Munewari Minutes

2012-01-02T10:51:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! This year is the year of the Dragon, and mine are coming along beautifully.

This is my left wrist, almost done! Next week we'll put the finishing touches on this one, and I wouldn't be surprised if we finished the other dragon as well.
On New Year's Day I went to the annual Coney Island Polar Bear Swim, which was a lot of fun. My first time, and the mild weather this year made it much easier than I imagined. Still, the Atlantic is chilly in January!

There was a large crowd gathered and as soon as I stripped down to my trunks there was plenty of curiosity. I didn't expect it, but old women were the most straightforward. Not afraid to touch and ask lots of questions! I'm plenty happy to talk to nice old ladies though.

2011-12-10T12:12:00.001-08:00

Finally got my copy of the Bloodwork book. Wow! I'm blown away. The first surprise was when the two volume set was handed to me. It's so damn heavy I almost dropped it on my foot. I'd say about 30lbs of great tattoo pics.

Wonderful design on the cover, as you can see. The second surprise was when I opened the book - they used one of my pictures for the inside cover! Guess they liked it.

These books cover many different artists from all over the world, and the general format is a cover page with a portrait of the artist and a map showing their location, and then several pages devoted to each tattoo collector associated with that artist. Each collector gets a smaller portrait, a fold-out three page spread with a couple of views, as well as a few more pages devoted to more full-page views and several detail shots. These are all full body tattoos, hence the "Bodies" name.

My name is actually misspelled on my title page, but I'm not mad. I was actually reconsidering giving my full name in the first place. Problem solved! My bare ass is all over the damn place, is it wrong to hope for a modicum of anonymity?

Here's my three-page foldout. Trying to suck in my gut. ;)

Another view of my back, and some detail shots.
I don't want to share photos of the other artwork, but trust me, there is plenty of tremendous artwork showcased in these two books. This is absolutely the best tattoo book I own as far as quality of subjects, pictures, and overall design and packaging. If you're an appreciator of tattoo art like me, do yourself a favor and check out this book. I'm honored to be a part of it.

2011-11-29T18:28:00.001-08:00

Here are a couple of pics of my right wrist. As you can see, we started to color it in. Green! Quite pleased so far (as usual).

Regulars may remember that some time ago I was photographed for the "Bloodwork: Bodies" tattoo book. Well it's finally out! For full details, check out the website here. Looks like this is an amazing book. The photographers took their time doing tons of shots to put together a panoramic view, which seems to be one of the trademarks of this series. Can't wait to get my hands on a copy.

2011-11-18T18:08:00.001-08:00

Did an amazing photo shoot last night. Japanese-themed thing for a well-known magazine featuring beautiful famous people..and me. Will definitely post a photo when the magazine comes out in a few months. This weekend I have a tattoo session, will be posting new photos of that very soon.

2011-10-23T06:17:00.000-07:00

Starting the color on the dragon on my right arm. Interesting to see the tebori at work on a smaller scale piece.

2011-09-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

Outlines of both dragons are done. My right arm is still healing, but I think you get the idea. Now comes the shading!

Forearms / Outside

Wrists / Inside

2011-09-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

And...Blogger just forced an upgrade to my template and hosed my whole layout. Sorry, I'll try to get that sorted soon..

2011-09-04T12:54:00.000-07:00

So now that the primary munewari tattoo shape has been completed, what next?

Well, if you are an admirer of Japanese tattoo, you may have noticed there are several common forms of tattoo that appear outside the edges of a munewari or other large tattoo shape. I don't know if there is a proper term for this class of items, but I've always thought of them as sort of "finishing touches" that mark the completion of the tattoo. Visually, they are similar to a gate or border around the edges of the tattoo. I've always made a connection to the edges of protective seals used in the occult, like the outside of this fanciful seal from John Dee (notice the similarity to mandala!).

For me tattoos have always shared something in their essence with talismans. But that's just me. For everyone else, perhaps these are just interesting things to get tattooed once you're done with a big project but hungry for more ink. Let's look at some different types. Images are taken from "1000 Japanese Tattoos, Shisei Zekka Soran Vol. 1", sorry about the terrible quality.

