japanese tattoo yakuza

the photo is courtesy of sainz from flickr
Since the influence of Confucianism and Buddhism on the Japanese culture, tattoo art has a negative connotation for the majority of the Japanese people. In the eyes of an average Japanese a tattoo is considered a mark of a yakuza - a member of the Japanese mafia - or a macho symbol of members of the lower classes.
http ://www.artelino.com/articles/japanese_tattoo_art.asp