Hand Poking Part 1: Asian History
I’ve been having some writers block this week so first I’d like to thank my friends for suggesting this topic! Everything I mention is about the style of hand poking tattoos by professionals, not stick and pokes done at home. Make shift stick and poke tattoos can be very dangerous and we recommend going to a professional for all tattoos and body modifications. That being said hand poking has been around for a long time, as you can imagine tattooing didn’t start with the invention of the tattoo machine. There are tons more cultures that do hand poking that I will explore in another article, but there are so many that in this post I’m focusing on certain Asian practices.
Hand poking is a spiritual or religious practice around the world. It’s found in many Asian countries and throughout history it has been an important part of culture and spirituality. Hand poked tattoos are done in a variety of ways depending on the area of the world that it’s done in. Different groups, especially in the time before metals and needles were accessible/available used different instruments that were available to them. All the different techniques across cultures have their own names and terminology, they are all hand poking methods.
Tebori
Tebori is the traditional Japanese method of hand poking. The tools used for Tebori today are often wood or metal and today the needles come in a variety of styles, traditionally they were performed with a thin piece of bamboo called nomi. Needles were attached to the nomi with a silk string. Though hand poking can more time intensive designs range from small designs to entire body suits. With a skilled artist though time can be comparable to that of a machine especially when you consider the needle groupings. Typically tattoo machines can tattoo with needle bundles, Tebori needles can come in bundles of between 11-42 needles. Today this is starting to be a dying art with most people preferring the tattoo machines, especially for linework. The word Tebori comes from the Japanese craft of woodblock carving, craftsmen of both these trades are called Horishi, and Tebori means to hand carve. In fact many woodblock craftsmen were also Tebori artists. Tebori offers deep, saturated colours and it is described as having an authentic look.
Sak Yan or Sak Yant
In Thailand they have a style of hand poking called Sak Yan or Sak Yant which translates to, “to tap” in Thai; and Yank means “instrument.” This Thai technique is used to hand poke sacred shapes and geometrical designs or chants and they all have a deep spiritual meaning. The tattoos are often symbols that enhance the wearer’s concentration for spiritual meditation or what they call amulets that are specific to the wearer’s own life. It’s important to mention that these tattoos hold a lot of spiritual power. They specify that if you don’t believe in the power of the tattoo it is powerless to you. In tradition Sak Yan (Yant) was done by only monks. They used a bamboo rod called a Sak Mai which has since been updated with a metal rod.
Borneo Hand Poking
Borneo is a small island in the South China sea, kind of in between South China and Indonesia. Borneo hand tapping is a technique used by the tribes of the island, the Dayak and the Mentawai. This tattooing has been traced back to the Kayan group who emigrated to the island from the Burma mountains located between South China and Bangladesh an estimated 800 years ago. In this tradition women were often the tattooers and women also got a majority of the ink. The tattooers were said to be richly compensated for their work, but likely not in a currency. This hand poking technique is very unique because they use a makeshift and takes a practiced artist to do. The artist first carves the design on a wooden block, then the block is coated with an ink or soot solution. The wood carving is pressed onto the skin and creates a type of stencil. The design is then hand poked into the skin with an array of needles attached to wooden sticks with resin. For ink they would use a bluish pigment made of sugar cane juice, the soot of burned resin, and diluted with water. They also had aftercare techniques to avoid infection, they would smudge rice over the inflamed area to protect it. This technique is said to be very painful and so some of the tattoos would take up to four years to complete. TDP tattoo states, the Kayan’s who brought this method to the island believe that, “tattoos acted as “torches” in the world of the dead without which the spirits would wander in total darkness.” I’ve included some maps as well as the tattoos for this one incase you’re geographically challenged like myself.
Batok
In the Philippines one method of hand poking are the Batok tattoos of Kalinga people. The tool is pretty simple, they use a branch of the lime tree attached to a bamboo branch. The tool is then dipped in a wet charcoal. The designs are believed to protect the wearer from hostile spirits and are often scenes or symbols derived from nature. The skills of a Kalinga tattooer can only be passed on through family members in their tradition.
Hand poking is an ancient tattoo method that holds a lot of power especially with it’s long spiritual history. Even today when it is not done spiritually it is a very unique and intimate process between the clients and the tattooer. People who have gotten hand poked have said that it strengthened their ancestral connection by getting tattooed in the same manner as ancient peoples. Hand poking takes a lot of time and some say it is more painful than a typical machine possibly because of the time. Many enthusiasts still love this style and the connection it provides to our history.
Sources:
- “Authentink Studio.” Authent/Ink, 7 May 2020, www.authentink.com/japanese-irezumi/tebori-2/.
- “Hand Poke Tattoo Origin and History.” TDP Clothing®, 15 Oct. 2020, www.tdpclothing.tattoo/tattoos/hand-poke-tattoo-origin-and-history/.
- “Hand Poked Tattoo: Painted People Tattoo Co. Painted People Tattoos and Soap Company.” Painted People Tattoos and Soap Company, paintedpeopletattoos.com/hand-poke-tattoos/.
- “Inaugural Tattoo Festival Celebrates Tradition That Connects Body Art to Indigenous Past: Hawaii Tribune.” Herald, 12 Sept. 2019, www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2019/09/12/features/inaugural-tattoo-festival-celebrates-tradition-that-connects-body-art-to-indigenous-past/.
- “Irezumi and Tebori Tattoos • Stick and Poke Tattoos.” Stick and Poke Tattoos, 11 Apr. 2018, sticknpoke.com/irezumi-tebori-tattoos/.
- “Muay Thai Tattoo Symbols and Meanings: Thai Tattoo, Sak Yant Tattoo, Tattoos.” Pinterest, www.pinterest.ca/pin/359584351494622544/. “Pin on Traditional Kalinga Hand Tapped Tattoo by: Kayaw Tatu.” Pinterest, www.pinterest.ca/pin/523754631641246399/.