Juzu

Juzu, or prayer beads, are probably the most common type I see. These are used by Buddhists and Hindus to keep track while chanting or reciting mantras, etc. I suppose a rosary would be the Western equivalent. There are many types, from ornate to plain, and are usually made of wood.

Note the juzu at the end of the half sleeve

Another popular choice would a few kanji (Chinese characters used in Japan). I've also seen bonji, a script used to write Sanskrit (typically a mantra or sutra).

Please don't let this say "BAD MOTHERFUCKER"

And yet another option I've seen, but less frequently, is a dragon.

Small drag and juzu

In speaking with Shinji I discovered he saw the overall shape/effect of my tattoo as being akin to a temple. Seen in this light, the outer edge is similar to the temple gate. I was pleased that his view was quite similar to my own. In keeping with the "gate" theme, we selected two dragons.
For those of you not familiar with the layout of a Buddhist temple, a refresher - at the temple gate in Japan, as well as in China and in Korea, typically stand two fierce looking guards. In Japan these are known as "Nio."

These figures are the protectors of the temple, and are a complementary pair. The open-mouth figure is called “Agyō,” who is uttering the sound “ah.". His close-mouth partner is called “Ungyō,” who sounds “un” or “om." These sounds represent the first and the last, similar to the Western alpha and omega. This formula is the same as utilized to form the Sanskrit sacred words "AHAM" or "OM". Check out this site or Wikipedia more info on the Nio.
You'll notice in temples that Ungyō is on the left and the Agyō on the right. You may also see temples with komainu or "lion dogs" in front - at times these may be in a mouth-open/mouth-closed pair, alluding to the same symbolism.
Shinji has already outlined on dragon on my left arm, and will outline the other dragon on my right arm this evening. Next post should be in a few days and will be pictures of the new work. I just thought it would be helpful to explain the symbolism first. Of course, you could ignore all this and say "Oh a dragon, that's some pretty standard Asian-type tattoo to get." I'm quite certain that's what most people will do. Besides, I'll be pretty tired of explaining this whole thing soon anyway. Take care!

Kintaro - Feminine?

2011-07-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

In the past month I've noticed two pretty young ladies sporting Kintaro tattoos. Does that strike anyone else as rather odd?

Kintaro, a semi-mythical character supposedly based on a real fellow by the name of Sakata Kintoki, is the quintessential Japanese masculine figure. He his known for his great strength, and his legendary exploits in battles alongside Minamoto no Yorimitsu. In Japan, it is a common custom to decorate a young boy's room with images of Kintaro, in the hopes they will one day be a strong young man.
I cannot deny that perhaps there is a certain "cuteness" to Kintaro. The Kintaro image, especially in a childlike rendering, denotes a certain gentleness. It is this combination of strength and kindness which drew me to the imagary.

Mapping mythological figures across cultures is always difficult, and I'm not a mythologist by a long shot. But the first distinctly American figure that comes to mind when trying to find a cross-cultural analogy to Kintaro is Paul Bunyan. As you may know, Paul Bunyan is a mythological lumberjack who entered American folklore in the mid to late 19th century.
From Wikipedia:

One legend says that at the mouth of the river in the Two Mountains area near Saint-Eustache, Quebec, loggers stormed into battle against the British, among them a fierce and bearded giant named Paul Bonjean, monikered as "Bonyenne"....Defender of the people, the popular hero's legends moved up-river from shanty ("chantier" in French) to shanty.

Later iterations of this story coupled Paul Bunyan with his trusty giant blue ox sidekick, Babe, a similarity to Kintaro and his fondness for playing with animals. Legends of Bunyan often feature outlandish feats of childhood strength, much like Kintaro's most famous tale in which he wrestles a giant koi. In this picture Paul is carrying an axe - another symbol long associated with Kintaro.
So again I ask - given the cultural significance, is Kintaro an appropriate image from a woman, or has this bit of Japanese folklore been taken out of it's context? I'm leaning towards the later, but I'm always open to other explanations and opinions.

