Overview:

Since the time when Europeans and Americans have traveled the oceans in order to discover Asia, Asian adornment was one of the objects of their attention because of its uniquely exotic style. In Korea, beauty, wealth, and power is presented in clothing, more specifically its national costume, the ‘han bok’. In Japan, beauty is pursued to virtual perfection in the form of tattoo, clothing, and ritualistic traditions. Like many Asian traditions, the Japanese beauty ideals and practices follow strict guidelines that have changed with time since the 8^th Century. Unlike the traditions, the Japanese traditional clothing, the kimono, has preserved most of its design and form despite slight changes caused by foreign influence. Likewise, the Japanese tattoo has managed to stay ‘untouched’ by foreigners and still retains its unique art form and style from the 18^th Century. The presentation of Japanese tattoo is not only very detailed and elegant, but the meaning behind its beauty is very inspiring. However, the development of the present form of Japanese tattoo can only be understood in a survey of its history before the 18^th Century.

Korea:

Clothing (by Zoe Kim)

Japan:

Beauty Ideals and Adornment Practices (by Abby Mitchell)

          Japan is far from the only culture in the world with historically very strict standards of feminine beauty, but an analysis of those standards throughout history provides a great deal of insight into Japanese cultural identity.  Beauty itself - the pursuit and commemoration thereof - has inspired a vast amount of Japan's literary and artistic history, leaving us with myriad first-hand examples of what it took to be considered a bijin, or beautiful woman, in Japanese society of the Heian (or early medieval) through Edo (or late 19th century) periods.  The importance of bold, primal colors to the Japanese aesthetic cannot be overstated. Women of the Heian through Edo periods went to elaborate lengths to cultivate the whiteness of their skin, and the jet-blackness of their hair. The striking contrast between the two was accented by the use of red - usually painted on the lips, and the practice of ohaguro, or applying dye to the teeth to impart a deep, shiny black color reminiscent of Japanese black lacquer ware.

Clothing (by Ellen Blazich)

Japan's national garment is kimono. While the form of kimono has changed little over hundreds of years, the social and political environment for kimono has. The early 20^th century kimono tradition starts to fade as Westernization took over introducing new textile approaches, western style clothing, and new views on social rights for women. Today, kimono is still loved for it's beauty and tradition.

(Eary 20th century women's kimono with design motifs influenced by western ideas about design and color at the time)

Tattoo - history (by Blanche Dy)

Japanese tattoo has taken many forms and meanings in its transition from the past to the present. In the 13^th Century, Japanese tattoo was used a means to identify and punish criminals, using simple symbols on the arm or head. In the 17^th Century, Japanese tattoo adapted into a word-based tattoo designed for love and religious pledges. In the 18^th Century, Japanese tattoo completely transformed itself into a vibrant full-body expression of the lower classes’ rebellion, the art of which was based on ukiyo-e prints of the novel Suikoden. Since then until the present, Japanese tattoo has retained some if not all of its detailed and flamboyant style while still portraying courage, loyalty, endurance, and sometime love.

Tattoo - meaning and design (by Tse-Hui Wu)

The symbols in Japanese tattoo usually represent qualities either possessed or desired. Classical Japanese tattooing limits itself to five main catalogs of Flora, Fauna (animal), Religious motifs, Representation of Heroes, and Folk figures. Flora is usually used as decoration around the main image.  The original meaning of the peony and chrysanthemum has long been lost since imported from China. Yet, Cherry blossom and maple leaf still hold the meaning of transient and evanescent in life and the undying love. The main image in the Japanese tattoo usually represents characteristics that the wearer possessed or desired, where animal tattoo carries personality of bravery, power, or dignity... etc. Human figure tattoos which are from the Suikoen stands for the criminals that do good actions to save the people, where the yakusas believe they are the same, and each character carries a different personality. The religious and folk figures symbolize qualities that the wearers desired or with to be protected by the tattoo.