Japanese are well known in the tattooing community for their body suits. This is a very large tattoo design that envelopes most of the wearers body and has lost most of its meaning in the modern day world. However, traditionally the process of tattooing was called Irezumi which literally translates to “insert ink”. The earliest designs were believed to have spiritual significance and also meaning relating to status within the culture. It was also common for slave owners to tattoo their slaves as punishment or to alert others that they were slaves if they ever escaped. In the 15th century tattoos began to develop into decorate designs and elaborate tattooing was found on the heroes in book illustrations and so forth. It wasn’t until modernization with the West that Japan sought to make a good impression and outlawed tattooing which gave it a criminal connotation, as it was still commonly used in the Japanese mafia- Yakuza. In 1945 tattooing was legalized once again and, like in the West, is becoming more popular and socially acceptable. It is possible to get a traditionally done Irezumi style tattoo but the process is painful, extremely time consuming, and expensive as the traditional body suit can cost upwards of $30,000.
google gave me the image
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