Dr. Fukushi’s Human Skin Collection: A Mini-Essay

     Although horimono and irezumi are Japanese synonyms for tattoo, the later held a negative cultural connotation for generations.[1] Originally a penal marking for criminals, the practice developed over the course of centuries into a form of individualized artistic expression.[2] By the eighteenth century, irezumi emerged as a style of full-body tattooing which requires years of lengthy sessions to complete and has attracted the admiration of many in Japanese society.[3] One of these individuals was the medical doctor Masaichi Fukushi who, in the 1920s, brought his fascination with irezumi into the realm of academia. Beginning in 1926, the pathologist commenced chronicling the unique artform in both photographs and preserved hides, which were collected from corpses.[4] The efforts of Dr. Fukushi, though, were far removed from the sinister behaviors of such individuals as Ed Gein. Perceiving this artistry as a cultural artifact, the doctor performed delicate autopsies on the bodies of diseased individuals (all of whom had previously given their consent), removed only the dermal layer containing the ink, and carefully stretched the skin under framed glass.[5] In fact, Dr. Fukushi was known for generously providing financial assistance to individuals struggling with the extensive and expensive process surrounding irezumi. Before the outbreak of World War II, the pathologist managed to amass nearly two-thousand skins and over three-thousand photographs; however, all of the photographic catalogs were destroyed in air raids during the war.[6] Surprisingly, the carefully preserved skins survived the blasts and found a permanent home in Tokyo University’s Medical Pathology Museum.[7] 

Works Referenced

Quigley, Christine. Modern Mummies: The Preservation of the Human Body in the Twentieth Century. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, 2006.

Van Gulik, W.R. Irezumi: The Pattern of Dermatography in Japan. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1982.

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[1] Van Gulik, 3.
[2] Van Gulik, 3-14.

[3] Van Gulik, 19-37.

[4] Quigley, 152.

[5] Quigley, 152.

[6] Quigley, 152.

[7] Quigley, 152-153.