Why tattoos don't fly in Japan

Japanese tattoos are nothing like the anchor on Popeye’s forearm. They are usually full body tattoos covering the entire back, the upper arms, and the chest. The yakuza will also have the crest of their organization tattooed on their body.

Tattooing has had a mixed history in the country over the years. Chinese accounts from 1,700 years ago report that some Japanese they saw decorated their bodies with tattoos. When the Chinese cultural influence strongly took hold in Japan, however, they adopted the Chinese view that tattooing was barbaric. Soon after, the Japanese used tattoos to identify criminals.

During the Edo period, the women of the pleasure quarters got tattooed to increase their attractiveness. Tattooing developed into an art form, and some ukiyo-e artists also doubled as tattoo artists. But in 1720, the practice of tattooing criminals resumed. The visible punishment made these criminals social outcasts, so they turned to a life of crime, forming groups that eventually became today’s yakuza.