Since the early stages of human history, it’s  always been an essential part of human life  

to search for a way to express our ideas, feelings  

and goals using different  forms of what we call art.

You can opt to portray your emotions of  happiness or grief by painting a portrait,  

by hiding behind the melody of a song or by  immortalizing a special moment of your life  

and with it, inspire all that  surround you with its story.

Today we will check out the astonishing stories  that tattoos have told us throughout the years.  

Welcome to Copernicus Galaxy..

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS LOVED THEIR TATTOOS 

The practice of depicting art using ink on  skin has been around since prehistoric times.  

Nowadays tattoos are used to express our  emotions, to remind us of any special moments,  

to distinguish ourselves as members of a group  or simply as part of an identity. But like almost  

everything that was invented, tattoos were  created with a completely different purpose.

For instance, it is known that in ancient  China they were used as a form of punishment  

for minor crimes while the Greeks used tattoos to  distinguish social class status among citizens.

Although there is a 100 or even a 1000-year gap  between our current time and that of these ancient  

civilizations. It can be inferred that this form  of art is not very far from present times with  

respect to the longevity of our history on planet  Earth. But in 2015, a frozen body of a man dating  

as far back as 3370 and 3100 B.C was discovered  in the Alps between Switzerland and Italy. The  

mummified body was named Otzi and its age was  calculated to be at least 5300 years old. He  

which scientists later concluded after several  tests, were used as a form of painkillers.

Aside from this, the oldest  representational tattoos found  

are slightly recent than those of the  previous case. Such as a few Egyptian  

mummies dating back to the years 3351 and 3017  B.C which portrayed a variety of horned animals  

leading to what we could now see. The honorable samurais were another case,  

these warriors tattooed their entire bodies to  distinguish themselves as part of a group or  

clan. This practice is kept alive by the Yakuza,  who are the lost descendants of the samurai.

Another interesting case was that of a  Siberian princess who lived 2,500 years  

ago. Her tattoos were so intricate that  it seemed as though they were designed  

by the best and most skilled  tattoo artist of today’s era.  

This proves that the art of ink on skin has  been a part of our identity throughout history.

Forced tattoos were popular as a way of punishment 

We briefly touched on the act of forcing  tattoos as a way of punishment in ancient China,  

where a criminal had his felony tattooed on his  face as a way for him and in some cases his family  

to bear his shame and disgrace. But this practice  was not just used as a form of punishment.

Throughout the centuries, when the vast majority  of civilizations had slavery as a custom,  

the misfortuned human beings who were  born in this sector of the population  

or those who were captured from other lands  later to be sold, were forcibly tattooed  

with the purpose of distinguishing them as  someone’s property, making it difficult for  

them to hide if they managed to escape. This practice that only worsened the  

inhumane act enslaving your own kind,was done by  Persians, Greeks, Romans, Chinese, Japanese and by  

the Nazis at their time. Nothing less could  be expected from deplorable and evil people  

who considered themselves “superior” to others. The last-mentioned, not in order to start an  

unjustified hunt against the Jewish people for  simply considering them “undesirables”, following  

back a medieval and archaic way of thinking,  mistreating them and depriving them from freedom,  

just had to put the cherry on top by branding  them like cattle while escorting them to the gas  

chambers with numbers tattooed on their skin. Some descendants of the Jewish victims during  

the second world war have been able to find the  number that their relatives were forced to wear  

and have it tattooed as a reminder of  the level of cruelty humans can reach.

The history of tattoos in prison 

Have you ever asked yourself, why older  people automatically associate tattoos  

with gangs or delinquents? The answer  can be found in the practice of this  

art inside prison cells around the world. During the 1890s tattooing machines were  

increasing in the market, becoming very popular  among prison inmates . They tried to replicate the  

original tattooing machines using sewing needles  which they attached to other objects to serve as  

a handle for this invention. Because of their precarious  

elaboration, and the recent interest in  the technique among the inmates, the first  

prison tattoos became obvious. They consisted of  simple patterns and designs using mainly thick  

lines and shadowing. But, during the 1970s, and  electric motor was added to this tattooing device  

made up of toothbrushes, pens, clips, and guitar  strings. It was until then that the tattoos began  

to gain a more attractive appearance,  creating a new style called “fine line”. 

