Tattooing in Japan - The Yayoi period

The Yayoi period (300 B.C.E. – C.E. 300) transformed Japan more closely into what we might consider rudimentary civilization. This brief period was rich with social hierarchies, agriculture, as well as tattooing. The book of Wa, a massive Chinese survey and record from 298 B.C.E. observes that both Yayoi men and women tattooed their bodies for various reasons: status, protection, and aesthetics. The Chinese asserted a link between this practice and barbarous behavior.

Regional differences in the size and placement of tattoos signified rank and tribal affiliation. This is the first clear connection where tattoos in Japan are used as both personal expression and societal indicator, which may still hold truths with modern horimono, depending on ones perspective.