Grindhouse movies exploded onto cinema with a style of soft-core sexplotation films in Japan. The cult genre known as Pink Films or Pinky Violence had it's height of success in the mid-60's to the late 70's. The cinematography and presence of powerful female roles have had a large influence on today's film makers. This is evident in the movie Kill Bill by director Quentin Tarantino.
Pink films are known to be sexed up bad girl action films with stories of betrayal and revenge. These strong sexy women were often depicted with extensive tattoos. When these ladies flashed their recognizable ink to a rival gang they made it clear that they were about to kick some ass. Till this day tattoos in Japan are associated with organized crime members of the Yakuza.
One of my favorite examples is the Female Yakuza Tale, Teruo Ishii’s sequel to Sex and Fury. The movie opens with actress Reiko Ike proudly revealing her tattoos with sword in hand ready to reek havoc on her enemies. *Slight Spoiler* The movie ends in a full blown Yakuza massacre headed by an army of naked swordswomen. It's an epic finale of blood and guts!
