Ancient Japanese Jomon Tattoos and Modification

When it comes to traditional Japanese body modification, most people will immediately think of the total body art of traditional Japanese tattooing. This is indeed a wonderful, world-class body art form. However, its origins leading up to the present day can be traced back only to the popularity of ukiyo-e woodblock prints during the Edo period(1603-1868). Meanwhile, the tattooing customs of hajichi in Okinawa and Ainu tattooing in Hokkaido also still remain, and while the beginnings of such tattooing in Japan have been disputed in academic circles, they are said to have started as far back as the Jomon period, which began over 10,000 years ago. However, these ancient forms of body modification in Japan are still not well known to the rest of the world.

Now, tattoo artist Taku Oshima and photographer/journalist Ryoichi “Keroppy” Maeda, who lead the promotion of ancient Japanese tattoo revival through their art project “Jomon Tribe,” will introduce specific Jomon tattoo works that have been revived from archaeological research reports in order to bring them back to life in a modern way. They will also show a model with actual Jomon tattoos and replicas of clay earplugs from the Jomon period(14,000-300BCE).

“Modified Future,” a bilingual book by Ryoichi Keroppy Maeda and Taku Oshima on the history of Japanese body modification, is now available!

by: Taku Oshima & Ryoichi Keroppy Maeda
Slot: 14 / Room: 03 – Sat. 7pm-8:30pm