Kishobori - Kishobori

...The custom of tattooing is said to have begun in the early Edo period in the brothels of the Kansai region with the custom of tattooing. In this custom, prostitutes would tattoo the number of moles representing the age of their partner on the inside of their left upper arm as proof of their love, or men and women would tattoo moles on the base of each other's thumbs. This custom was also called "kisho-bori." This custom became popular in Edo, and eventually the custom of tattooing the partner's name in the form of "so-and-so no mei" was born. ...

*Some of the terminology used in reference to "Kishobori" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…江戸初期に関西の遊廓でおこった〈入れぼくろ〉の風習が彫物の風俗の始まりという。これは遊女が愛の証しとして左の二の腕の内側に相手の年齢の数のほくろを入れたり，男女が互いに親指のつけ根にほくろを入れるもので，〈起請（きしよう）彫〉ともよばれた。この風習は江戸でも流行し，やがて〈某命〉という形式で相手の名前を彫る風も生まれた。…

※「起請彫」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報