Tattoos in Japanese Prints

日本浮世繪除了影響歐洲19世紀的印象派畫家，它也給刺青師傅帶來源源不絕的靈感，本書收錄了日本浮世繪黃金時代關於刺青的圖像。許多刺青鑑賞家都認為，最細緻的刺青細節、繁複性與構圖技巧深藏在日本的傳統文化中。刺青的風格與主題，來自日本庶民文化豐富的視覺寶藏，特別是19世紀早期浮世繪的版畫中。本書精彩訴說了浮世繪如何在日本初始的刺青圖像傳統中啟發了這些刺青藝術家們。它探索了日本刺青不斷演變的意義，從效忠到懲罰甚至是犯罪的象徵，本書揭露刺青的各種特殊母題背後的故事。不管是小偷手臂上的繁花，纏繞在英雄背上的海怪，演員胸前作戰的傳奇武士們，這些浮世繪版畫上的刺青同樣給當今的刺青師傅們許許多多豐富的靈感。Tattoo inspiration from the glory days of Japanese ukiyo-e printsMany tattoo connoisseurs consider the Japanese tradition to be the finest in the world for its detail, complexity and compositional skill. Its style and subject matter are drawn from the visual treasure trove of Japanese popular culture, in particular the color woodblock prints of the early 19th century known as ukiyo-e.This book tells the fascinating story of how ukiyo-e first inspired tattoo artists as the pictorial tradition of tattooing in Japan was just beginning. It explores the Japanese tattoo’s evolving meanings, from symbol of devotion to punishment and even to crime, and reveals the tales behind specific motifs. With lush, colorful images of flowers blooming on the arm of a thief, sea monsters coiling across the back of a hero and legendary warriors battling on the chests of actors, the tattoos in these prints can offer the same vivid inspiration today as they did 200 years ago.