Wayne+Kleppe3

__**Another Code Against The Gone: (welcome to the times)**__ "For the background shading (in these prints) I broke with tradition. Observance of tradition is definitely important but it is important to open doors to further development. Still, I can't escape an ever-so-slight feeling of spitting in the face of a tradition that I respect and continue to rely on." -Horiyoshi III //(One Hundred and One Demons of Horiyoshi III)//


 * antecedent.**

In the Western World there has been an influx of popularity among those who wish to participate in the realm of body modification. It has become common to see youth pierce their ears, nose, eyebrows (and so on), and tattoo themselves - in Europe and North America this new tradition has been periodically referred to as neo-tribal and/or modern-primitive.

The first tattoos appeared in the Western world on the arms of sailors arriving back from Polynesia (1). The word tattoo, is a borrowing of the word "tatau," which literally means "to mark," or "strike twice," (the latter making reference to the traditional methods of applying a design directly to the skin). The first syllable "ta", meaning "hand", is repeated twice as a reference to the repetitive nature of the action. And the final syllable "u" translates to "colour." Also notably in Polynesian tattooing, the instrument which is used is called a "hahau," the syllable "ha" meaning to "strike or pierce."

Tattooing throughout the world has become extremely popular and along with it, the culture that it once embodied has become more globalized. With no indigenous history of tattooing in the West, designs are generally stolen from those who have been developing a visual language for centuries, and systemically integrating them.

Much like Western music and the punk movement (2) prior, this intense surge of modification has also struck Japan. But unlike the West, Japan's history of body adornment is extensive. Irezumi (3), or more respectfully horimono (4), for spiritual and decorative purposes, is thought to extend back to at least the Jomon or paleolithic period (5). Some scholars have suggested that the distinctive cord-marked patterns observed on the faces and bodies of this period are representative of tattoos but this claim is by no means "of one mind." Up until the Edo period (6), the role of tattoos varied greatly. During this time, tattoos were not only a means to mark the punished, but also served as means to bind lovers in marriage. It was during this time, however, that Japanese decorative tattooing began to develop into the flourishingly beautiful art form it is known as today.

It is interesting to note, that the recent surge in popularity of body adornment does not seem to continue the traditional Japanese esthetic (meticulously hand-pricked, flowering Utagawa-style design), but rather the youth is opting to be tattooed with small Western-style designs such as Disney characters, skulls and bleeding hearts or modernized versions of Japanese designs.

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click above to download the full essay, with bibliography, in a "stylized" in PDF format.