Shikitei Sanba

The Tattooed Arm Shikitei Sanba

Translation of an early Japanese Manga from 1810. The story revolves around a group of men that get tattoos by the most famous tattoo artists in Edo (the city that became Tokyo.) The tattoos are so realistic that they come to life when the gang goes to sleep, setting off an amusing chain of events. This edition reprints the original woodblock-print book and translates all the dialogue with notations. An interesting look at early 19th century comic storytelling, society and how tattoos were represented in literature.