There's more to getting inked than you think. Takahiro Kitamura -- aka "HORITAKA," apprentice to the revered master Horiyoshi III -- is an author and prolific tattoo artist.
For some soft porn, go here. It's way off topic. But if you look really closely at the woman in the middle of the first page you'll notice she wears a tattoo. It's not a big tattoo and it's not likely to be a Japanese design, but it is a tattoo.
All illustrations by Kazuo Oguri.
I was born in l933 and grew up in Gifu, a large industrial city in central Japan. Times were tough after World War II [which the Japanese call the Pacific War-ed.]. All over Japan people were unemployed and even those who had jobs did not make enough money to live comfortably.
When I was a teenager I was proud of being a tough guy, and by the time I was l9 I was the leader of a street gang. We had fights with other gangs, and in one of these fights I stabbed a guy with a knife. He fell to the ground and we thought he was dead. The members of my gang ran back to my house, but we knew we couldn't stay there because the police would be looking for us. So my gang took up a collection and gave me enough money to get out of town and go to Tokyo.
[This is the beginning of Kazuo Oguri's autobiography. To continue reading go to this website. But DON'T FORGET TO COME BACK HERE!]
One of the most popular places on the body for women to get tattoos is the lower back. This is also one of the most controversial places on the body for people of either gender to get tattooed. That's because there are a lot of myths associated with lower back tattoos, myths that persist to this day despite the fact that tattoos of all kinds have gotten more mainstream and are seen across a diverse body of people. In order to dispel those myths, it's important to take a look at what they are and why they simply are not true.
The biggest myth associated with lower back tattoos is that the women who get them are promiscuous. As soon as you say it out loud, you realize how ridiculous this sounds. Women get tattoos (including lower back tattoos) for a whole variety of different reasons and most of them don't have anything to do with signaling their sexuality to others. However, there became a widespread acceptance of the myth that women who wear tattoos on their lower backs are putting a target on themselves that draws men's eyes to their bodies with the intention of sexual suggestion. Of all of the myths about lower back tattoos that are out there, this is the one that is most dangerous.
Women are not the only targets of lower back tattoo myths, though. In fact, coming a close second to the myth about promiscuity is the myth that lower back tattoos should only be on women and not on men. Many men who have taken an interest in getting a tattoo on the small of their back have opted not to get this type of tattoo because of the ridicule that they faced from people who found out about their plans. Men who do opt to get these kinds of tattoos often face assumptions about their sexuality, which also are not true.
Finally, there is a persistent belief that there are only certain types of tattoos that should be obtained on the lower back. Because of the other myths, it is believed that these tattoos should be flirty, girly and sexy. A woman who liked sun tattoos might be pressured to look at sun tattoos that were suggestive such as a female-looking sun with long eyelashes and a winking smile. Alternatively, she might be encouraged to avoid sun tattoos and get something like a heart or a butterfly instead.
All of the myths that surround lower back tattoos are based on the idea that the only people who should get them are women and the only reason that they should get them is to indicate to society's men that she is sexually available. Considering that tattoos are permanent and availability is transitory, this is clearly an absurd foundation for a myth. And yet lower back tattoos continue to be viewed in this way by a large percentage of people who are out there hitting the bars and scoping out the tattoos on the other patrons.
When getting a tattoo, you should think about two things: the design that you want and the message that you're sending to the world. If you're in love with lower back tattoos and sun tattoos and you're committed to the idea of getting one even though you're a man, you should feel confident in your choice and get inked. However, you'll have to be aware that there are myths out there which are going to follow you around whether you like it or not. People will make assumptions about you based on the choices that you make with your tattoos. If you've got the self-esteem and confidence to pull it off, then this won't be a problem. But if you're someone who is sensitive to peer pressure then you might want to re-think the location or design of your tattoo.
Author Andy West :
Andy West is a writer for http://bullseyetattoos.com, which offers a wide selection of lower back tattoos and sun tattoos. Visit http://www.bullseyetattoos.com/tattoos/Butterflies/ or http://www.bullseyetattoos.com/tattoos/suns/ for designs.
