History of Forced Tattoo

The history of forced tattooing is ancient, and it may be almost as old as the history of tattooing itself. Fortunately, forced tattooing has always been and continues to be very rare, except in certain subcultures. For people who have suffered forced tattooing, the experience can be extremely traumatic, but it can also be a starting point for discussions of atrocities and the underworld, and some victims of forced tattoos have spoken out about their experiences and welcome questions and discussion.
The oldest example of forced tattooing is debatable, but it is probably the use of tattooing in tribal initiation ceremonies. Many tribes around the world have a history of tattooing as part of their cultural and religious beliefs, and such tattooing often takes place during initiation into adulthood. In these situations, the initiate cannot actively choose to get tattoos, and he or she may be pressured into it out of fear of rejection or mockery. However, this is not the case with most native tribal tattoos; many people wear their tattoos with pride, and they enjoy being part of the living history of their people.

Another of the most ancient uses of forced tattooing is in the identification of criminals. The Romans, for example, marked repeat offenders with tattoos to make them easy to identify, and this practice was also adopted in some other regions of Europe. In Japan, criminals were tattooed on their foreheads in the 17th century, ensuring that they could never conceal the marks. Most forced tattooing of criminals consisted of a distinctive mark which identified someone as a criminal, but didn't necessarily indicate the crime.
Because of the link between tattoos and criminality in some cultures, criminals in various regions of the world practice forced tattooing on each other to mark themselves. In both Russia and Japan, for example, members of gangs may be tattooed after significant life events, and they may not be offered the freedom of choice. Forced tattooing is also sometimes used in gang initiations, especially in North America, with members of the gang marking initiates very distinctively, ensuring that they will find it difficult to leave the gang life.
European explorers in the South Pacific sometimes returned with stories about being kidnapped and tattooed by the Polynesians, although research suggests that sailors simply told these stories to attract attention, and to explain the body art they returned with. Such stories ensured that sailors would be welcomed into high-class salons and events, with sailors literally paying for their entrance with their stories and by allowing curious people to inspect their tattoos.
One of the most infamous examples in the history of forced tattooing is from the Holocaust, when people were tattooed upon entering concentration camps, work camps, and death camps. These tattoos consisted of identification numbers which were used to track people. Especially for members of the Jewish faith, these tattoos were extremely traumatic, because Jewish law forbids tattoos; fortunately, rabbinical judgments have determined that forced tattoos or tattoos which are needed for medical reasons do not violate Jewish law. After the Holocaust, some survivors attempted to conceal or remove their tattoos, while others have chosen to leave their tattoos visible to remind people of the events of the Holocaust.
Some members of the tattoo community also refer to a concept which they call “rape by tattoo,” a situation in which a tattoo is used like a weapon. This can take the form of a forced tattoo, but it may also involve tattooing someone's name or artwork without consent. While it may seem a bit odd to think of being traumatized by having your name tattooed onto someone else, this can be a very emotionally charged act which can make the victim feel as though he or she has lost a part of the soul.

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Tattoo Coloring Books , Coloring Pages, Clipart, Tattooed Japanese Lady Wall Scrolls

Tattoo fans and coloring artist have a few things in common these days, its interesting to is how things evolve in arts and crafts, when people come up with imaginative ideas to create works of art. The Japanese Tattoo Art Stained Glass Coloring Book is one of the books in my collection of coloring books. I love the beautiful tattoo designs being incorporable into coloring books.

You will find a nice selection of books, poster, and more. Coloring or painting pages is an enjoyable hobby, its relaxing to do. Crafters can use these coloring pages as patterns for many different paper and wood crafts. They are decorative fantasy tattoos for adults.

The History of Geisha

First geisha appeared in the early 1600s. After 8 centuries of fighting among the warrior lords, the country was united under a military dictator, or shogun. Tokugawa Ieyasu quelled the internal warfare, unified most of the country, and in 1603 became shogun, establishing his government in Edo (now Tokyo). This Edo-based shogunate lasted some 265 years and is called the Edo period. Under shogun rule, Japan isolated itself entirely from the rest of the world. During that time, prostitution was controlled. Special “pleasure quarters” were set up. The pleasure quarters became the places of sexual freedom. Exclusive prostitutes or courtesans would entertain samurai warriors. It was there where the first geisha appeared. These geisha were men. They also were called jesters (hokan) or drum bearers (taiko-mochi), and they were there to make the guests laugh. In 1751, some customers in a Shimabara brothel were surprised when a female drum bearer came to their party. She was referred to as geiko, the term still used in Kyoto instead of geisha. By 1780 female geisha outnumbered the men; by 1800, a geisha was a woman.
Even after the novelty wore off, female geisha remained in high demand. By the 1750s, the licensed quarters had already been in existence for 150 years, and yujo (the prostitutes) were not as skilled in the arts as they had once been. In fact, the entertainment of the pleasure quarters had probably gone a little stale. The new female geisha took the quarters by storm. They sang popular songs; they were fun to talk to. And although in the official hierarchy of the licensed quarters, geisha stood near the bottom, customers preferred the fresh-faced geisha with her shamisen to a high-ranked yujo.
The geisha in the licensed quarters were forbidden to sleep with the yujo’s customers. In 1779 geisha were recognized as practicing a distinct profession, and a registry office (kenban) was set up to provide and enforce rules of conduct for them. Geisha were not to wear flamboyant kimono, or combs and jeweled pins in their hair. Arthur Golden further explains:A traditional image of a geisha in the West is often confused with what was a prostitute from the 1800s. The look of a prostitute and the geisha is very distinct. Geisha tie their obi tied in the back. A prostitute, on the other hand, wear her obi tied in the front: she is taking her kimono on and off all night; she can’t have a dresser come in, so she ties it in front herself. Also, the image of lots of hair ornaments — it is also of the prostitutes. Geisha wear much simpler ones. (The Secret)
Under these regulations, geisha completely separatedfrom the prostitutes. Geisha prospered. The simplicity of their appearance became highly popular. They spread over the country while Japan continued to shut itself out from the rest of the world.
World War II also had great influence on the image of geisha. Japan proclaimed war against the United States. The Japanese were sure they would win because the emperor’s power was divine. After the United States bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrendered. The country had been devastated. The United States Army headed by Gener al McArthur came to Japan. Already a year and a half before the surrender, the war was having its effect on the geisha districts. The expensive restaurants at which they entertained were required to close at eleven, and geisha to cease entertainment at ten. Sayuri recalls the times of Depression during World War II:
Our okiya had been stripped off the things other families had lost long ago, such as stores of food, undergarments, and so forth. … The neighborhood association began confiscating many of our ceramics and scrolls to sell them on what we called the “gray market,” which was different from the black market. … It was mainly housewives selling off their precious things to raise cash.
The geisha districts were required to close down completely on March 5, 1944. Since the geisha houses were closed, the Americans looked for fun elsewhere:Even as the Meiji government had essayed to provide ladies of pleasure for early foreign visitors and residents, so the Japanese government thought to do it for the Occupation forces. Soon after the surrender there was a poster in Ginza inviting young ladies to join a “recreation and amusement association” for the entertainment of the Americans. It had a few gatherings in the basement of a Ginza department store, but soon became a cabaret for Japanese. The government early indicated a willingness to set aside a generous number of pleasure quarters for the exclusive use of the Occupation.
The American troops found pleasure with the streetgirls. They called them geisha (wrongly pronounced “geesha”). The new “geisha” had neither the accomplishments nor the brains of the real ones. However, Americans used the term geisha because it was easy and convenient. Japan lost the war, and the geisha their reputation.


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