Irezumi, the Japanese art of tattooing, is a traditional technique that has fascinated Westerners since the opening of Japan in the Meiji era. This ancestral knowledge is still evolving with the cultural, political and social influences that have shaped Japan since prehistoric times, transforming both the image of the tattoo itself and that of the tattooed. Sometimes hidden, rejected or used as clothing, the Japanese tattoo reveals its secrets in this illustrated book.

Discover here the meaning of creatures (Tanuki, dragon, Kappa, ...), plants and characters engraved in Japanese tattoos (samurai, geisha, Daruma, Kintaro, ...), as well as a drawing method inspired by the techniques of great artists such as Hokusai. Learn more about the history of Japanese tattooing and the cultural elements of Japan that are used in an Irezumi tattoo (hairstyles, clothes, patterns, Japanese crests, ...).

With this book for the passionate of Japan, Japanese drawing and tattooing, Irezumi is revealed to you in all its forms and patterns.