The simple and Zen decoration of Sugano Tattoo Museum distinguishes it from those tattoo institutions that tattoo gang members. His shop mainly attracts foreigners, but this is not enough to convince the Japanese government to let his tattoo museum survive. Osaka court stipulates that only doctors can legally tattoo others, which means that tattooists must have a doctor's license, otherwise it is illegal to tattoo others every time. )
But tattoo artists claim that their works are a form of self-expression and therefore should be protected by the Japanese Constitution. In 20 15, Tattooist TaikiMasuda (right) was fined 300,000 yen (about 20,000 RMB), and then he appealed and established a non-governmental organization "Save Japanese Tattoos" with Ito Shimizu. Last month, the court ruled against him. He said that becoming a doctor requires a lot of time and money, which is unrealistic for a tattoo artist.
At present, about 200 tattoo artists have joined the Japanese tattoo rescue organization to fight for their skills and the right to freely choose their body art. Ito Shimizu said that as far as he knows, about 20 tattoo artists face the same charges as Masuda, of which 10 was fined 300,000 yen.
With the approach of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, Japan has received 40 million foreign tourists almost every year in recent years. Many tourists haven't realized that their tattoos may have a negative impact on their travel. Kelly Thorp, a teacher in Wales, England, has a butterfly tattoo on her back. Last year, she traveled to Japan and asked all the hotels around her if she could go to the swimming pool or hot springs. The answer is "no". She is puzzled by this rule. "Obviously, I won't be a Japanese gangster."
Jiutaniguchi is the head of SayanoYudokoro in northern Tokyo. She doesn't allow tattooed tourists to enter. She said: "In Japanese society, tattoos are usually not accepted. The original intention of banning people with tattoos is to prevent people involved in criminal organizations from intimidating others by displaying their tattoos. It is easier to reject all people with tattoos than to explicitly ban gangs. " With the change of Japanese young generation's attitude towards tattoos and the increase of the number of inbound tourists, some businesses have begun to reconsider the policy of banning tattoos.
For example, Taniguchi provides plasters for tourists to cover small tattoos, but big tattoo plasters can't cover them. Ironically, today's Japan is the hometown of the world's top tattoo artists. For example, Horiji III is considered as a master of traditional Japanese tattoos. Yokohama has a museum dedicated to his works. In 20 12, his design exhibition was held at Somerset Palace in London.