Members of the clans wear full-body tattoos. This is the custom, as Machiko is well aware. The tattoo may include many distinct elements, such as the lotus and reed, as in the case of the Honjowara-gumi, but each element is incorporated into the overall design. The full-body tattoo is intended not merely as a work of art, or to demonstrate devotion to the clan, but also to signal the qualities of strength and patience. Such a tattoo applied in the traditional manner, by hand, using several dozens of different needles, may take as long as a year and a half to complete, and the process is not without discomfort.