An elderly Ainu woman shows off a childhood tattoo on her face outside her village home in 1962 on the island of Hokkaido, Japan.
An elderly Ainu woman on the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan shows tattooing around her mouth that resembles a mustache. The painful tradition of rubbing soot into cuts in her facial skin was done during a girl's childhood to ward off evil spirits and to indicate she was qualified for marriage. The practice stopped more than a century ago after being outlawed by the Japanese government. This woman was one of only 300 pure-blooded Ainu (pronounced I-noo) still living when she posed for this historical photograph in 1962. Since that time the Ainu have assimilated into Japanese society and their age-old customs, ceremonies and crafts are only seen today in special tourist villages. The Ainu were officially recognized as indigenous people of Japan in 2008.
Size: 3382px × 5215px
Location: Hokkaido, Japan, East Asia
Photo credit: © Michele and Tom Grimm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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