• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.66 no.3
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• pp.18-31
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• 2016

In response to increasing preference for tattoos during the 2000s, the demand for Japanesestyle tattoo fashion increased. Ukiyoe, the prototype of Japanese tattoo popular in the Edo period has been preserved traditional expression techniques to the present, It is characterized by the following: first, the tattoos share literary lyricism through plays borrowed from the classics. second, it displays harmony and equivocal expression of heterogeneous elements samurai and kabuki mono. third, humorous images are expressed in picture-in-picture form. And fourth, presence of fixed characters based on the publication culture. Tattoo fashion is characterized by the following: First, eclectic fashion based on pastiche; second, characters emphasizing fun and comicality; third, the adoption of tattoo models for establishing brand images; and fourth, Cultural association for the new composition of culture consumption. Pastiche, harmony of heterogeneous elements, fun and comicality, and fixed characters were found to be common between tattoo ukiyoe and tattoo fashion. That is, it attempted to meet the sensitive consumers' needs to keep up with the trends by adopting tattoo incorporated into the subculture of neo pop. This shows clearly the characteristics of fashion, which creates new trends through interacting with the contemporary culture.