Bikers, sailors, gangsters, and criminals. What do these types of people have in common? Throughout history, these are groups that have, one time or another, used tattoos to signify their affiliations and make themselves stand out from the rest of their societies. As a result, many people in recent history have associated tattoos with these demographics, despite tattoos having existed in many cultures and settings around the world for thousands of years. As tattooing has grown in popularity among the general populous in recent decades, it’s important to shed these outdated views around tattoos and the people who have them. This way, people can be free to use tattoos as a form of self-expression without these negative connotations. As someone in the United States with tattoos, I am familiar with the societal landscape surrounding tattoos here, but I want to compare my experience with one of the most influential and infamous tattoo cultures in the world: Japan. 

Tattoos existed in western consciousness prior to the mid 18th century, but only really started gaining popularity after the royal navy colonized the pacific islands and observed (and appropriated) the tattoo culture of the indigenous Polynesians (Demillo, 2000, p.45-46). This planted the seeds for what would become the modern-day culture surrounding tattoos in America. In the United States, tattoos were largely relegated to the working class and sailors in the 20th century but experienced a “renaissance” of sorts after the 1960’s (DeMello, 2000, p.137-138). What was once largely a means of displaying affiliation is now much, much more. In her book Bodies of inscription: A cultural history of the modern tattoo community, author Margo DeMello writes of the meaning of tattoos in America after this renaissance:

Tattoos are fundamentally a means of expressing identity, both personal and collective. Tattoos inscribe a person’s relationship to society, to others, and to him or herself, and they do so in a manner that is visible not only to the wearer but to others as well. (DeMello, 1991, as cited in DeMello, 2000, p137)

While societal acceptance of tattoos has grown over recent decades, there are still people who disapprove and make negative assumptions about those who have them: “Mainstream media rhetoric about tattooing blurs the lines between sailors, bikers, and gang members … the media create an image in which the stereotypical tattoo wearer can be easily defined as low-class trash and, by implication, easily disregarded” (DeMello, p.99). People with tattoos are sometimes assumed to be trashy or low class, have poor impulse control, or low aspirations in their working lives. These judgements are also influenced by the size, content, and placement of tattoos. While there are still many who hold these views, American society as a whole continues to progress in its acceptance of tattoos, including in workplaces, religious institutions, and more. I have spent much of my life around tattoos, with most of my direct family members having at least one and having a few myself. To me, tattoos have always been an excellent gateway to social interactions. Tattoos are an easy way to strike up a conversation and share stories and you can learn much of a person’s background, interests, or personality from them. While tattoos are still considered taboo in other cultures around the world, they are widely accepted in America today, and I am grateful to be able to enjoy them openly as a form of individualism and expression.

While tattoos are generally accepted in many countries around the world today, one country is still struggling to overcome its long-standing stigma’s overshadowing tattoo culture; Japan. Many cultures still have those who associate tattoos with criminals and other ne’er-do-wells, but the older generations of Japan have more reason than most to make this association, since tattoos have been heavily associated with Japan’s infamous mafia, the Yakuza, for centuries. As Schmid (2013) writes in Tattoos – an historical essay, tattoos were very popular with “decent” people in Japan in the 1600’s, but that popularity dropped dramatically after Japan started using tattoos to brand criminals around 1720. It was this branding of criminals, ostracizing them from Japanese society, that planted the seeds for the Yakuza to take shape. They embraced their tattoos, making them even more taboo amongst “decent” people and cementing the association of tattoos to crime and danger (para. 13). With tattoos being completely banned in Japan until the mid-20th century, it has only been in recent decades that the stigma around tattoos is finally shifting. Surprisingly, the Yakuza and gangs of recent decades are partially responsible for this shift: “among Japanese gang members, tattoos have become increasingly unpopular as they unintentionally draw attention” (Schmid, 2013, para. 13). In the modern-day tattoos are generally accepted, but there are still many settings like workplaces that still forbid visible tattoos. In a more recent article on The New York Times, author Hikari Hida (2022) says: “Because of this gangster association, many hot springs resorts, beaches and gyms bar people with tattoos. Office jobs that allow tattoos are still sparse to nonexistent, with many companies expressly prohibiting applicants who have them” (para. 17). Despite these lingering restrictions, many people in Japan have changed their views of tattoos within the last decade, especially the younger generations. As of 2022, the number of Japanese people with tattoos has nearly doubled since 2014, with over 1.4 million Japanese adults having a tattoo (Yamamoto, n.d., as cited in Hida, 2022). With these shifts in the minds of its people, as well as gradually relaxing laws and restrictions, Japan is quickly catching up to the rest of the world in their tolerance and acceptance of tattoos.

