Irezumi
Irezumi is not done with any tattoo machines. It is done with metal needles that are put on wooden sticks with silk. It uses a special type of ink called Nara ink. Ainu and Ryukyuan tattoos use ink from indigo plants. Making irezumi in this way takes a long time. It is also painful to get irezumi. Tattoos are made by a small number of people named horishi. Horishi usually have apprentices that work with them.