Already immortalized in the 16 century Japanese woodblock artist in the process scenes of everyday life. This also applied to the skin jewelry of the time. Tattooed people were proceeding in woodblock prints.

The first woodcuts, so to speak, were the forerunners of the modern tattoo magazines. Many ideas and suggestions were with the woodblock printing in the country. As the popularity of tattoos in the Japanese culture while large, were also the motives and numerous Tattoo Artist.

In 1811, the government adopted a decree, which is represented tattooing as a bad habit and it was a general ban in force, which is the popularity of tattooed body does not braked. Even following numerous prohibitions could not this new form of body art to an end.

From the 19th century was the progressive technology by the depiction of tattoos by the photography possible.

In the early days of the tattoo artists / body were the creative possibilities severely restricted.

The only color used at the beginning was the color red until decades later, other colors were used. Thus the artists were heavily restricted. The first designs are fairly monochromatic and therefore are not as colorful as today’s illustrations.

There are also huge differences in detail and richness in the quality of the skin ornaments. Even then differed finished motives through the use of time and money.

The entities paid well for the elaborately drawn Hautdekorationen.Die tattoos were at that time for the owners of jewelry.

A koi carp on the body stood for example, power, strength and stamina. The positive qualities should be given to the institution of body decoration go.

The strong influence of Japanese traditional art and body habit of the Japanese images with other images on which, fascinated by the first photographers who in 1860 came to the island.

They made numerous images, as these exotic body paint in Europe was completely unknown. Even the technical and artistic subtleties and richness of detail were in the western region in the form of the Asian unknown.

The first images were a result of poor black white contrasts of the photographs hard to use. The post of the photos with simple pens proved difficult because the artistic talent of the photographers with their Western cultural background, the atmosphere of the original motif could not capture.

The pictures were taken with a simple colored pencil. By contrast the poor were individual symbols are hard to fix.

Nevertheless, there are some beautiful images from this foundation of tattoo history. Only around the year 1920 reached the technique of the photographers in a stand of the detailed scan of tattoos allowed. Finally, it was possible the quality of Asian motifs for posterity world.

Many historic tatto designers, with their symbolic references, proceed from the apparent belief that the properties of the motives of their owners transferred.