Tattooing is something of a controversial subject in Japan, given its rather uneasy connections and associations with Japan’s native criminal syndicate, the Yakuza who are renowned (indeed infamous) for their full body tattoos (typically located on their back). In fact, the situation is so bad, that certain public places specifically ban any people who have such tattoos from entering the place, in an attempt to avoid trouble. The Yakuza are a group that attract a schizophrenic approach from the Japanese public, for some they are dashing Robin Hood figures, romanticised mobsters with glamorous styles and a sense of “gangster chivalry”. For others, the perception is somewhat more cynical, regarding them a rabid menace to the fabric of society. Another clear link between crime and tattoos in Japan was the practise whereby criminals would find that they had their crimes tattooed onto their bodies as punishment!
What makes Japanese tattoo artists particularly unique is that for a considerably long period of time, they were actually illegal in Japan and were only finally re-legalised in 1945 although it should be noted that their connection with the Yakuza had a great deal to do with this and even today, are regarded with no small measure of suspicion by officialdom.
Despite the major campaigns brought to eradicate them completely, Japanese tattoo artists have produced some of the world’s premium tattoo work and which is frankly, visually stunning. That said, it is extremely important that you take proper precautions before committing yourself to a particular design.
Given that Japanese is a language that is based on signs and symbols (in that regard it is very similar to Chinese, hardly surprising given that Japanese was derived from China) and so phrases that may make sense in English may not translate particularly well into Japanese. They may lose their impact upon translation or may become completely garbled as a result.
Just like choosing a Chinese character tattoo, please ensure that you are aware of the actual meaning of the symbol that you have chosen to be your tattoo, as the last thing you want is to choose a word and then discover that it actually means nothing at all! Japanese is a bewildering language to both native speakers and non-native speakers alike and is crucial therefore that you choose a tattoo expert who has extensive familiarity with the different styles and dialects of Japanese (as there is several.)
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