Presenter(s): Mason Klepp
Faculty Mentor(s): Matthias Vogel
Poster 187
Session: Global Engagement ARC
Japan has a rich history with the medium of tattoo that stretches back thousands of years, a history which has occupied a fascinatingly unique place in Japanese society. This traditional form of art has been and is currently going through vast changes, both in form and in social standing. We are using multiple media sources to research this topic; the book The Japanese Tattoo by Donald Richie and Ian Buruma as our main historical references, and multiple online sources for the contemporary aspect. The common thread throughout all of the literature around Japanese tattoo it that, for better or for worse, the art and economy of Japanese tattoo is changing faster now than it has ever has before. Tattoos are slowly losing their social stigma, “beauty tattoos” are appearing in the fashion industry, a new generation of skilled “neo-Japanese” style artists tattoo-seeking tourists are expanding the market and attracting foreign tattoo tourists, and the focus of the Japanese tattoo community is shifting away from traditional style, imagery, and method. Despite these changes, the form of art remains criminalized across Japan. The tides of this form of art are slowly shifting, but this changing tide is not yet a tsunami.