Inspired by the ancient Japanese tebori (hand carved) tattooing techniques, the traditional Japanese style was popularized in Japan by the Yakuza, the Japanese criminal underworld. Like American traditional, it is based on bold black outlines and minmal shading, but typically features images inspired by traditional Japanese art and nature as well as creatures and characters from Japanese folklore. Traditional Japanaese imagery typically consists of lotus flowers, koi fish, tigers, warriors and waves.