2011-07-11T14:59:00.000-07:00

For you enthusiasts of Horitoshi family artists, Toshihide will be working out of local shop Invisible NYC for two weeks starting on July 20th. Contact info for the shop is here. Give'em a shout for more info on availability! Here are a few pics of his work:

2011-07-02T09:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the mediocre pics and the poorly tied fundoshi! That's all I got.

this koi was the last bit, mostly white on the fins and some color on the head

The camera when off here by accident, but it's better detail then the other front facing pics..

Painting in the background by my wife..

2011-06-28T04:04:00.000-07:00

Big news - I just completed my munewari tattoo on Sunday night! After 7 years, wow. Of course, I still have a few things planned; but this is a big milestone for me. Pics soon.

2011-06-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

Hiya Folks,
Been a busy month for me, but here's the down and dirty:
The tattoo is progressing nicely. We spent one session filling in some leaves orange on my forearm and my tricep. Wow, a little bit of color on my arm changes everything!

We also worked on the koi on my torso some more, filling it in with more black and gray. Next time, we'll put some color in there.

I stopped by the NYC Tattoo convention a few weeks ago, and actually had a better time than I expected. I got to chat with Mike McCabe about his "Tattoos of Indochina" book. He signed my copy afterwards. Nice dude!

Signed, you can have my copy for $1,000,000 USD

Oh, and here's a related article that came up today on the Needles and Sins blog about an effort in Thailand to crack down on religious tattoo tourism. Interesting stuff.
Speaking of Needles and Sins, while at the convention I finally got a chance to meet Marisa Kakoulas. She's the primary contributor / blog queen round those parts of the web. It was nice to harass her in person instead of just on Twitter for a change. (follower her here and while you're at it, follow me too here.)
Shinji was hanging around the convention despite the lack of an offical New York Adorned presence, and he was nice enough to introduce me to Bill and Junii of Diamond Club Tattoo Studio in San Fran. Good people!

That's Junii on the right, sporting a Horitoshi suit! Pic is not mine, pulled from flickr

I spent most of the convention sitting at the bar, people watching. Pretty damn entertain stuff. Till next time!

2011-05-07T06:36:00.000-07:00

Last session we started to fill in the koi on my left torso. I think at the next session we'll be able to finish the black entirely (not just in the koi, but the entire tattoo). Apologies for the rather blurry pic, I'm short on time this AM. We just hit around the 200 hour mark by my not-very-precise count, for those wondering how long this takes.

I also thought I'd share a pic of my lovely fiancé and a gentleman who stopped by her bar a few weeks back. Facial tattoos....yup.

Oh, and here's a link to an interesting blog I happened upon recently. It follows the progress of a back piece by Yokohama Horiken and features great photography.

2011-04-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

During my last session we went and filled in everything waiting for some red ink. That meant mostly work on my arm, and some on my torso.
We're getting very close to completion now! Shinji and I are already talking about next steps, and have a few ideas we're considering. Nothing huge, more like finishing touches.
It's difficult to imagine what it's be like when we reach that final day, we've been working on this project for so long that semi-regular tattoo sessions just seem like a part of my life.

2011-03-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates, I just moved to a new apartment and the last month has been crazy. I've got an appointment later today, and we're finally starting some color on my left arm, so that's pretty exciting. During my last appointment we got the whole koi filled in, an olive green with some orange and red highlights on the head. Looking pretty good!

Sorry, I whined a little about my busy month, when that's nothing compared to the last few weeks in Japan. My thoughts are with them. If you feel so inclined, you can make donations here via the Japan Society, an organization I'm a member of and trust.

2011-02-05T06:11:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a long time, but I finally have some progress to report! As soon as I heard Shinji was back in town, I setup an appointment. That was 2 weeks ago, and I have another scheduled for tomorrow. Here are a few shots of the recent work, you'll note we started to fill in the koi on my left arm. The plan is to color it similarly to the one on my right torso - primarily black and highlighted with color around the edges and on the head.
Shinji is scheduled to be working out of Adorned soon and accepting new clients, for those of you looking to get in touch with him. I believe he said they were planning some renovations, and he'll start as soon as that is completed. I'm sure the shop can fill you in on the details if you give'em a call.

Shinji back in the States!