Article Source: http://www.BharatBhasha.com
Article Url: http://www.bharatbhasha.com/arts-and-crafts.php/76917
Sailors were the first people to apply star tattoos. Nautical stars were often combined with shooting stars and tribal stars as embellishments. One obvious reason for sailors to use star and constellation symbols in their tattoos is to appease the gods and encourage smooth sailing. These symbols eventually took on the meaning of protection and security.
The stars are sometimes referred to as compass stars. Guiding ships by the stars was prevalent until quite recently in history. Stars are one of the basics in life which all but the blind are familiar with. It is unlikely modern global positioning devices will replace stars as a design element.
In the 1940s and 1950s gays and lesbians started wearing these tattoos as a symbol of group membership. Today lesbians often wear these tattoos on the inside of their wrists. Nowadays the nautical star is worn more visibly by lesbians as a sign of solidarity with their cause. Nautical star tattoos are also worn on the elbows of punk fans. Here the star tattoo is taken as a sign of the North compass point, something like the meaning attached to it by sailors.
© Copyright HimalayaIT 2009
Another alternative meaning of the Japanese word horishi is seals, especially engraver's seals.After all, these seals were carved out of wood, which satisfies the carver usage of the word. The German word Holzschneidern means wood cutters' things or works.
Below is part of a notice for a work in German and English on Japanese engraver's seals. I have left the publisher's address etc in the article so you can order the book if you desire.
Titel: Hori-shi. 249 Faksimiles unterschiedlicher Siegel von 96 japanischen 
Holzschneidern
We offer you a reference-book about engraver-seals on Japanese woodblock-prints!
Titel: Hori-shi. 249 facsimiles of different seals from 96 Japanese engravers
[snip]
Gordon Friese (Member of the Society for Japanese Arts, Leiden) .... His list with more than 240 seals of about 100 Edo-engravers is a useful help for quickly identifying of engravers-seals on Japanese woodblock-prints in the time of 1848-1880. [snip] A must for everyone, who study serious the Japanese woodblock prints of the 19th. century. Now available.
Bilingual (german/english), 57 pages, DIN A4, plastic-covered ring-binder .
Price: 29,00 Euro
plus postage: 4,50 Euro (Europe; to pay with IBAN and BIC)
9,00 Euro (World; to pay with paypal)
To order by: Bücherzentrum, Bahnhofstr. 32, 59423 Unna, Germany.
Tel.: 02303-15500, e-mail: info@buecher-zentrum.de
On my home page I define the Japanese word horishi as tattoo artist.
There is also an alternate meaning in Japanese of the word horishi. That is carver, especially wood carver.
At the beginning the techniques of tattooing and wood carving were similar, thus the common use of the word. Eventually the two worlds branched away from each other.
There are some wood carvers today in Japan who describe themselves as horishi. This is the webpage of one of those artists, Kiyoshi Awazu. I have taken the liberty of copying a part of Awazusan's home page (editing and correcting a few words of his English--my apologies).
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Hardness of Lines
Ukiyo e are printed, not handpainted, pictures. The original picture is painted with brushes. Horishi carve the picture on a wood plate using the handpainted original, and surishi [suru means print in Japanese-ed.] make prints one color at a time. The finished prints are visually similar to the handpainted originals but are nevertheless different. The quality of the original is changed by being carved. Lines in ukiyo e have a solidity from being carved which control the print.
Even if done by the same artist at about the same time, there are differences between the handpainted original and the printed reproductions. The differences are controlled by tension created by the solidness of line drawing. Horishi wood carvings are comparable in quality to European bronze plates [used in engraving-ed.]. Carving requires constant and even tension. There is nothing else you can do except carve patiently. Mistakes cannot be corrected.
I understand that the artist Hokusai [one of the greatest Japanese artists, creator of the famous print sometimes called Blue Wave, which influenced European impressionists] worked as a horishi from the age of 16 to 20. He became an eshi (original handpainter) after being trained as a horishi. Compared with other artists, Hokusai's work has a realism and a hardness of line usually seen only in carvings. Although he used techniques from Kanga (Chinese painting) and Yooga (Western painting), his work always has a kind of hardness....
For a sample of anime click here.
After you take a look, make sure to come back here.
A fascinating ebook on Horimon is available at this site:
Horimono (Tattooing). Tokyo: The Japan Magazine (October, 1914) pp. 316-321. [MS Reader format]
Make sure to come back here after you take a look at the ebook.