Comparing the tattoo cultures of America and Japan side by side reveal a wide swath of similarities and differences alike. The practice of tattooing has been present in both Japan and the United States for several centuries or more, with both cultures experiencing a surge of improving acceptance in recent decades (DeMello, 2000, P. 44) (Schmid, 2013. Para. 5-6) (Hida, 2022, Para. 3). Today, the people getting tattoos in America and Japan both are doing so for the sake of things like personal expression and fashion, and not affiliating with groups or social classes like centuries past. Where the two cultures start to differ, however, is in the acceptance and restrictions of tattoos in modern society. In America, while there are many that still associate tattoos with criminal activity or view people with tattoos as low-class or trashy (DeMello, p. 99), it is not illegal to get a tattoo as an adult. Besides the pressure or judgement from some social groups, the greatest repercussions faced by tattooed people in America are difficulties with employment, but that is generally only for tattoos that are not covered by normal work clothes. Many workplaces in America even allow visible tattoos, depending on position and content. Things are different in Japan, however, with visible tattoos not only being forbidden in the vast majority of workplaces, but tattoos can also incur fines and punishments for violating certain communal codes stating how Japanese people should look (Hida, Para. 17). These restrictions apply to more than just tattoos, including clothing and hair color. Many people in America, myself included, have heard the usual complaints from people who disapprove of tattoos; “how are you going to get a good job?” or “They’ll look terrible when you’re old.” While these perspectives can be annoying, it’s a far cry from being fined or punished by the legal system for simply changing an aspect of my appearance, something I’m very glad to have never needed to worry about before. I always heard people say that tattoos were frowned upon in Japan, but comparing the culture surrounding tattoos in America and Japan showed me just how much harsher Japan has been on tattoos, and many other kinds of personal expression.

Together, the tattoo cultures of Japan and America weave an intricate tapestry of acceptance and resistance. Both nations have long and varied histories with tattoos, and they have very different attitudes towards tattoos today. In America, where tattoos were once used as a means of affiliation and rebellion, tattoos are now expressions of identity and individualism. Despite some lingering associations and stereotypes, American society has come leaps and bounds in accepting tattoos in everyday life. Conversely, Japan’s tattoo culture, although longer and more varied than American tattoo culture, still holds very strong negative associations with the Yakuza and criminal activity as a whole. Despite significant obstacles put in place by the governing bodies of Japan, younger generations are making rapid progress in forwarding the normalization and acceptance of tattoos. Comparing these histories reveals how tattoos can unite or divide societies and how they resist or embrace change in general. Understanding these cultures allows for a greater appreciation of tattoos and how they serve as powerful symbols of identity for millions of people in America, Japan, and the world at large.

References

Schmid, S. (2013). Tattoos – An historical essay. Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, 11(6), 444–447. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmaid.2013.10.013

Hida, H. (2022, April 23). Discreetly, the young in Japan chip away at a taboo on tattoos. New York Times (Online). https://www.proquest.com/blogs-podcasts-websites/discreetly-young-japan-chip-away-at-taboo-on/docview/2653549374/se-2?accountid=1553

DeMello, M. (2000). Bodies of inscription: a cultural history of the modern tattoo community. Duke University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780822396147