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H O RUKIYO-E I TO M O N O 1 W U J T O F I K T A T T 7 O K A H F O N A H N H H T O I P E R B E D E E H D Y A T E J U - B O N A A I A K T H E 1 C L - E N T G P I A I A 9 E O E S C T N A T S R T N C E I O E N T L H T K A E O R E 1 O T Y U N T N I S D 8 O E C R P D A T N O 2 C D E Y R T G , 0 M H E N T T I T H S A N C T H H N O I I F S I A U E E T O S N R T T Q D R I I T O O E U E Y F 1 N N O J M R E S I 8 G G R A T S Y P R T T H O A S H H E F T W A O N T E H O S C M I E R A H E L I N J T K K F A N A D U A O S A I L T T P D E R F U E 1 A A D S N E R 8 N Y T T A E S F O Y 6 E H H T A E I F 0 S E E E L I G S E ’ H S S S 1 T C - A , T E 8 E O P T M N A C T R L R A E D 1 T THE HISTORY I O H S O I T I 7 T C AND ART OF N U N T J C 9 O O JAPANESE D C R T O I E 1 O N E A W I O N - I PRINTS AND O H N O W N I P S 1 N TAttOOING G A T F R O G N E O 8 G R L U L L O G R R 7 JAN VAN DOESBURG A F R O D D I S 5 P Y A B I O H Y H O T L N D I A THE VAN DER VELDEN Y F I O P K COLLEctION N C T U G K H Z E A 0 1 9 THE A NCIENT HISTORY OF TATTOOING IN JAPAN I R O N O O H M I - T E Y K U O O The earliest signs of the practice of tattooing in Japan are T O H F usually sought among the tribes of the Neolithic era now E known as the Jōmon period (c. 10,000 B.C. - 300 B.C.). T Because of the absence of documentary sources from the A A period itself and the often highly plausible character N T of references appearing in sources of a later date, our C T knowledge of the Jōmon period is completely derived I O from archaeological research. This mainly concerns the E O production of earthenware, in that period unglazed, N I T N made of soft clay and fired at a low temperature. G H I I S N Although the culture of the Jōmon period government was ruling over a homogeneous T was one of hunting and food gathering, Japanese archipelago in those days, yet O J implying the inconvenience of heavy baggage Jinmu-tennō’s enthronement, which is for groups that are constantly on the move, thought to have taken place in the year 660 R A a lot of earthenware was produced. Detailed B.C., is nowadays officially considered as the Y P archaeological research has indicated that foundation of the Japanese Empire. 01 It is A the Jōmon people operated from small and believed that Jinmu-tennō was of divine temporary settlements, where seeds, nuts, descent, being the grandson of the sun N fruit and catch were processed and stored goddess Amaterasu. Tradition has it that the in pots. When moving to a new area, the troops of Jinmu-tennō invaded the central nomadic groups or tribes could obviously only region of Honshū, the great island of Japan, take along a few pots, so they had to produce from the southwest. This occurred between new ones whenever a new place of residence 670 B.C. and 660 B.C., an assumption based was chosen. on notes written down many centuries later. A large amount of Jōmon pots has been After having defeated several aboriginal excavated throughout Japan, especially in tribes, including the chief tribe of Nagasune- recent decades. A substantial number of the hiko, the invader settled in Kashiwabara. earthenware products show decorations that This was a small place at the foot of mount have been applied by impressing the surface Unebi in the Yamato district of Honshū. Some of the damp clay with cords. This method of time later it became the seat of the Imperial decorating is indicated by the term jōmon, court, despite the fact that the government literally ‘cord pattern’, which now has become did not rule over the whole country. During the name of the entire historic period in the following centuries, the government in question. Radiocarbon analyses have pointed Kashiwabara managed to expand its powers out that these earthenware products represent over large areas of the country, so eventually the oldest of its type known in the world the Yamato region became the centre of so far. Shards of a cooking pot with cord Japan. It held this position until the end of markings excavated in 1999 in Akita, north the eighth century. Japan, have now been carbon dated to 14,500 The aboriginals were driven to the B.C., which places the beginning of the Jōmon eastern and northern parts of the Island of period even further back. Honshū, in particular the region of Hidakami On account of the lack of factual (i.e. Hitakami), now forming the provinces of knowledge, the Jōmon culture has become Hitachi, Iwaki and Rikuzen. From there they subject of many speculations and discussions. repeatedly revolted against the invader and Even the existence of the Jōmon ruler his successors, and became known as Ebisu, Jinmu-tennō, who is currently adopted as the a term that stands for ‘Barbarians’. 0 first emperor of Japan, merely seems to have In Japan’s earliest chronicles we find 2 originated from legends and speculations a number of passages, hitherto unverified 0 formed and written down in later times. There and in some cases with dubious dates, is not a shred of evidence that a centralized revealing that from the very beginning of Best known for campaigns against the 01 See for Jinmu-tennō aboriginals is perhaps Sakanoe no (Jimmu-tennō) e.g. Papinot, E., Historical and Geographical Tamuramaro (758-811). He defeated the Ebisu Dictionary of Japan, pp. 227-228. in 801 and built the castle of Izawa in Mutsu, 02 Tajihi no Agatamori quelled a in order to offer resistance to their continuous revolt of the Ebisu in A.D. 720. incursions. Ōtomo no Otomaro was sent against rebelling Ebisu in the Through the centuries the number of northerly Mutsu, where he Ebisu gradually decreased until the aboriginals defeated the rebels in A.D. 791 with the aid of Sakanoe no formed an ethnic minority that was finally Tamuramaro. brought under complete subjection in the 03 See e.g. Gulik, W.R. van., Irezumi; eighteenth century. It is assumed that the The Pattern of Dermatography in Ainu populations now residing in Sakhalin, Japan, pp. 251-258. the Kurils and Hokkaidō, are remnants of the 04 Takayama, J., Jōmonjin no irezumi; Ebisu. The supposed relationship between Kodai Shuzoku o Saguru, Tokyo, 1969. the Ainu and Ebisu is partly founded on the resemblance of a number of geometrical motifs and patterns appearing in the culture of both people. These design motifs include some of those still used in contemporary Ainu tattoos and seem to originate from the early the Jinmu-tennō era several military ages of the Japanese Empire. At any rate, campaigns were held against the combative many excavated pots and clay figurines are aboriginal tribes. These campaigns are extant with decorations of the type of design known as Sei-i-shi (literally: sent against in question, mainly from the Latest Jōmon the Barbarians) and were led by famous period (1000 B.C.-300 B.C.). 03 commanders-in-chief such as Yamatotakeru The clay figurines, called dogū, have been no mikoto (dates uncertain, possibly A.D. the subject of much discussion, but it is now 81-113; mikoto i.e. lord, prince), Tajihi no generally assumed that the vast majority Agatamori (668-737) and Ōtomo no Otomaro represent deities associated with fertility. (731-809). 02 The first is considered one of Their motifs and patterns have been applied Japan’s most celebrated heroes of legendary by scratching the surface of the damp clay times. He is the main character of a famous with a sharp utensil. The faces of quite a few story that is based on an expedition to subdue of the figurines are decorated with concentric a revolt of the Kumaso, the aboriginals in lines around the eyes and the mouth.