Ornamental tattooing is gaining strength

Decorative tattooing is gaining more and more space and is starting to approach the traditional Japanese style we know today.

In the Hōreki era (1751-1764), ornamental tattooing began to become popular in the form of small drawings depicting family crests and namakubi (freshly severed heads).

In the Meiwa era (1764-1772) dragon tattoos are fashionable, but they are still large freestanding pieces on backs or arms. These tattoos do not yet have the patterned look that would assume a few decades later.
Then people also tattooed motifs such as the Buddhist deity Fudō Myō-ō, supernatural creatures such as yōkai, scenes from gokumon (public namakubi exhibitions) or hannya masks from the tatro noh.

The ornamental tattoos made at this time have nothing to do with criminal tattoos, but many criminals take advantage of the sense of fear caused by these marks and tattoo themselves to make themselves look more threatening. in the eyes of the population. These tattoos of an intimidating nature are known as ikakubori. 

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horimono_(tatuaje)#Tatuaje_penal_o_irezumi
https://tattmag.com/namakubi-tattoo/
https://glessnicolas.wixsite.com/japon-nicolas-gless/4--cabezas-cortadas-y-seppusku
https://amaterasu.com.ar/hannya-la-mascara-y-su-simbolismo/

Pinheiro Maués, Juliana (2019): Bravos citadinos: estudio das representações da tatuagem em estampas de ator do kabuki de Utagawa Kunisada. Repository of Unicamp's scientific and intellectual production.