withstood the pain. If you are capable of
going to such lengths in order to present
something that you are proud of or that
it represents you and your lifestyle in a
physical manner, why is society so
compelled to blow out the spark of it?
Kyle Cleverland, a sociology professor
from the Temple University of Japan,
said that, “Japanese people are conformist,
people who have tattoos tend to be setting
themselves off in the deviant category
away from the mainstream.” There are
many facilities in Japan that prohibit
anyone with a tattoo from entering, not
necessarily because the tattoos are
considered to be unclean but rather they
represent an identification or an
association with the deviant subculture.
But for the Yakuza, irezumi is an
embracement of the samurai tradition. It
can be used to scare people but it's
purpose is not that. They wear it to
separate themselves from society. The
connection through the tattoos is an
ancient brotherhood dating back since
the samurai times and felt by their own
community.
Yakuza = Criminals?
The yakuza were the only ones who
kept the business of tattooing going.
Japan was going through modernization
yet the Yakuza hold on to this old tradition
as it was used to symbolize their identity in
a psychological insight. It also keeps the
spirit of their old ways alive through
irezumi. Not only does tattoo pave a way to
show their station or the “family” that they
belong in, it was a sign of strength and
honor. Most yakuza members would get a
full body suit, which encapsulate from the
entire back until the calves of both their
arms and legs so it can still be covered with
long sleeves. Such a huge piece also means
that it takes a lot of visit to the tattooist.
Each time, the ink pigment is inserted into
the ink and it is an extremely painful and
costly process. Some might take 3 to 4
years, even as long as 10 years as it takes
time to heal or wait for the pain to subside
before the next stage of the tattoo. It is a
matter of pride to show that they
33
Stigma & Fear
Traditionally, the yakuza were known the
help the weak and oppress the tyrants. It
is the means they used that went against
what the people to be civilized due to the
modernization movement, thus discern
that anything associated with them is a
reflection or caused by their violent
methods in life. By calling them out as
such, society is inevitably pushing some
to become criminals. This insidious and
non-conscious bias affects the way the
public masses relate to others and it
turns into an unjustified, typically
negative attitude towards the Yakuza. Of
course, they have the right to look at the
yakuza’s upbringing, which isn’t
particular pleasant. But we should also
look at the mindset of the bigger picture
in order to explain their behaviors and
how it has shaped into today’s social
norms. – Why do people failed to accept
Irezumi tattoos as a whole despite the
importance and value it shows.
When someone does something out of
the ordinary, it causes a communal
solidarity. There is a tendency to favor
your own group at the expense of others
Both sides would inflated their own
group and turns to derided the opposing
one due to the evident distinction, thus it
often turns aggressive. Japan’s tradition to
blend in with the crowd is a major cause for
this in and out group phenomenon. When
these stereotypical beliefs combine with
prejudicial attitudes and emotions of fear
and hostility, it drives the behavior of
discrimination. People lingers onto the
past in judging the Yakuza rather than
what they can contribute now, even if
some show signs of wanting to
change. People are forgetting that
irezumi is a physical art form of the psyche
and it does not represent any violent
behavior or barbaric thoughts, but an
unconcealed person and what they hold
significant exposed to the world.