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.

Basically there are two types of characters that are used in the written Japanese language – Kana and Kanji. Kanji is the term used for Chinese characters that are used in the Japanese language. In fact, all written Japanese characters have evolved from written Chinese and over the years have come to include a few modified characters that represent some different sounds in the Japanese language.

Some of these characters may mean the same in both Japanese and Chinese languages but are usually pronounced differently. While some others characters, although written the same way, may mean completely different things. Some Kanji characters were developed fully in Japan and are often not seen in the Chinese language. And then there are those characters that are written with slight modifications but tend to have the same meaning. So basically you have a choice between the Japanese Kanji tattoos and the Chinese Kanji tattoos.

If you are contemplating a Kanji tattoo and you are not a native speaker of the language (which I’m guessing you’re not), the key thing to keep in mind is that Kanji is constructed very differently from the English language. Like I mentioned, these languages are not made up of individual letters but are made up of ideographs or pictographs (some characters consist of more than thirty strokes!)

When you don’t speak the language, you will find it very hard to say exactly what you want through those tattoos. Some problems people frequently encounter with these tattoos are with the meaning. There have been plenty of cases of literal translations which make absolutely no sense in the Japanese language. For instance, “girl power” can be easily written (??) to mean ‘sporty spices!’

Sometimes the artist (if not fluent in the language) may end up mixing up the Chinese and Japanese Kanji characters, again resulting in nonsense. There have been instances of the characters being rotated, written upside down, given mirror image versions, characters with missing brush strokes or some strokes even mistakenly joined resulting in exactly what you did not want! So before you get them on you permanently, be double sure they mean exactly what you think they do.

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.

Tattooing in Japan was legalized in 1945. It still has the aura of criminality though. Many people associate it with the yakuza, the Japanese mafia and some Japanese establishments will not allow people with tattoos in. Many young Japanese people are beginning to get tattoos again though, but they seem to be opting for the less graphic type that can be completed in one visit to the tattoo parlor. Many of the more traditional Japanese tattoos involve a very long process and are both painful and expensive. Because of the amount of detail that is needed to do Japanese tattoos, they may involve months or even years of weekly visits to the tattoo artist’s shop. Japanese tattoos that cover the entire upper body can take up to five years to complete and cost up to $30,000.

Japanese tattoos are popular in the Western countries because they are very colorful and mystical. Most people enjoy the attention they bring, because most in the West don’t know the meaning of the symbols, etc… This can be used as a way to attract attention. Most Japanese tattoos are done with Kanji characters. Kanji characters originated in the Chinese language but some of them were adopted by the Japanese and became known as Kanji. They can express a message in the most artistic way, and this is one of the main reasons they are so popular. Japanese people as well as people from Western countries are now very into having these vibrant tattoos. In the West, they draw attention because most people do not understand their meaning. They are intriguing because of this.

It is very important to do your homework when getting these tattoos, especially outside of Japan, because you want to be sure that the translation means what you want it to mean. Sometimes people get the tattoos and find out later that the message is completely different than they intended. Be sure that you research the meaning of the characters you are going to use and that the whole message is accurate. There are people who specialize in doing Japanese tattoos. It is worth it to spend more money to get an accurate outcome. Removing an incorrect tattoo can be a difficult process and expensive also.

The characters of Kanji can stand alone and have their very own distinct meaning or be used in combination with other symbols to illicit other meanings. Many times the message from a Kanji symbol is not obvious and can be misconstrued by someone who is not familiar enough with the language. (japanese-name-translation.com, 2009) The symbols from Kanji are like looking at a picture, and, just like people see different things in a picture, a Kanji symbol can be interpreted in different ways. Sometimes the symbol will stand for a sound, depending on how and where it is written. (japanese-name-translation.com, 2009) So, basically, it can be very difficult to transfer something you want to say in English directly into a Kanji tattoo. For instance, you want your new Kanji tattoo to say “Big Daddy”. Everybody you know sees your tattoo and asks you what does it mean? You reply “Big Daddy” and you will get a laugh or agreement depending on how well they know you. Then, of course, you go to Japan or you meet someone from Japan and they read your tattoo and to them it says “large father”. It just will not translate the way you want it to. (japanese-name-translation.com, 2009)

This is basically the biggest problem for people that want to get a Kanji tattoo. The Kanji characters themselves are refined and exotic but there are very many ways to pronounce and interpret each unique character. There is also the fact that there are almost two thousand different Kanji characters used today which can make translations very difficult.(Mcbennet, 1999)

Some people believe that the characters have a spiritual meaning – that they can even effect your mood or bring you luck. There are characters often used to symbolize things like strength, luck, honor, etc. (Takase, 2005) Make sure that you have the right characters when deciding to have a Kanji tattoo because as we all know that they are permanent. It can be very frustrating when you end up with a Kanji tattoo that does not contain the message you wanted to convey.

It is not easy to translate Japanese symbols directly from English into Kanji. Even though many people know that the Kanji figures are hard to translate, they still continue to get the tattoo, finding out later it does not have the meaning that they intended. When deciding what tattoo to get, it might be more accurate to use Kanji symbols that have an established meaning like love or dragons or Bishidou (the way of the warrior). Trying to have your name spelled is probably not going to be as accurate as you would like and it might have more of a meaning than you bargained for. (japanese-name-translation.com, 2009)

Getting a tattoo is about expressing yourself. The creation of your Kanji tattoo should be a meeting of the minds between you and the artist who is inking your tattoo. Japanese Calligraphy needs exact translations and if you have some reservations before getting started, be sure to start with an artist who has a reputable catalog. This will require some research on your part. Ask the artist where they got their translations and find out when and where the translations were done as well as who was the translator. Look for comments or references that are available about the artist. Often, the tattoo artist might be insulted or give you a hard time for questioning them, but it is your body and your tattoo so BE SURE. When you find the artist who is willing to help you, and they have helped you understand the symbols you want, then you have probably found the right place to get your tattoo inked.

Works Cited

‘japanese-name-translation.com’, I. S. (2009). INT.COM. Retrieved November 11, 2009, from Japanese Caliigraphy: japanese-name-translation.com/site2/kanji_tattoos_article.html

Jennings, C. (1999, September). The Kanji Site. Retrieved November 11, 2009, from The Kanji Site: kanjisite.com/html/about/site.html

Mcbennet, M. (1999). Kanji Characters. Retrieved November 11, 2009, from Japan Zone: japan-zone.com/new/kanji.shtml

Takase, E. (2005). Takase.com. Retrieved november 11, 2009, from Custom Japanese Caliigraphy: takase.com/AboutUs.htm

As stated previously, I plan to continue through the alphabet. If you want me to provide a symbol in a larger or smaller size simply ask in the comments.

baby	bat
battle	beach
bear up, power, strong	beauty, beautiful
beauty, beautiful (brush stroke)	beautiful, pleasing, skilled
best	black
boy	boy (brush stroke)
brain	big brother
buddha	butterfly
butterfly (brush stroke)	“beloved”

See also: Overview of Kanji Tattoos