"Even without it
she's so beautiful
the tattoo around her lips
how brilliant it is
it can only be wondered at."
- Honda Katsuichi
The Ainu women hold a unique position when it comes to the art of tattoo in indigenous cultures. They are the sole keepers of tattoo within their community. Tattooing is limited to women only, practiced in the company of women and performed by a female tattooist; Ainu men are never tattooed.
Ainu women wore tattoos around the mouth, on the hands and arms and occasionally on the brows. The hand and arm tattoos are said to have been protective against harmful disease and misfortune. The facial tattoo, while also referenced as a protective measure, is primarily associated with an ideal feminine beauty. Facially tattoing began for a girl at around age six or seven and was continually applied annually until completion prior to marriage, typically around age fourteen or fifteen. Anticipation and completion of tattoo parallels associations made by women with Maori moko. Receiving a facial tattoo not only heightened beauty, it communicated maturity. An Ainu girl without facial tattoo was considered less desirable for marriage.
The self defined Ainu population, between 25,000 and 50,000, currently reside in scattered villages in Northern Hokkaido.
Ainu woman with bold facial and forearm tattoos.
Historical Outline of Ainu Colonialism