History and Culture
The most well known historical use of this involves the Yakuza of Japan, an organized crime syndicate whose members perform several notable types of body modification, including full body irezumi tattooing and Yubitsume, the amputation of finger joints in penance to their superiors. Pearling is performed in prison by the Yakuza, with each pearl supposedly symbolizing a year spent in prison.
Pearling, called 'bolitas', is a fairly common practice among Filipino seamen, especially among the older ones. They say they learned the practice from Japanese seamen.
Read more about this topic: Pearling (body Modification)
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