THE HISTORY OF TATTOO IS HARD TO RECOUNT EVENTHOUGH IT’S AN ANCESTRAL PRACTICE WE CAN’T PLACE IT’S ORIGIN.

JAPAN

The japanese art of tattoo got several names: irezumi or horimono. During the edo area (1603-1868) the japanese art of tattoo has become a part the ukiyo-e (the floating culture oft he world). The prostitues (yujos) had the habits to get tattooed to have something more for their clients. And body tattoos were made on fireman and some workers.

Since 1720 tattoo becomes offically a punishment for the criminals and it replace the amputation nose and ears. The criminal received a ring like tattoo around it’s arms for each offense and a letter tattoo on the forehead. Punitive tattoos were used untill 1870.

This obvious punishment created a new class a banished persons, a lots of them were ronin (masterless samurais). Those men were at the roots of the yakuzas (the organised criminals of the XXth century).

In 1827 Kuniyoshi the ukiyo-e artist edites the 6 fisrts conceptions of the 108 hereos of the suidoken. the suidoken were honorable bandits.

the story is based on a chinese classical novel. the novel of the 108 bandits was very popular in japan and created a sorte of “mania” amongst the japanese urban population. the suidoken ukiyo-e shows shows hereos adorned with full-doy-colored tattoos. so the art of tattoo became elegant. some tattoos were considered as iki (fresh) but were limited to the lower classes.

THAILAND

the young monks get tattoo to improve the force of the khmer prayer and they get tattooed spiritual animals that are supposed to give them trengh and protection.

TATTOO IN ARTIC

the scientific evidence of the existance of tattoo in arctic is doll of 3500 bc. the rests of several mumys were found in groenland showing that tattoo was a part of the antic traditions. and this is corroborate by mythology at the origin tattooing was clearly associated with the creation of the sun and the moon.

Generally tattoo experts were old respected women. they also knew how to sew skins that would ease their knowledge about human skin.

Uncommon events like the capture of a whale , by the father of a young girl, would be commemorate on her cikcs bt tattoos that would promote the adventure of her father to the other memebers of the inuits community.

It seems that the practice of tattoo was homogenic. considering the strech of of this cultural sector(the biggest in the world) it could be surprising.

But as people are unified by the environement, the language, traditions and beliefs the distinction is clear: as tattoo ahs become a part of the skin the body has become a part of the artic culture.

OTZI

otzi was found the 19th september 1991.

It’s mummy was adorned with tattoos, about 50 lines making 16 distinct groups. those artefacts were made by incision and then putting vegetal coal. those tattoos are on the surface of the joints, that diagnosis says to be pathological. is it a therapy by using magical signs as still done in tibet a 100 yeras ago?

it’s not surprising that the cross, symbole of balance, is present at the knees and hankles. the verticality of the figures as a symbole of life, which means good health, is not surprising as we find it in the representations that men had of themselves.

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