Archive for History of Tattoos
Japanese Full Body Tattoos
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Body art has been a part of our history for well over two thousand years! Body art doesn’t constitute just tribal face painting, but it also includes the more complex process of permanent tattooing. Although tattoos were initially a vital part of a culture’s social and religious rites, they slowly took a back seat as time passed.
As Civilizations advanced, tattoos came to be used more for permanently making an individual (like outlaws and traitors) which was a manner of disgracing them in public. And thus tattoos slowly became associated with criminal behaviour and immoral living. Incidentally, Japan is one of the last countries to actually abolish the practice of disciplinary tattooing.
It is said that this tattooed clique later resorted to full body tattooing in an effort to hide their indignity. As a result, tattoo artists derived a wide range of attractive designs for the whole body. Over a period of time, these full body tattoos began attracting public attention and especially during the Tokugawa period.
The Tokugawa period (dated between 1603 and 1868) witnessed some of the strictest sumptuary laws and the people resorted to full body tattoos as a sign of rebellion. Even though the practice was severely condemned by the Japanese authorities, it continued to rise in popularity! Public display of one’s tattoos in Japan is prohibited by law even today.
The practice of full body tattooing in Japan is most commonly associated with the Yakuza – the Japanese mafia. The Yakuza is said to have formed as a result of the dissolution that the once greatly regulated society experienced. The practice is also said to have many influences – from the Samurai, the Bushido, the sinister side of the Tokugawa regime and even gambling! The higher classes of Japanese society, even today, consider the practice as a barbaric tradition.
For these reasons and many more (not to mention they cost a bomb and aren’t particularly pain free!) the practice is again on a downward spiral. The number of people learning the art has also sharply declined. By the looks of it, this spectacular body art will soon be an extinct art form.
Tattooing in 19th century Europe
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For a very long time in the modern history of our civilization, tattoos were associated with criminals and the morally decadent. It was more of a taboo, socially not accepted and even outlawed in some countries; but that only started with the Roman era which exerted influence over a wide area. Ancient history however tells us that tattooing not only existed long before Christ walked the earth but also that they were associated with religious, tribal and social practices. In short, they were once the way of the world! And no doubt – history now seems to be repeating itself!
Although tattoos existed for as long as humanity has, the practice gradually died out in Europe mainly due to its criminal association. Later with the introduction of Christianity, the practice was completely stamped out of the European cultures.
Tattoos are said to be re-introduced to Europe with Captain James Cook, a British explorer and navigator of the early 18th century. On one of his voyages in the Pacific Ocean, Cook is said to have brought back with him a fully tattooed Polynesian tribesman thus bringing with him the practice of tattooing to modern Europe.
The tattoo machine was finally invented in the early 19th century thereby stabilizing the practice. The art was not just a tribal practice but a modern day profession! The invention of the tattoo machine also brought with it more security and sanitation to the process and it slowly started emerging from its ancient shell.
More and more people slowly started appreciating the art and every so slowly stopped blindly condemning it as a symbol of immorality and criminality. As a bonus, the tattoo machine enabled precision and consistency! It no longer depended on the tattooist’s form on that particular day to get a great looking design. The machines were able to penetrate the skin equally deep producing equally good tattoos.
After this, the art spread even among the upper classes all over Europe and especially in Britain. The Harmsworth Magazine in 1898 estimated that about one in five members of the “gentry” were tattooed. It was not unheard of for members of the elite class to gather in libraries and drawing rooms after dinner and show off their tattoos. It was even rumored that Queen Victoria had a small tattoo that was well hidden! It is also said that Winston Churchill’s mother had a tattoo of a snake around her wrist, which she covered with a diamond bracelet. And following the tradition was Winston Churchill himself with the tattoo of a small anchor on his forearm!
Tattoos and MRI scans
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Before we discuss how tattoos interfere with MRI scans, I guess it is better to first understand MRI scans. MRI which stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging is the procedure used in generating images or pictures of the inside of our bodies. These images or “slices” are used in the medical field as means of diagnosing unclear diseases such as infection of the brain, spine or tendonitis, Multiple Sclerosis, early stages of a stroke etc. The MRI machine uses a powerful magnetic force (produced by the machine) together with radio frequency pulses to send signals to our bodies which are in turn sent to a computer. The computer converts the mathematical data into an image that is used in medical diagnosis.
Studies have showed that these magnetic fields created by the MRI machines are so strong that even the weakest of them would end up using 0.5 tesla – which is 10,000 times more than the Earth’s magnetic field. As a result, even tiny metal objects such as stapler pins or paper clips may become dangerous weapons when left in the MRI room during a scan.
Now that you know all that about MRIs, let’s talk about how it all connects to tattoos. Approximately 20 years ago and maybe even more, the ink used in tattoos was sometimes made up of tiny metal particles and other such ingredients. This was back in the day – before the practice was regulated and before they gave the ink some serious attention (so we’re safe then!) Some patients that had tattoos from way back then have reported symptoms ranging from slight discomfort to severe pain while undergoing an MRI scan.
It is claimed that the magnetic force produced by the machine asserted such forceful pull on the metal bits in the ink that it caused the painful sensation in the tattooed area. Some theories maintain that the pain may have been caused because of the friction between the metal fragments. Some others have it that the particles were being pulled away from the tissue attempting to break the skin. In addition to all the pain, there are chances that you may be stuck with a huge bill as you resort to alternate procedures for more accurate information! These metal particles sometimes interfere with the signals leading to distortions in the MRI scans.