2011-01-12T03:56:00.000-08:00

Got a call from Shinji yesterday, and he's back in the States! I'm very excited to start working on my tattoo again after waiting for months for his visa situation to get sorted. Whoop! Expect more updates soon.

2010-12-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

Shinji pulls out the tattoo machine to work on the outline on my back, circa late 2004 when he still worked out of the 2nd Ave. Adorned location. Wish I had some picks from the old 55 Tattoo shop!

2010-11-09T15:22:00.000-08:00

Apologies for the lack of updates, unfortunately there just isn't a whole lot to report. Shinji is in Japan getting his visa sorted, and until then I'm just holding tight and hoping we can finish up this project soon.

Recently I met up with Adrian Lee of Bloodwork: Sleeves fame for a photo shoot. He's working on a new book entitled "Bloodwork: Bodies" that's out in October of 2011. If the pictures turn out well then I'll be in that book, but even if I'm not, I'm curious to check out it out as the previous book looks amazing. Photographer Max Dolberg was also there making the camera go click-click and being very patient with me. Two very nice cats, best of luck to them on the book!

Thanks to the folks at New York Adorned for the color pic, nabbed from their blog here. They also hosted Adrian's shoots while in NYC. The b&w pic is from Adrian's page.

2010-09-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. I don't have an appointment with Shinji again until next month. I'm anxious to get started again! For now, check out this great gallery of tattoo pics, mostly pretty old: http://photos.denverpost.com/mediacenter/2010/09/tattoo-trends/

(Link via Needles And Sins blog)

2010-07-16T14:14:00.001-07:00

Oh yes - the outline is completed! Bring on the color! Not fully healed, but I'm just too excited to wait. The only downside of this latest tattoo session is not being able to swim during some of the hottest weather in recent memory. ;)

2010-07-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots of the latest work. It's been a month since I was last tattooed and I'm still not fully healed! Yes, my healing time is a little slower these days, but I think the main issue this time is the area in question is constantly rubbing against my jeans and being irritated. If I had to do it over, I would have worn a bandage for a few days. That or not wear pants for a week - although, that tactic may not go over well with my neighbors. ;)

Is it strange that I'm often unable to answer questions regarding the details of my tattoo? If someone asks me, "What exactly is tattooed on your left thigh?", I usually can't remember. I guess it's because I don't spend a whole lot of time looking at it, and I didn't really participate in the design process other than in the broadest sense (along the lines of "Yup, more koi and maple leaves sounds good.")

Question of the week, from random guy at the beach:

"Yo! Yo! Yooooo! How much that tattoo cost?"
"A lot"
"Yeah, but how much?!"
"A lot"

Gotta love the classy folks at Coney Island.

Next session: will the background be completed? Could happen, we're pretty damn close.

2010-06-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

I've been considering putting this together for a while now based on the amount of questions I get, and I finally got around to it. I was reminded yesterday after Shinji decided to do a little touch up work on my backside. Here's a chart which illustrates my personal experience with tattoo pain.

Green is "Drill, baby, drill!", yellow is "Yeah great, I can deal", orange is "How much longer?" and red is "MOMMY!". You can't see it here really, but I'd put armpits in the red and inner biceps in yellow-orange. Two important things to mention: first, this is my own personal experience and is by no means universal - I'd really like to hear if this matches your own! And secondly, behind the knees, shins, and top of feet is based on anecdotal info - but opinion seems to be unanimous.

For the record: I think anticipated tattoo discomfort is a terrible reason to not get a tattoo. An hour or two in the studio is over before you know it and forgotten that day, but a tattoo lasts a hell of a lot longer.

2010-06-07T05:34:00.000-07:00

A few things:

Here's a great tattoo blog I read occasionally, and I was reminded of it again today when they gave this blog a mention: Needles And Sins. Why can't I come up with a catchy name like that? Another difference is it's regularly updated and covers a variety of topics. So check it out! Today's post talks about some big changes at Adorned.
I've said it before, but really folks - there's a pretty big difference between a cannabis leaf and a japanese maple leaf. For those who rarely get a chance to look at the stuff before smoking it, I've put together a handy visual aid.

I have a tattoo appointment today, wonder what we'll work on?

