Tattoos by Utagawa Kunisada

Tattooing was fashionable among the demimonde: firemen, gangsters, prostitutes would often be tattooed. The single sword carried here suggests that these men are otokodate, "chivalrous commoners," who banded together to right abuses committed by arrogant samurai (who would wear two swords). The tattoo on the man standing shows Raiko killing a giant spider with a club. Today tattooing is the hallmark of yakuza gangsters - tattoos like this can still be seen in public bathhouses. | Located in: Private Collection. (Photo by �� Asian Art & Archaeology, Inc./CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)