Japanese Tattoos: Meanings, Shapes and Motifs

I love Japanese tattooing. I have a collegiate background in history and over the years have done all I can to get a grasp on the history and symbolism of the art. For me at least, this process was difficult and it seemed that no matter what book I came across I still had questions or felt there could be something more comprehensive. This work along with Sarah Thompson's Tattoos in Japanese Prints have finally closed that gap for me. This work not only contains complete lists and explanations of virtually all Japanese motifs and subject matter, it also includes excellent stories of lineages, traditions and just great historical insights in Japanese tattooing. I cannot recommend it enough. It has answered many questions for me, and I very grateful to the author for this work. if I could give it 10 stars I would. Excellent book in every way.

There's not much else to say that the title doesn't. It gives an overview of some of the popular Japanese tattoo designs and is written by a tattoo artist that very much enjoys what he does. I recommend it.

Great book

My partner and I have been looking into Japanese art for tattoos and this book was a great reference. So much valuable information and a lot of great examples. Very please with this Yori Moriarty piece.

Intererting read about the history, style, and form of Japanese tattoos and proper motifs of such. Would give 5 stars excpet for the plethora of grammatical and editing errors found throughout.

Loved this book’s quality and illustrations. Fast shipping and a very good option for my tattoo artist-japanese tattoo lover friend.

Love the explanation of the symbolism in Japanese tattooing, also the explanation of the differences in execution of the tattoo style in Europe vs. Japan. Great fodder for those interested in obtaining a Japanese tattoo!

It’s great. Very informative and useful, the layout is fantastic and it was very well put together. If you are someone who is interested in this subject, it can help you pick a tattoo theme with your tattooer or its great for tattooers to understand a more meaningful “correct” approach to the subject matter.

I'm blown away by this book. It's packed full of factual history. Written beautifully. It's one of those books I can't put down at the moment. It's like a deep dive rabbit hole. The artwork is stunning. Japanese art is easily now my number one type of art. Ukiyo-e had a big impact on Japanese tattoos. Japanese tattoos always looked cryptic and mystical. Bold, and beautiful. But now I know some of the basics, if I go back and look at many great Japanese tattoos they're a mixture of elements. A bit like a collage. I can make sense of some of the tattoos, and the meaning behind them. I'm blown away by this book. It is far more than I expected. Thank you so much.

Livro muito interessante!!!

El libro está muy bien, Está en ingles y lo compre de segunda mano, La unica pega es con el vendedor, Está más deteriorado de lo q ponia.

Dieses Buch, das auf Englisch verfasst ist, bietet eine umfassende und tiefgehende Analyse der Bedeutungen, Formen und Motive japanischer Tattoos. Die detaillierten Illustrationen und Erklärungen machen es zu einer wertvollen Ressource für Tattoo-Enthusiasten und kulturell Interessierte. Die unterschiedlichen Motive werden anschaulich erklärt, was das Verständnis für die Symbolik und Tradition hinter den Tattoos fördert. Auch die kulturellen Aspekte werden gut beleuchtet und geben einen interessanten Einblick in die Geschichte und Entwicklung dieser Kunstform. Insgesamt eine hervorragende Lektüre für alle, die mehr über japanische Tattoos erfahren möchten. Ich kann es nur wärmstens empfehlen!

A detailed history lesson on Japanese motifs and tattoo culture and the masters of Irezumi.