The yakuza, an identity mafia

For a few decades, tattooing has been an unprecedented craze in the West. In the past, only sailors and some marginal populations had recourse to it. This is no longer the case.In Japan, it is a thousand-year-old art that has taken on very diverse meanings over the centuries, but it is considered to be the prerogative of the yakuzas. As a mark of identity, the tattoo seals a tacit pact between the novice and the organization, which chooses its tattoos.The anti-gang laws of 1992 put an end to the influence of the yakuzas on the Japanese society and, under penalty of fine, it is forbidden to display tattoos. Also, the members of the organization are careful not to show them in public.David Cardoso is a member of the yakuza tattooists' brotherhood. He reveals the practices in force within this universe which remains impenetrable to any Westerner, where tattooists and yakuza share the same codes.