Horimono (彫り物, 彫物, literally carving, engraving) is a word used to describe
irezumiIrezumi is a Japanese word that refers to the insertion of ink under the skin to leave a permanent, usually decorative mark; a form of tattooing....
(Japanese
TattooA tattoo is a marking made by inserting ink into the layers of skin to change the pigment for decorative or other reasons. Tattoos on humans are a type of decorative body modification, while tattoos on animals are most commonly used for identification or branding.Tattooing has been practiced...
ing) or to describe the carving of images into a sword blade.
The Japanese word
irezumi (入れ墨, 入墨, 文身, 剳青, 黥 or 刺青) refers to the insertion of ink under the skin to leave a permanent mark, in other words, tattooing. The term
irezumi traditionally refers to marks made to indicate a convicted criminal.
Horimono (彫り物, 彫物, literally carving, engraving) is a word used to describe
irezumiIrezumi is a Japanese word that refers to the insertion of ink under the skin to leave a permanent, usually decorative mark; a form of tattooing....
(Japanese
TattooA tattoo is a marking made by inserting ink into the layers of skin to change the pigment for decorative or other reasons. Tattoos on humans are a type of decorative body modification, while tattoos on animals are most commonly used for identification or branding.Tattooing has been practiced...
ing) or to describe the carving of images into a sword blade.
Irezumi
The Japanese word
irezumi (入れ墨, 入墨, 文身, 剳青, 黥 or 刺青) refers to the insertion of ink under the skin to leave a permanent mark, in other words, tattooing. The term
irezumi traditionally refers to marks made to indicate a convicted criminal. Such marks are not the skillful designs known as the Japanese style tattoo, so while both terms are often used interchangeably,
horimono is generally considered the more polite term.
Tattooing for spiritual and decorative purposes in Japan is thought to extend back to at least the
Jōmon periodThe is the time in Japanese prehistory from about 14,000 BCE to 400 BCE.The term "Jōmon" means "cord-patterned" in Japanese. This refers to the markings made on clay vessels and figures using sticks with cords wrapped around them which are characteristic of the Jōmon people.-Incipient and initial...
(approximately 10000 BCE). Some scholars have suggested that the distinctive cord-marked patterns observed on the faces and bodies of figures dated to that period represent tattoos, but this claim is by no means unanimous. There are similarities, however, between such markings and the tattoo traditions observed in other contemporaneous cultures.
At the beginning of the
Meiji periodThe , or Meiji era denotes the period in Japanese history during the 45-year reign of the Meiji Emperor . During this time, Japan began its modernization and rose to world power status...
(1868-1912), the Japanese government, wanting to protect its image and make a good impression on the West, outlawed tattoos, and
irezumi took on connotations of criminality. Nevertheless, fascinated foreigners went to Japan seeking the skills of tattoo artists, and traditional tattooing continued underground.
Tattooing was legalized by the Occupation forces in 1945, but has retained its image of criminality. For many years, traditional Japanese tattoos were associated with the
yakuza, also known as and violence groups, are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan.-Etymology:The term Yakuza comes from a Japanese game, Oicho-Kabu . The worst hand in the game is a set of eight, nine and three...
, Japan's notorious mafia, and many businesses in Japan (such as public baths, fitness centers and hot springs) still ban customers with tattoos.
Japanese swords
In this context, the terms
horimono or
chōkoku (彫刻, "sculpture") are used to describe the carving of images into Japanese swords including
katanaA Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. These are categorised in several types according to size and method of manufacture...
and
tantoA is a common Japanese single or, occasionally, double edged knife or dagger with a blade length between 15 and 30 cm . The tantō was designed primarily as a stabbing weapon, but the edge can be used for slashing as well. Tantō first began to appear in the Heian period, however these blades lacked...
. The carving is used mostly for ceremonial blades due to the inherent weakness in a carved blade. The engravings are created by a
chōkokushi (彫刻師), also called a
horimonoshi (彫物師, "engraver"). These come in a huge variety of designs including
kozumi (claws),
kusa kurikara (草倶利伽羅) (
ArabesqueThe arabesque is an elaborative application of repeating geometric forms that often echo the forms of plants and animals. Arabesques are an element of Islamic art usually found decorating the walls of mosques. The choice of which geometric forms are to be used and how they are to be formatted is...
style),
Munenagabori (created in
Munenaga, an imperial prince and a poet of the Nijō poetic school of Nanboku-chō period, mostly known for his compilation of the Shin'yō Wakashū....
),
rendai (lotus pedastal),
tokko', often shortened to ' was a police force established in 1911 in Japan, specifically to investigate and control political groups and ideologies deemed to be a threat to public order....
(a type of Indian sword), fruit, dragons, and many others.
External links
- Website of the Japan Tattoo Institute
- Image of blades with Horimono
- Horimono: The Japanese Tattoo
- Image of Horimono Blade
- So-ken Kin-ko To-shin Cho-koku Katayama Shigetsune