Charles Darwin averred that there was not one country in which the inhabitants did not tattoo themselves. From the ancient Briton to the plains Indians, through Africa to China and Japan, people took to tattooing.

The tattoo is unique, defined as an indelible mark fixed upon the body by inserting pigment under the skin. But the reasons for getting one done are myriad. Darwin was perhaps thinking of tribal customs of permanent body decoration that he had seen, but there are many motives other than custom for the practice.

It is these motives to which Maarten Hesselt van Dinter, cultural anthropologist and one of the leading Dutch experts on tattoos, turns his attention in this large and magnificently illustrated volume.

His aim is, he says, to rechart the development of modern and ancient tattoo cultures -- this time with more illustrative evidence. The findings of Darwin and Wilodean Hambly (author of the first authoritative tattooing text, 1925) were the primary inspiration, and his intention was "to reveal substantial correlations between the tattooing culture of the people described."

The result, which occasioned 10 years of research, is a monument to scholarly investigation. Van Dinter connects ancient usage with modern and traces design and motif from culture to culture. He also observes contemporary use.

Iraq's Saddam Hussein employed punitive tattooing until recently. Amnesty International reported an Iraq television broadcast of such a forehead tattoo. And, says the author, several doctors in Amara were executed in 1995 for persistently refusing to tattoo deserters' foreheads.

The decorative tattoo, chosen by the wearer, has at the same time enjoyed a remarkable resurgence. "Tattoo designs once common among ancient tribes are now frequently seen adorning modern cosmopolitans." Moreover, striking hybrids such as Hawaiian chest markings combined with a Philippine shoulder band are acceptable. Nowadays, says the author, it is sometimes easier to get a Berber tattoo in Amsterdam than in the mountains of Morocco.

In this investigation, van Dinter divides his text into 11 geographical sections, from Europe to the Arctic. Of special interest to the reader of this review will be some assessment of the section on China and Japan.

The author begins by observing that in both countries there have been few periods indeed when tattoos were socially accepted. In both Japan and China tattoos were originally seen as a means of punishment and, indeed, one of the reasons offered for the decorative tattoo in Japan is the desire to disguise such punitive markings.

In Japan the old word for the practice, "irezumi," fell out of usage due to this connection and was replaced by the less specific "horimono." This change, however, is here attributed to the famed yakuza connection.

Indeed, the introduction to the Far East section of the book dwells solely upon the supposed connection between yakuza and tattooing. "The tattoo seals a secret brotherhood," the paragraph melodramatically ends.

This emphasis is useful in that it underlines common Japanese belief, but it is to a degree inaccurate. It is true of course that, both historically and now, the tattoo is used to indicate membership. If one sushi chef got a tattoo, the chances used to be that others would one would get one too. Carpenters -- when there were still old-style Japanese carpenters -- used the tattoo as a kind of guild mark.

It is not true, however, that any presumed connection between the yakuza and the tattoo is unique and invariable. Many saunas and spas have signs prohibiting persons with tattoos, but this merely indicates that the belief in a yakuza connection is widespread.

I wonder how many yakuza are tattooed. One cannot line them up and count, so one will never know. But I would be very surprised if all of them are -- not in these days of Ginza addresses, name cards and neck ties.

Tattoos can indicate solidarity in the world of crafts, and may be viewed to that extent as antisocial. And the recent popularity of the tattoo among the young may be read as dissident. The yakuza connection could be a popular illustration of this fear of dangerous dissidents.

But this is a specialized matter, in a book that intends to be generalist. It is a compendium of lore, a fascinating accumulation of detail, the greatest assemblage of information and certainly the best illustrated.

Of all publishers, KIT/Hotei has contributed the most to the culture of tattooing. Among its publications is Takahiro Kitamura's "Tattoos of the Floating World;" the Poysen and Bratt "History of Japanese Body Suite Tattooing," a sketchbook of designs; and an illustrated edition of Kuniyoshi's plates of tattooed warriors in the "Suikoden." This new van Dinter illustrated history may be found at www.kti.nl.publishers, and ordered via e-mail from publishers@kit.nl.

The Japan Times: July 17, 2005
(C) All rights reserved

About us / Contact us / Advertising / Subscribe News / Business / Opinion / Arts & Culture / Life in Japan Sports / Festivals / Cartoons Advertise in japantimes.co.jp. This site is optimized for viewing with Netscape or Internet Explorer, version 4.0 or above. The Japan Times Ltd. All rights reserved.