At the end of the 1970s, this style was spread far  beyond the prison walls. This style was adapted  

by many tattoo salons and among independent  artists. “Fine line” helped to improve the  

quality of the tools used by tattoo artists  and became very popular in today’s culture. 

Within the walls of prisons, this art is still  being performed with clandestine tools which  

have been innovated with time. For instance,  CD motors have been added to these devices,  

and tattoo artists have learned better techniques  and as a result, have discovered a variety of gray  

tones, creating hyperreal shadows that rival  those made by professional tattoo artists. 

In prison, tattoos can have a variety of meanings  as well as those outside of prison. The important  

difference is that choosing the wrong tattoo can  cause you serious problems, and in some cases,  

hiding the story of some criminal activity. The Japanese doctor who collected 2,000  

plucked tattoos Art does not know discrimination  

or disgust, and is completely subjective. People  with a deep fondness for these representations  

could possess precious collections to which  they might have dedicated a great portion  

of their lives to acquire them. There are  all types of works of art, from paintings  

to strange collections that can only be conceived  in the darkest stories of a horror film. 

Fukushi Masaichi, a Japanese doctor who lived  between 1878 and 1956 was the possessor of a  

horrific collection that not everyone will  have the stomach to look at. This man had  

an enormous fascination with tattoos, and  the popular technique called “irezumi”,  

which he gained when he discovered that  injecting ink on skin was beneficial when  

dealing with injuries caused by syphilis. His admiration for these tattoos was such  

that he began to extract these forms of art from  the bodies of the deceased with the intention to  

study them and collect them. But let’s not be  misled and consider him a person of low ethics  

and morale. These bodies were donated by the  owners themselves before dying or in some  

instances, thanks to the friendly relationship  that the doctor kept with his patients,  

some agreed to have the art on their bodies  preserved by Masaichi and in some instances,  

even paying to have a tattoo finished which  would years later be added to his collection . 

At the end, he was able to accumulate a  collection of 2000 samples with different tattoos,  

which he preserved in a bunker at the  beginning of the 1940s, protecting them  

from destruction during World War 2. However, a truck that transported some  

of the samples was lost without a trace,  while the rest of them are being kept in  

a safe at the University of Tokyo, which is  only accessible to doctors by appointment. 

The Alien transformations of today 

In today’s era, a great number of people possess  at least one tattoo and each day the opinion  

regarding what they represent has become more and  more permissive thanks to the new generations,  

giving rise to the influence that political  and religious organizations have on those  

who decide to permanently paint their bodies. There are those who cover 70% of their bodies  

with designs made from the art of  ink on skin, while others reach  

unimaginable limits, modifying their bodies  to the point that they become unrecognizable. 

It is well known and has even become hard to  ignore that there are some people who bifurcate  

their tongues or even tattoo their eyes, causing  their looks to be penetrating and scary. Both  

alterations to the body, aside from being  irreversible, can be very dangerous. 

The most astonishing case is that of the  “black alien”, a person who aside from  

what was previously mentioned, has undergone  many surgeries without considering the cost  

and risks of these surgeries to remove parts  of his body with the purpose of becoming a  

terrifying person from a different galaxy. Anthony Loffredo lived a normal life, until  

he reached the age of 24, he realized that he  needed a whole new change. He was fascinated with  

body transformations and was a fan of aliens. He  decided to take things a step further and become  

a being from another planet. Aside from tattoos,  he included subdermal implants and removed parts  

of his face to accomplish his goal, with his most  recent surgery being the removal of his upper lip. 

Truthfully a horrific vision to those who  don’t share the same idea as him regarding  

beauty and art. In my opinion, every person is  free to do what they please with their bodies  

and deserves to be treated with respect. We will  see what other new and crazy representations  

humanity will have to express itself  through art soon here in Copernicus Galaxy.