Cultural Chest Tattoo
In Japan, tattoos are far less common than they are in the United States or in portions of Europe. Originally associated with the yakuza, or Japanese mob, the full body tattoos in the style known as horimono often cover most of the chest. These chest tattoos are unique because the tattoo artists usually do not cover the center of the chest. Leaving a center strip bare in horimono means that men (women are not recipients of this sort of full body tattoo) can partially unbutton their shirts and not show off their tattoos.
The Maori are also known to tattoo their chests in a cultural/ritualistic way. This tribe is most commonly known for the tattoos that adorn their faces and heads, but these swirled, hand-tattooed symbols can also extend down the neck and onto the chest.