2010-05-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

Today marks the six year anniversary since I embarked on my Japanese tattoo adventure. Wow, time flies! A lot has changed since then. When I started, Shinji was working at the since shuttered 55 Tattoo studio on West 19th Street. After the last 4 1/2 successful years at New York Adorned (during which the fabulous Brooklyn location was opened), I'm very happy to say Shinji is now on the verge of owning his own private studio! Congratulations, Shinji - I'm so happy for you!

Let's break down some numbers:

5 full years of tattooing
~190 hours of tattoo time (that's about 1 2hr session every 3 weeks)
2 book appearances and 2 magazine appearances (and featured in all sorts of Adorned material)
1,000,000 bottles of ointments and creams

One number people are always asking about is money spent. I won't give a figure, but I will say that my initial estimate of 20K-30K turned out to be quite accurate.
Here's a shot of me after my first 2 hour session on 5/29/2004 from Ye Olde Blog archives, with the three tattoos I since covered up still visible:

This morning I was looking over my very first blog post, in which I wrote "To me this is a work about strength, perseverance and transformation." How did I do on those? Yes, I persevered. Am I stronger? Well, I guess I am more confident in my strengths after the aforementioned perseverance. Have I been transformed? Yes - but only to look at ;).

Some things I learned:

Don't consider undertaking such a tattoo unless time and money are no object.
Respect your tattoo artist and their craft. Treat him or her like a professional and an artist.
Be ready for pointed questions and stares. I can be aloof by nature so this is still a tough one for me.
Japanese tattoo was an entry point for me into the world of Japanese art and culture in general, which has been tremendous.
There is a vibrant tattoo community out there which is worth exploring. The artists can be fiercely competitive but I also sense a common bond and mutual respect/admiration among peers. Those of us who enjoy receiving tattoos are in it for as many reasons as there are people, but at the end of the day the is an understanding through shared experience and art.

I'm not sure why I started blogging about this. Hopefully this has provided some sort of useful information to someone out there and is not a worthless journey to the center of my ego. There have been some great people that were connected to me via this blog, and for that, I'm thankful.

Now lets see if I can get this finished in the next year!

2010-05-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

Just got back from the NYC tattoo convention. A few artists that caught my eye: Jess Yen, Boris Tattoo, Dan Henk, Noon, and Horitoyo. Oh, and "hi" Dmitri! Nice meeting you.

2010-05-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

Here's a great article with tons of old school Japanese tattoo pictures and some wonderful insights from artist Horihide.

2010-05-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

The background on my left side is moving along nicely, slowly approaching my waist from both ends. Definitely feeling some dread about today's session! (I whine a lot, right?)
In other news, I recently discovered Google thinks I'm some sort of authority on "munewari" tattoos. Ah, those foolish, foolish algorithms.

2010-03-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

The background on my left armpit area is now all filled in! Now it's just the slow steady march down towards my knee. I'm hoping he takes a break to throw some color in my arm.

2010-02-22T08:33:00.000-08:00

After a long lag, here are the latest pics. You'll note we did some work on my left torso, attaching to my back and creeping up towards my armpit. We've basically run out of pleasantly places to tattoo, so I know what to expect going in - a few hours of arrg.
I found out the other day that New York Adorned has a fancy new iPhone app which showcases work from the shop. Guess who's ass is prominently featured? Yup, yours truly. I'm glad they photoshopped out my old tattoo which you can still see in those pics before my arms were covered. Tribal armband FTW! Hah.

2010-01-20T12:53:00.000-08:00

Here's a shot of the session from about 1 month ago. We shaded the water surrounding the koi on my left torso and also started connecting this area to my back. We edge a bit closer to completion every time.

2009-12-13T08:06:00.000-08:00

At the last session we worked on the left side of my chest a bit. I think today we're going back down to the leg. For this appointment, I must admit there is a bit of dread as I bring out the fundoshi (or as I like to call it, my "tattoo thong") for the first time in a loooong time.

2009-11-19T06:04:00.000-08:00

Totally Stylin' Tattoo Barbie?!?!

