.jpg)
irezumi
Sign in to save(also spelled or sometimes ) is the Japanese word for tattoo, and is used in English to refer to a distinctive style of Japanese tattooing, though it is also used as a blanket term to describe a number of tattoo styles originating in Japan, including tattooing traditions from both the Ainu people and the Ryukyuan Kingdom.
Article
14 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- History of Japanese tattoos
- Ainu tattoos
- Japanese tattoos in the Edo period
- Tattoos in modern Japan
- Process
- Being tattooed
- Becoming an irezumi artist
- Glossary of Japanese tattoo terms
- Common motifs
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
(also spelled or sometimes ) is the Japanese word for tattoo, and is used in English to refer to a distinctive style of Japanese tattooing, though it is also used as a blanket term to describe a number of tattoo styles originating in Japan, including tattooing traditions from both the Ainu people and the Ryukyuan Kingdom.
All forms of are applied by hand, using wooden handles and metal needles attached via silk thread. This method also requires special ink known as ink (also called ); tattooing practiced by both the Ainu people and the Ryukyuan people uses ink derived from the indigo plant. It is a painful and time-consuming process, practiced by a limited number of specialists known as . typically have one or more apprentices working for them, whose apprenticeship can last for a long time period; historically, were admired as figures of bravery and roguish sex appeal.