A large dragon was depicted on the man's back

dragon depicted on the back of a masn — Dragon depicted on the man's back

Near the entrance of Yoyogi Park, walking from the direction of Harajuku Station, I came across a group of men in leather jackets standing in a circle. Their hair was styled into magnificent pompadours, and the scene felt like a perfectly preserved relic of the Shōwa era. From within the group, one man stepped forward to face another. Both knelt down in silence, staring intently at each other, as though waiting for the start of some solemn ritual.

One of them was bare-chested, and on his back stretched a massive tattoo of a dragon. The creature’s coiled scales and piercing eyes seemed to breathe upon his skin, impossible to look away from. Tattoos have long carried a stigma in Japan, yet they originally developed among fishermen and craftsmen as talismans of protection and faith. Among all designs, the dragon has remained the most admired—a symbol of power and rebirth. Indeed, when a man bears a dragon on his back, even a rockabilly relic of a bygone age can appear almost divine.

Yoyogi Park on Google Map

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