The Japanese government banned tattoos in 1872, as while the practice had risen as an art form, tattooed marks were still used as a punishment. The ban wasn't lifted until 1948, but the practice ...

They can cover almost the entire body, from the back down to the buttocks and the top of your legs, as well as the arms - although due to the stigma the tattoos hold in Japanese society ...

But they don't have what he's looking for: the centuries-old Japanese art of tebori, or traditional "hand-carved" tattoos. In the West, a longstanding fascination with this style has become a full ...