The good news in all this is that much has changed in the tattoo world since 20 years ago (making them safe for me!), there has been tremendous improvement in technique and technology, making the process safe for everyone since. If you happen to be one of those stuck with a tattoo from 20 years ago – don’t worry. Your doctor can advise you on alternate options for you.
History of Tattooing Among Criminals
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A part of our history has long since associated tattoos with criminals – starting with the grand Roman Empire. There are evident links of certain tattoo symbols or designs to criminal rituals however most today are mere designs and don’t hold the meaning they did in the past.
Early in our modern history, people who were exiled from Great Britain to the Australian Penal Colonies (a settlement where prisoners were transported to separate them from the general population) were sometimes tattooed with symbols intended to disgrace the prisoner; for example, D which stood for deserter (for abandonment of a military post). These prisoners often added to the tattoo in an effort to conceal the original design or to express rebellious or sardonic messages.
In Japanese history, full body tattoos were traditionally worn by members of the Yakuza (traditional organized crime syndicates; they called themselves “chivalrous organizations”). Their elaborate design and size of the tattoos showed who the wearer associated with. Around 600 AD these tattoos began to have negative connotations. Instead of being used for ritualistic purposes they were used to mark criminals, and this practice came to be mirrored by the Romans.
In North America today, there are many tattoo symbols that have come to mean something. For instance, the tattoo of three dots within a triangle (usually tattooed on the skin between the forefinger and the thumb) means ‘my crazy life’. Another famous tattoo among the Hispanics is the Pachuco cross which means ‘I need nothing’. This is similar in meaning to those worn by Vietnamese teens.
We all know what the famous gang related tear drop tattoo means (the wearer has killed someone); it could also mean that the wearer had a friend who was killed in prison. The tattoo of the ace of spades (with the A tattooed inside the spade) is associated with the Asian Boyz gang of California and so forth.
Japanese Tattoos
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The closest Japanese word for tattoo in use today is Irezumi – a word that suggests the addition of ink under the skin to leave a permanent mark commonly for decorative purposes. The word when written in different ways means different things. It literally means to ‘insert ink’ but with varying letters it could also mean ‘decorating the body’. The actual word for tattooing is very rarely used.
In ancient Japanese history tattooing was used for spiritual and decorative purposes; and this practice dates back to roughly 10,000 B.C! (Surprising isn’t it, to realize something as contemporary as tattoos can be so ancient a tradition!). Although several scholars have suggested that the markings found on the faces and bodies of figures dating back to that period in time represent tattoos, it is not undisputed. There is however, striking similarities between those markings and the tradition of tattoos found in other cultures. The Ainu people (indigenous Japanese people) are also known for their use of tattoos for communal purposes. There is no known connection however, with their practice and that of Irezumi.
Although tattoos were initially used to signify spirituality and status among the ancient society, by the Kofun period (around 300 – 600 AD) people started to use tattoos as means of marking criminals.
Through the years the practice of tattooing altered its significance in the Japanese society; during 1600 AD (the Edo period) however, tattooing began to evolve as the intricate art form – which it is today.
The practice was again outlawed by the Japanese government during the Meiji era (1868 – 1912) in an attempt to impress the rising West. Tattoos again came to be associated with criminals as they continued the tradition underground. They were linked to the Yakuza (the mafia of Japan) for several years and the bias is still visible in contemporary Japan. People with tattoos are still not allowed inside public baths, fitness centres and hot springs.
Polynesian Tattoos
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The word Ploynesia, from the Greek language, literally means ‘many island’(s). The sub-region consists of a group of over 1000 islands speckled all over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people of these islands are collectively known as Ploynesians as they seem to share a similar culture, belief and language. The term was first used by a French writer – Charles de Brosses – in 1756, who used it to define all the islands of the Pacific Ocean. Its current restriction in use (meaning only central and southern pacific islands) was introduced in 1831. Some of the most famous Polynesian islands include Hawaii, New Zealand, Samoa, and Norfolk Islands.
The Polynesian culture has no known written script and has thus come to use tattoos as a means of expressing its identity and culture. In their hierarchical society, tattoos not only signified societal status but also the wearer’s sexual maturity, his / her rank within the community and genealogy. Almost everyone in their ancient society was tattooed!
With the arrival of Christianity in 1797, tattooing had been banned in the culture as the Old Testament in the Bible prohibits the practice. In more recent times however (with the 1980s) the body art has been making a come back in the society and more and more Polynesians are once again taking delight in their cultural heritage. Today, we are far from being able to tell the difference between a Tahitian tattoo and a Marquesan tattoo, nevertheless, the differences between these sub cultures are distinct.
According to Polynesian mythology the two sons of the god Ta’aroa – the god of creation – taught human beings the art of tattooing. It was a highly sacred ritual and was performed by the Shamans, who were trained in the religious aspects. The tattoo design and its location on the body were established by the wearer’s position in the society, genealogy and their personal achievements. One had to spiritually cleanse himself before being tattooed – they fasted for a specific time and abstained from sexual relationships and contact with women.
Today, the most popular Polynesian tattoo designs are those of the turtle, the shark, the tiki, the gecko, the dolphin, the ray and many other abstract symbols.