The Japanese Tattoo

by Sandi Fellman, D.M. Thomas (Introduction)

A crimson fish wrestles a man. A horned demon stares menacingly.  These vivid scenes are tattoos, created in pain, incised in the flesh of the Yakuza, Japan's feared secret society of gangsters. They are the visions of the Irezumi, the legendary tattoo artists, who spend years creating living masterpieces. Photographer Sandi Fellman describes this strange and violent world both in her text and in her stunning, large 20 x 24 inch Polaroid photographs.  

Genres: Nonfiction, Art, Japan, Reference

120 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1987

Reviews

[Kynthos-the-Archer (Kyn)]

Woot! Tattooed penises! Owie >_<

The tattoos are so detailed and in vivid colors. The elaborately designed pictures are so compact that there aren't any gaps in between the tattooes; it gives the illusion of them wearing clothings although they are quite naked if you do not take in the high contrast from that pristine white loincloths they worn.

I've just flipped thru it (that's where I spotted those tortured penises) and have yet to go through the text so this shouldn't count as a review.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent telling of the history of Japanese Tattoo's and the importance of the various symbols used for tattooing. No surprise, it seems the Japanese have much more of a purpose and ancestral connection of what is inked on their skin as opposed to the various butterflies, hearts and suns Americans tend to adorn. Many beautiful pictures of full bodied tattoos as well.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filled with beautiful pictures of traditional Japanese tattoos. This book doesn't cover much in terms of the history, meaning, or tradition of Japanese tattooing, but it does provide an excellent view of the artistry behind the tattoos.

[Amaranthine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The photographic documentation of horitomo is without a doubt impressive. Having access to such high quality facsimiles of Horikin’s designs in particular is lovely.

However, the authors descriptions leave something to be desired. For example, she confuses Kintaro and Oniwakamaru in one of the descriptions. And it is not the only instance where there are mistakes.

Also, the book shows its age as it’s nearing 40years since its publication. The comments about piercings and tattoos in general show the value of the time. Furthermore, the author often throws “facts” around without feeling the need of backing it up with any verifiable sources. Just basically formulating a text on hearsay.

And Finally the foreword, frankly, left me somewhere between stunned and disturbed.

3 stars because the photos save this book for me. I will reference the pictures but I will refrain from reading the accompanying text ever again.

[Gabriel Abbott · Rating 4 out of 5]

The size and quality of images in this collection are brilliant, though I find some contradictions between this book and other books on irezumi I guess this cannot be avoided when discussing topics as old as Japanese mythology.

[Ava Courtney Sylvester · Rating 1 out of 5]

Great premise, flawed uploiad

As a Kindle file, this book is unfortunately unreadable. The upload cuts pages in half and displays them sideways, and the uploaded text is far too small to be legible. I hope the book can be reformatted soon.

[Lenny Balacco · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been out for some time and I have read it many times. The author was one of the first to be permitted to photograph men of Japan and get to know the and the stories behind their tattoos
This is a must read for those who want to understand the history and the significance of the tattoo images.
P