Okay, so maybe taking over isn't the exact phrase to use. However, the Japanese do have a huge influence in the world of tattoos, yes, tattoos. (And you only thought Japan was cute, right?) My project is focusing on tattoos in Japanese society. I will be looking at the history of tattoos in Japan, how they changed society, how people react to tattoo. Some people that I will focus on would be the Ainu people, the yakuza, and average people.
Oh look here, a video... let's watch!
That was just to give you a tiny idea of what you'll have to look forward to hearing. The reason why I chose this project was my interest in body modification (and with Mizenko's help of thinking of different ideas that we wouldn't discuss in great detail during class).
One thing that I feel uncertain about is the lack of articles that Google Scholar would give me the full version of. So far, most of the articles that seem to have detailed information are only available in the abstract form.
(I appreciated any advice that you could offer me that could improve or take my research on a different path. Thank you ^_^)
Here are some links to websites that I think I will be looking at:
http://www.tattoos.com/mieko.htm
http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattoo_museum/chinese_japanese_tattoos.html
http://inventorspot.com/articles/art_yakuza_japans_tattooed_men_w_6920
http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/gang/yakuza/1.html
http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2010/04/09/todays_pic_traditional_japanes/
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/ng-investigates/crime-lords-of-tokyo-facts/
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/ng-investigates/crime-lords-of-tokyo-pictures/
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/national-geographic-channel/shows/ng-investigates/ngc-marked-for-life/
Kelly~!
ReplyDeleteYour topic looks so interesting! I do not have any knowledge in tattoo, so I am looking forward to learn a lot of things from you^^ It is true that many people think people with tattoo are a dangerous person. I know that when we go to onsen (hot spring), it says that if you have a tattoo on, you are not allowed to go in. This is all the things that I know about tattoo Good luck on your project!
Brennan-san, this is a great topic. Just remember that in addition to descriptive material (and there is so much to offer), we're also looking for a visual studies approach in analyzing the significance of the tattoos. There is a classic book by Donald Richie called The Japanese Tattoo, if I remember correctly. (Yes, it's there on Amazon, though a bit old. Several more recent books.) As for the articles, figure out which ones will serve you best, and put in a request to Inter-Library Loan immediately! I'm particularly interested in what you may find about "average people," since tattoos were taboo for so long...
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