A body suit or full body suit is an extensive

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing ...

, usually of a similar pattern, style or theme that covers the entire

torso The torso or trunk is an anatomical term for the central part, or the core, of the body of many animals (including humans), from which the head, neck, limbs, tail and other appendages extend. The tetrapod torso — including that of a huma ...

or the entire body. They are associated with traditional Japanese tattooing as well as with some

freak show A freak show, also known as a creep show, is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to in popular culture as "freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, those with ...

and

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

performers. Such suits are of significant cultural meaning in some traditional cultures, representing a rite of passage, marriage or a social designation.

History

The body suit first came into prominence in Japanese culture in the form of

irezumi (also spelled or sometimes ) is the Japanese word for tattoo, and is used in English to refer to a distinctive style of Japanese tattooing, though it is also used as a blanket term to describe a number of tattoo styles originating in Japan, inc ...

, a Japanese tattooing style. In Japan during the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characte ...

(1603–1867 CE), tattooing gained popularity and was considered to be a form of art. However, tattooing was made illegal near the end of the Edo period, in an effort by the Japanese government to protect its image abroad. At this time, tattooing was done clandestinely, and tattoos became associated with the Japanese

Yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the ter ...

organized crime syndicates, who began to incorporate the full body suit as part of their organizations' identities. Such body suits were performed using tebori, a traditional Japanese style that involves tattooing by hand, without the use of any machines. At this time, it was common for the hands, face and neck to not be tattooed, although Japanese body suits often included tattooing on genitalia.

Origins

It was one of the early things developed by the Pre-Austronesians in Taiwan and coastal South China prior to at least 1500 BCE, before the Austronesian expansion into the islands of the Indo-Pacific. It was also associated with headhunting. It has also been stated that the body suit originated in Japan around 1700 CE, as a means for working middle-class people to display their wealth and status. Laws were in place that only allowed nobility to dress in fancy clothing, so some in the middle class chose tattoos as a means to adorn their bodies. Body suits are also seen in many tribes like the indigenous Tribes and Native American showing a spiritual connection and being sacred. Every tribe practices in different ways.

Tools

For the most part, Austronesians used characteristic perpendicularly hafted tattooing points that were tapped on the handle with a length of wood (called the "mallet") to drive the tattooing points into the skin. The handle and mallet were made of wood while the points, either single, grouped or arranged to form a comb were made of Citrus thorns, fishbone, bone, teeth, and turtle and oyster shells.

Full sleeve

A full sleeve is a tattoo which completely covers an arm, from the shoulder to the wrist. A full sleeve can be part of a full body suit.

Backpiece

A backpiece is a tattoo which largely or completely covers the back, and can be part of a full body suit. File:Man_with_a_full_back_Christian_and_Enlightenment_tattoo._Color.jpg File:Man_with_a_backpiece_Christian_and_Enlightenment_tattoo._Color.jpg File:Crusade_tattoo.jpg File:Japan_Tattoo_1890s.jpg, Traditional Japanese tattoo by Hori Kasiwa

Notable wearers

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* The Enigma * Rick Genest * Julia Gnuse *

Horiyoshi III is a ''horishi'' (tattoo artist), specializing in Japanese traditional full-body tattoos, or "suits," called ''Irezumi'' or ''Horimono''. Biography Nakano was inspired when he saw a ''Yakuza'' (Japanese gangster) with a full-body tattoo in a p ...

* Katzen * Tom Leppard * The Lizardman * Lucky Diamond Rich *

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Oliver Sykes Oliver Scott Sykes (born 20 November 1986) is a British singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Bring Me the Horizon. He also founded the apparel company Drop Dead Clothing, and created a graphic novel. Early ...

* Isobel Varley *

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References

External links

"Jeff Gogue/Daniel Miller: Bodysuit" Interview, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VebpRe87wWI (1 March 2018) * History, culture, and pictures. Body modification Tattooing by body part {{Bodymodification-stub