Japanese Tattoo Glossary

• Irezumi (入れ墨, 入墨, 文身 (also pronounced bunshin), 剳青, 黥 or 刺青) -- tattoo (noun) or verb)
• Horimono (彫り物, 彫物, literally carving, engraving) -- tattoo. This is another word for traditional Japanese tattoos.
• Horishi (彫り師, 彫物師) -- a tattoo artist.
• Bokukei, bokkei (墨刑) -- punishment by tattooing.
• Tebori (手彫り, literally to carve by hand) -- describes the technique of tattooing by hand.
• Hanebori (羽彫り, literally to carve with a feather) -- a hand-tattooing technique employing a feathering motion.
• Tsuki-bori (突き彫り) -- a hand-tattooing technique employing a thrusting motion.
• Kakushibori (隠し彫り, literally hidden carving) -- tattooing near the armpits, the inside of the thighs and other "hidden" body areas. Also refers to the tattooing of hidden words, for example among the petals of flowers.
• Kebori (毛彫り) -- the tattooing of fine lines or of hair on tattooed figures.
• Sujibori (筋彫り) -- outlining, the outline of a tattoo.
• Shakki -- the sound needles make when they puncture the skin.
• Irebokuro -- from ire or ireru, which means to insert, and bokuro or hokuro, a beauty spot
• Yobori -- "Yo" (European) tattooing. The Japanese-English slang term for tattooing done with the Machine.
• Sumi -- The ink used to tattoo, traditionally mixed by the apprentice
• Hikae -- Chest panel tattoo
• Nagasode -- Arm tattoo, to the wrist
• Shichibu -- Tattoo 7/10ths of the sleeve to the forearm
• Gobu -- Tattoo 5/10ths of the sleeve to above the elbow