Can people with tattoos do koryu?

[kuoshu]

I remember once Meik Skoss posted that he would not accept a student of koryu if that person had any tattoos. He would examine them to make sure (and his wife would check the female applicants).
Is this common among koryu arts, or is this particular to Mr Skoss?
How about the koryu teachers in Japan? Will they take a student with tattoos? If not, why? Is it because they are suspected to have links with Yakuza?

 

[mrhnau]

I remember once Meik Skoss posted that he would not accept a student of koryu if that person had any tattoos. He would examine them to make sure (and his wife would check the female applicants).
Is this common among koryu arts, or is this particular to Mr Skoss?
How about the koryu teachers in Japan? Will they take a student with tattoos? If not, why? Is it because they are suspected to have links with Yakuza?

Thats just about as silly as only taking applicants w/ tattoos. As long as they are not obscene or fresh (still having some blood), what the problem?

BTW, do you have reference for such a policy? I'd have to see that to honestly believe it.

 

[Andrew Green]

Sounds like taking a Japanese idea, and missing the point: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irezumi

 

[Kreth]

Is it because they are suspected to have links with Yakuza?

Yeah, lots of white boys in the Yakuza...

 

[kuoshu]

BTW, do you have reference for such a policy? I'd have to see that to honestly believe it.

It was a post he made on eBudo, but I can't find it anymore.
However, Dave Lowry talks about the incident in one of his books. Either "Traditions" or "Moving Towards Stillness".
Sorry I can't be more help.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Really this is ridiculous if true.:idunno:

 

[Drac]

Really this is ridiculous if true.:idunno:

I thought that only Disney World had that ignorant rule about people with tattoos not being eligible for employment...

 

[Andrew Green]

Nope, sometimes martial artists like to grasp at and enforce what they "think" to be Asian traditions. Fortunately, anyone that would have such a rule is not someone I would ever want to train under

 

[Drac]

Nope, sometimes martial artists like to grasp at and enforce what they "think" to be Asian traditions. Fortunately, anyone that would have such a rule is not someone I would ever want to train under

I hear ya Andrew and agree..

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Nope, sometimes martial artists like to grasp at and enforce what they "think" to be Asian traditions. Fortunately, anyone that would have such a rule is not someone I would ever want to train under

Andrew you are right on there.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

kuoshu do you have a link to where you read this information?

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I ask because I found a thread on the site you mentioned and it was someone else quoting Meik Skoss. Third hand information is usually not very realiable and I would like to not speculate on such third hand info if possible.

 

[Sukerkin]

I don't personally know if the 'rule' is true or not but I have read replies on another fora (where this topic is started with exactly the same first post) from people with experience of training in the Japanese koryu schools.

Those replies suggest that it may very well be true that, for some schools, having tattoos is a definite non-starter.

Given the koryu nature of these schools, no matter how mad it may appear to observers, it is not possible to dispute the decision as they have every right to make it.

In the final analysis, this is Japanese culture we're talking about here and some of their prejudices are simply not going to make sense to Western minds, just as no doubt the reverse is true.

EDIT: For those interested in discoursing it with people who may know more, here is the URL for the other thread:

http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64995&page=1

 

[Touch Of Death]

I remember once Meik Skoss posted that he would not accept a student of koryu if that person had any tattoos. He would examine them to make sure (and his wife would check the female applicants).
Is this common among koryu arts, or is this particular to Mr Skoss?
How about the koryu teachers in Japan? Will they take a student with tattoos? If not, why? Is it because they are suspected to have links with Yakuza?

Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Sean

 

[Blindside]

Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Sean

Um no, you don't have a right to instruction under him, all he has to do is say "no, I won't teach you."

 

[Touch Of Death]

Um no, you don't have a right to instruction under him, all he has to do is say "no, I won't teach you."

However, once you are student and get a tattoo...

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Well let us just hold our horses as we do not know if Mr. Skoss said anything of the sort. Hopefully Koushu can provide us with a link to where Mr. Skoss said this.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Well let us just hold our horses as we do not know if Mr. Skoss said anything of the sort. Hopefully Koushu can provide us with a link to where Mr. Skoss said this.

my horses also want to know his policy on removed tatts.
sean

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

my horses also want to know his policy on removed tatts.
sean

:rofl:

 

[Monadnock]

The "policy" is that Mr. Skoss prefers you do not have them. There are people who train under him who have tattoos. Generally, the tattoos are not visible (no tats on the neck, nuckles, wrists, etc.) I believe they are encouraged to have them removed. This comes from a Confucian viewpoint, if I am not mistaken, and as others have posted, it is their school -- they're the boss -- if you don't like it, there's the door.