Japanese tattoos have an ancient tradition, but their connotation has almost always been associated with the criminal world. They were in fact used to mark criminals for life. The famous Yakuza drew from the tradition of tattoo making a real signature, so that even today, many public places prohibit the entry of tattooed people. Only a few years ago that the traditional Japanese tattoo (irezumi) found its definitive consecration breaking through the boundaries of the country and flooding around the world.
The subjects used range from animals, mythological demons, the koi carp and, for those who wear them, they become a sort of reminder of their life aspirations. A tattoo irezumi represents a long and painful process, it is made only by a selected few teachers who still use traditional tools to achieve them. It was made famous by the meticulous perfection and their precise patterns: the dragon is depicted together with the chrysanthemum, the lion along with the peony, hannya masks along with snakes and Buddhist symbols.
