Tattoos as Punishment: An Illustrated History of Tattooing in Japan

An illustrated history of tattooing in Japan. Covers from stone age tattooing up through the Edo Era. Rare illustrations of tattooing from the Edo Era are collected along with excerpts from texts mentioning tattooing. The final chapters detail the differing tattooing done by police all over Japan as well as specific police reports of crime and the subsequent tattooing. Includes chapters on: Pre-historic tattooing, Early Japanese Texts, Ainu Tattooing Traditions, Tattooing in the Ryukyu Islands, Severed Head Tattoos, Tattooing Implements and Punishment Tattoos. Translations of official police documents from the Edo Era give specific examples of when and why criminals where tattooed. Many of these sources are available in English for the first time. This book is part of an ongoing series examining the tattooing traditions in Japan.