulness, and even the gift of prophecy, and in Greek mythology was the companion of Athena, goddess of wisdom. However, as time moved on, the owl began to take on darker connotations, associated with witches and dark lonely places, and feared as a creature of darkness.
In the Middle Ages, people thought that if you saw an owl, death was near. Today, the owl continues to carry this ambivalent reputation, seen both as a creature of wisdom and of darkness. The panther — solitary, graceful, nocturnal, powerful- is a powerful symbol in several mythologies. To Native peoples of North and South America, the black-coated jaguar the only species of panther found in the continent is a powerful totem, imbued with great magic and power.
For the Tucano people of the north west Amazon, the roar of the jaguar was the roar of thunder, and eclipses were caused when the jaguar swallowed the sun. In Chinese mythology, the panther was seen as feminine, as a seductress, mother, and warrior.
In medieval times, it was believed that the panther, after feasting, would sleep in a cave for three days, after which it would awaken and roar. Its roar released a sweet smell that would attract any creature that smelt it and the panther would feast again, after which it would return to its cave to repeat the cycle.
The story of the phoenix is familiar to most: a mythological bird that, after a long life, bursts into flames, only to rise from the ashes stronger and more beautiful than ever.
Because of this, the phoenix has long been associated with life, death, and rebirth. The earliest known representation of the phoenix is in ancient Egypt in the form of the heron-like Bennu-bird and it can be traced through most civilizations and in many religions, though sometimes with differing interpretations.
In ancient Roman times it was stamped onto coins to symbolize the endurance of the empire, while in China the phoenix was seen as a symbol of marriage. Whether depicted as a beautiful bird in flames or rising renewed from its ashes, it remains a powerful symbol of endurance, triumph, and rebirth. Of all the symbols for love, the rose must be the most universal and powerful. The rose also appears in the tarot, most notably on the cards for The Fool, the Magician, Strength and Death.
In England, the rose is the national flower, dating back to the reign of Henry VII , when he combined the red and white rose to form the Tudor Rose, to show unity between the houses of York and Lancaster after the Wars of the Roses. The rose is a flower that has long held the imagination -on the surface a powerful symbol of passion and love, but rich with deeper, esoteric connotations as well. The Sacred heart is a striking motif that has its roots in Christianity but is now widely tattooed purely for its aesthetic beauty.
Iconographically, the Sacred heart is usually encircled with a crown of thorns and surrounded by flames and a divine light. A later, related motif was the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in which a heart is shown pierced by swords, representing the Seven Sorrows. The Sacred Heart has evolved into many different forms over the years and is still a very popular theme in tattooing.
A relatively new symbol in tattooing, and what could be considered a fad or fashion tattoo, the semicolon gained popularity after when the SemiColon Project was launched in the United States.
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