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Kum Cheong Tang (395)
Kum Cheong Tang


A Little Intro to Beautiful Japanese Tattoos

Posted Wednesday, December 31, 2008 (328 days 12 hours ago.) Viewed 150 times.

As we know one of the places where tattooing is heavily practiced as a beautiful art form and with the greatest skills level is Japan. The history of tattooing there dates back to the fifth century where historians found clay figurines (haniwa) in a grave that show distinct facial marks. These marks are believed to be early forms of tattoos that represent decorative and religious functions.

Unfortunately this early form of Japanese tattooing largely died out by the end of the fifth century and tattooing was revived only in the thirteenth century as a way of marking criminals and other social desirables. Interestingly, the practice of labeling criminals using tattoos was also practiced in many other countries, notable in neighboring areas as we collectively known as China today.

During that time in Japan, criminals were tattooed with the nature of their crime and the geographic location where is took place. Members of outcast groups were also marked with stigmatizing tattoos. These people include the ‘hinin' who were lowly entertainers and the ‘eta' who slaughtered animals and tanned leather.

By the seventeenth century an intriguing form of tattooing called ‘irebokuro' (from "ire" meaning "to inject" and "bokuro" meaning "beauty spot") started to enjoy widespread popularity. This special form of non-pictorial tattooing often symbolizes one's undying loyalty or love and would include the name of a lover, for example.

In the mid-eighteenth century during the Edo period a Chinese folklore known as Suikoden that revolve around the adventures of 108 bandits became wildly popular in Japan. They led a Robin Hood-style life and devoted their lives to fighting against the wealthy and corrupt government officials.

One of the most popular outlaw characters in the novel is Shishin or the ‘Nine Tattooed Dragon' who bore extensive full-body tattoos. Soon Japanese from all social levels started to tattoo ornate designs (irezumi) on their bodies that depict heroic figures, gods, mythical creatures and other traditional and popular images.

From then, irezumi flourished until the mid-nineteenth century when it was forcibly stopped by the Emperor Meiji as he viewed it as an immoral practice favored by the much-despised Westerners. By now, Japanese tattooists or ‘hori' had become immensely popular with the newly-arrived American sailors and merchants.

Due to official prohibition the art of irezumi was driven underground and was adopted predominantly by laborers, artisans, criminals, entertainers and fire fighters. Eventually, it became hugely visible on the bodies of the yakuza, a famed grouping of organized Japanese underground gangsters.

Presently in modern day Japan the art of tattooing is still slightly stigmatized though it remains a highly regarded art form. Many youths and young adults think nothing of going for stunning full-body tattoos that used to be associated only with hard-core criminals.
 
Kum Cheong wrote this article. Please visit this Tattoo Design Website today to download your free tattoo designs with every purchase. 

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Tattoo Flash Basics 101

Posted Tuesday, November 11, 2008 (1 year 13 days ago.) Viewed 182 times.

Tattoo flash refers to tattoo designs that hang on the walls of a tattoo parlor and are available for potential tattoo customers to choose from for tattooing. Such displays of tattoo designs originated from traditional Western tattooing styles and the way flash is drawn is highly systematic. For example, flash found in tattoo parlors within the same neighborhood often differ only in slight subtle ways and the designs mainly involve pinups images of women, military insignia, ships, fierce animals, knives, and skulls.

Sheets of tattoo flash were first put up for sale by a certain "Lew the Jew" Alberts, a wallpaper designer and tattooist in the early 1900s. Before the availability of tattoo flash, a tattooist who would like to reproduce another tattooist's design has to copy that design off of a customer's body.

The brilliant Alberts spotted the business opportunity and started producing tattoo flash that any tattooist could buy and quickly set up a tattoo parlor. Once a flash sheet is acquired by a tattooist, he can simply copy it entirely or make slight alterations, and then use it as his own. Because of such flagrant but legal copying and reproduction, it was quite difficult to identify the original creator of the flash.

Nonetheless, the introduction of tattoo flash gave rise to a win-win situation as the tattooist improved the possibility of sealing a deal by rapidly offering different design choices to customers. In turn the customers can save on valuable time and money. However, even if a tattooist had multiple sheets of flash, the number of choices was still rather limited.

As a result the use of tattoo flash, certain designs or variations of these designs subsequently became classics, worn by a majority of tattooed people in a particular social group. Fads can certainly change over time but certain classic tattoo designs such as the rose remain wildly popular today.

Currently tattooists who offer tattoo flash will use a piece of translucent rice paper to transfer a design to the customer's body. First, the rice paper is placed over the sheet of flash. Then, the design is directly traced on the paper thereby producing a stencil. Finally, the tattooist will apply a little carbon powder onto the stencil and transfer the design onto the body before actual tattooing.

