Irezumi as a work of art

   Japanese tattooing, irezumi, is a unique, glorious work of art as preposterous as it is magnificent. It is the unusual, mysterious, and important method of the tattooing in Japan. Irezumi is a peculiar form of art that as the puppets of the Bunraku theatre and ikebana is the part of Japanese being.
   The history of irezumi and its significance are very engaging and make people think of it. How can the tattooing be a distinctive feature in a country? It sounds absurdly. Therefore, irezumi affects a person who got this piece of art. I cannot name it as a tattoo. Irezumi is a masterpiece, inflicted on the body. The members of the urban proletariat - carpenters, labourers, gamblers, gangsters - wear this still, but it became almost as an occupational badge.
   The origins of the irrezumi practice are lost in the mists of antiquity. Irezumi exists approximately at least four hundred years. This number makes me think of irezumi an ancient artifact survived in our world. Because of the immutable method of the infliction, it is both extraordinarily painful, extremely lengthy and also exceedingly costly. The design is selected from a chapbook of great antiquity. Then it is drawn on the skin with black Chinese ink or sumi. So irezumi is derived from sumi and ireru, which means "put". It is a hard work for both the tattoo-master and a person who decided this masterpiece on his skin. I think irezumi can express masculinity and power of people. Not every person may decide to go through this. It is too painful and takes a while to get the whole picture on the body.
   I was surprised when I found out that there is a private museum in Tokyo, devoted to the display of particularly fine speciments. Some enthusiasts would buy the pictures off a man's very back to collect the irezumi artwork. So it can turn out good for people who have this tattoos. They can sell a picture of it and get extra money. The tattooing can be a form of investment for poor people. I think this is a great opportunity for people who need money to get a reward for braveness and art that they have on the body.
   It is very interesting to know that there is such a tradition in Japan. People get their tattoos for many reasons and mostly they do not understand why. In Japan, it is different because irezumi is a part of Japanese history and it is really painful. Before you decide to get irezumi just think about it.