Tebori describes the hand-carven technique of Japanese tattooing. It's a traditional method that dates back to the 17th century, but was once completely banned after being closely associated with the yakuza, Japan's organized crime syndicates.
Tattooing overall in Japan is taboo. The government itself deems that one must be a licensed health professional to tattoo, but the government isn't issuing licenses to tattoo, leaving the profession in a legal grey zone.
In the first episode of Under the Ink, we follow Horimasa Tosui, who tattoos in secret in order to practice his work.
See some of Horimasa's work on his Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/horimasa_tosui
Click here to subscribe to VICE: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE
About VICE:
The Definitive Guide To Enlightening Information. From every corner of the planet, our immersive, caustic, ground-breaking and often bizarre stories have changed the way people think about culture, crime, art, parties, fashion, protest, the internet and other subjects that don't even have names yet. Browse the growing library and discover corners of the world you never knew existed. Welcome to VICE.
Connect with VICE:
Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/VICE-Videos
Videos, daily editorial and more: http://vice.com
More videos from the VICE network: https://www.fb.com/vicevideo
Click here to get the best of VICE daily: http://bit.ly/1SquZ6v
Like VICE on Facebook: http://fb.com/vice
Follow VICE on Twitter: http://twitter.com/vice
Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/vice
The VICE YouTube Network:
VICE: https://www.youtube.com/VICE
MUNCHIES: https://www.youtube.com/MUNCHIES
VICE News: https://www.youtube.com/VICENews
VICELAND: https://www.youtube.com/VICELANDTV
Broadly: https://www.youtube.com/Broadly
Noisey: https://www.youtube.com/Noisey
Motherboard: https://www.youtube.com/MotherboardTV
VICE Sports: https://www.youtube.com/NOC
i-D: http://www.youtube.com/iDmagazine
Waypoint: https://www.youtube.com/Waypoint
How The Yakuza Changed Tattoo Culture In Japan | Under The Ink ─ VICE
<style>.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }</style><div class="embed-container"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h9F1BmiTS1I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