In the 1980s a wave of change came about when tattoo parlors began to move towards contemporary tattoos or custom designs. Until then, most tattoo parlors had flash covering most walls, the front windows and often the ceiling as well. For those who enjoy the intricate flash designs, you can easily buy a "pork chop sheet" or a sheet of cheap flash designs for a dollar or so.

Kum Cheong wrote this article. If you would like some help on choosing a design for your next tattoo, you are welcome to visit his Tattoo Design Website today.


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What is Contemporary Tattooing?

Posted Friday, October 31, 2008 (1 year 24 days ago.) Viewed 14 times.

In modern times, the art of tattooing has become largely youth-driven, dominated by young tattooists with training in fine art and culture. Their clients are similarly young and often adorned with bold loud designs on their arms, hands, legs, and bodies as well as multiple piercing.

Contemporary tattooing first came about during the hippy 1970s when anti-establishment youths began to wear tattoos as a symbol of resistance to law-abiding, middle-class values. Coincidentally, at the same time new tattoo artists appeared equipped with different types of training.

Before, it was typical for new tattooists to apprentice with an experienced tattooist, learning the ropes the slow way. But with this slew of counter-cultural sentiments, many new and young tattooists simply ordered a machine and some basic supplies and got started on their own.

With their presence, new tattoo images began to emerge which appealed very much to this younger, rowdier audience. These tattoo designs were mostly inspired by "exotic" cultures such as Japan , Borneo , Samoa and North America rather than stemming from traditional sources like North American and European designs.

The rise of contemporary tattooing is turning unstoppable. Long unpopular and stigmatized in the West, tattooing has been given a new positive spin that is more associated with well-respected cultural traditions.

Slowly and steadily, modern tattooists and promoters of tattooing successfully reintegrated tattooing into modern Western society. Tattoos shifted from a mark of stigma used by bikers, criminals, gangsters, and the military to a mark of individual expression. A new elevated status was thus born.

Over time, contemporary tattooing brought about two lasting and significant changes in the world of tattooing. First, the general tattoo designs changed radically by moving from traditional badge-like designs that have been common for hundreds of years in the West to non-Western designs which target large swathes of skin.

Second, contemporary tattooists started to give preference to customized tattoo designs which were created by them rather than use tattoo flash or something taken off the wall of a tattoo studio. Tattoo customers are strongly encouraged to design their own tattoos with the assistance of these new-fangled tattooists.

Ironically, the transformation of our views on tattooing is possible because a tattoo's historic position as a stigmatized sign was never really fixed, and eventually the negative status of a tattoo eroded over time, giving rise to contemporary tattooing.

Kum Cheong wrote this article. If you would like to read more such stories, you are welcome to visit his Tattoo Articles Directory today.


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Betty Broadbent the Tattooed Venus

Posted Sunday, October 19, 2008 (1 year 36 days ago.) Viewed 129 times.

"I decided to get tattooed. I wanted to be independent and to take care of myself."

Betty Broadbent, born 1909, was the most famous tattooed attraction of all time. Nicknamed the Tattooed Venus, in 1923 she moved from Orlando, Florida to Atlantic City to take on a baby-sitting job.

Her interest in tattoos piqued when she met a tattooed man being exhibited on the Broadwalk. During her era, tattoos were not popular at all among women but were more associated with sailors and gangsters.

Originally, she wanted to become a tattoo artist but decided to become a work of art instead because she needed money fast. With that in mind, she convinced herself to get tattooed. Riding on horses in the rodeo, she saved up enough money and ventured to New York for her tattoos.

Over a two-year period, Charlie Wagner and Joe Van Hart labored to pattern her body with an estimated 365 tattoos. At that time, they were among the first tattooists in the world to use electric tattooing machines.

Finally, in 1927, she joined the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus as the youngest tattooed woman in the world at just 18 years old.

For her performance, she would first appear on stage covered with a robe. Then the Master of Ceremony would announce," And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, the lady's who's different!" I know, it sounds tacky.

She would then unzip her robe and underneath, she had a long bathing suit on that ended four inches above her knees. Unknown to many, Broadbent actually detested the "unethical" tactics her employers used to attract patrons as much as her nickname, the Tattoo Venus.

For those who are curious, Broadbent wore Pancho Villa on her left leg, Charles Lindbergh on her right leg, and had a Madonna and child portrait on her back. Despite her tattoos, she took pains to project a feminine and refined image of herself.

Broadbent was one of the last working tattooed ladies in the United States, retiring only in 1967 from the Clyde Beatty Circus after spending 40 years in show business. In 1981, she became the first person to be honored in the Tattoo Hall of Fame. Sadly, she died peacefully in her sleep in 1983.
 
Kum Cheong wrote this article. If you would like to read more such stories, you are welcome to visit his Tattoo Articles Directory today.

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