Japanese men have been marked by tattoo artists for the past 300 years. Todays urbane Japanese youth continue the tradition, proudly creating and wearing this ever changing art form. Over 530 breathtaking color photos display a vast range of Japanese tattoos, from traditional full-body forms repleat with classical images steeped in symbolism, including Horimono, to modern One-Point style, heavily influenced by the cultures of the West.\nThe fascinating text provides a glimpse of Japans youth culture and recounts, through personal interviews, stories of Japanese masters of the tattoo art, including Senseis Horihide, Horiyoshi III, Horitoshi I, Horiyasu, and Horikoi. Readers will see some of the most intricate tattoo art in the world, while traveling through time from the 19th century Edo Floating World to the busy streets of modern Tokyo.

Thinking of getting a Japanese-style tattoo? Want to avoid a permanent mistake? Japanese Tattoos is an insider's look at the world of Japanese irezumi (tattoos). Japanese Tattoos explains the imagery featured in Japanese tattoos so that readers can avoid getting ink they don't understand or, worse, that they'll regret. This photo-heavy book will also trace the history of Japanese tattooing, putting the iconography and kanji symbols in their proper context so readers will be better informed as to what they mean and have a deeper understanding of irezumi. Tattoos featured will range from traditional tebori (hand-poked) and kanji tattoos to anime-inspired and modern works—as well as everything in between. For the first time, Japanese tattooing will be put together in a visually attractive, informative, and authoritative way. Along with the 350+ photos of tattoos, Japanese Tattoos will also feature interviews with Japanese tattoo artists on a variety of topics. What's more, there will be interviews with clients, who are typically overlooked in similar books, allowing them to discuss what their Japanese tattoos mean to them. Those who read this informative tattoo guide will be more knowledgeable about Japanese tattoos should they want to get inked or if they are simply interested in Japanese art and culture.

This text offers a treatment of the history, symbolism, and social function of tattooing in Japan, from its earliest beginnings to the present day.

This richly illustrated book reveals the meaning and the secrets behind the most significant motifs from traditional Japanese tattooing--such as mythological and supernatural creatures, animals, Buddhist deities, flowers and historical characters--and turns this art form into a path toward personal knowledge and individual expression.

A collection of more than one hundred fifty full-color photographs of tattoos created by New York City tattoo artist Rodrigo Melo in the traditional Japanese style.

Picking up where Bushido: Legacies of the Japanese Tattoo left off, join Horiyuki as she studies the art of Japanese tattooing with Master Horiyoshi III. Jill "Horiyuki" Mandelbaum takes you on a very candid firsthand account of her exploratiion. Follow her through text and over 270 color photographs into the studios and home of Horiyoshi as well as the shrines and temples of Japan. Offering a bold, new, and very Western perspective to studying the Japanese tattoo, this book is a must have for anyone interested in tattoo arts and cross-cultural study. With a foreword by Takahiro "Horitaka" Kitamura, this book also features never before published photos of tattoos by Horiyoshi III.