2009-11-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

As you can see, we're now working on the bottom left end of the tattoo, in the middle of my left thigh. A decent place to start after a long break in sessions, as it is not very painful. Although I'm already dreading the slow movement toward my pelvic area over the next few sessions. There's a bit of healing left, but I figured I'd get a picture out before today's session.
I've definitely been tempted a few times over the years, and more lately, to get other small tattoos separately from the bodysuit. It's fun to get little tattoos occasionally, and get new work by different artists. But I just love the purity of my tattoo at the moment, and I don't want to get anything else which would interfere with it. I guess this makes me a tattoo monogamist, har har har.

2009-10-26T14:45:00.001-07:00

Tattoo appointment tomorrow! YES! Excited to get back to it. More soon updates soon, hope all of you out there getting work done are still going strong.

2009-09-13T06:09:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update: I'm almost fully healed from my motorcycle accident so I went ahead and made an appointment with Shinji for next month. My appointment is still a ways away but I'm very excited to start back up again. I guess I could have made it a little bit sooner, but after months of being in casts and having my jaw wired shut I still just need a few weeks to relax before it's tattoo time.

2009-07-31T11:59:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to say there may not be any updates for a little while as a couple of weeks ago I was in a nasty motorcycle accident. Once my bones heal I'll make an appointment but until then please wish me luck! By the way, I had jeans and a leather jacket on so it seems the tattoo did not end up as pavement decoration thank God!

2009-06-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

At the last session we started to tattoo on the top of the left side of my chest. You can see we also finished the background on the top of my left arm/shoulder. I changed my tattoo bandaging and aftercare routine up a bit and the results were a dramatic improvement in healing. After just a few days my tattoo was looking pretty good, which is amazing considering I have some spots from over a month ago that are not 100% yet. Hopefully I can replicate those results after my next session - I have a vacation to Florida planned 10 days after the session and I want to be able to do a little swimming and get out on the beach (after heavy sunblock applications of course).

Oh, I also checked with Shinji and confirmed he does not have a website outside of the Adorned site.

2009-06-18T02:38:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd share an amusing article I saw here. A woman is suing a tattoo artist who she claims mistakenly covered half of her face with star tattoos when she feel asleep during the procedure. Apparently she only wanted a few stars but woke up with 56. I have to call bullshit on this one - I think it's a case of buyer's remorse. Part of the reason I'm so skeptical is I can't imagine falling asleep while getting your face tattooed. Many tattoo artists won't tattoo your face if you ask, and with good reason: it can change your life and most people are not happy with the result.

2009-06-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

It's all starting to come together! As you can see, my left arm is almost completely connected to my back. The background on my arm is also very close to completion. The most recently tattooed areas are not fully healed yet, but I have time today to get pictures posted and I don't want to miss another session's worth of pics before my upcoming tattoo appointment.

Looking at my back with the arms attached makes me realize how far I've come. Strange how things can move along steadily right underneath your nose but it's a rare occasion that you're able to step back and see the progress for what it is. Sometimes this process can be a little trying but moments like this renew my commitment to getting the tattoo completed.

2009-06-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

In response to Ryan's question in the previous post - I don't believe Horizakura has his own website aside from his section on the NY Adorned site. I'll have to ask him next time I see him. I did however come across this set of pictures (appears to have been taken when Shinji still worked out of the 2nd ave location) and this site that has an awesome t-shirt he designed. I just noticed my picture is in the background of the second site - that darn pic pops up all over the place!

2009-06-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

Here's a great interview with Horitoshi from '00, please check it out if you'd like to learn more about him.

2009-06-07T04:54:00.000-07:00

It's 7AM and I'm out of bed, I gave up on hopes of sleeping in today. I had a tattoo session yesterday and I almost never sleep well after a session. You just can't get 100% comfortable if there are parts of your body you can't move or roll over on without discomfort. I also had a session 2 weeks ago, sorry I didn't post pictures but the tattoo just wasn't far enough along in the healing process. Over the past two sessions we've been filling in the background on my upper arm, most of it on the inside near the armpit and yesterday where your arm meets your back. This area takes a bit longer to heal since it is in constant motion. But it's exciting to see the tattoo on my arm starting to be connected to the tattoo on my back. I should be able to get more pics up before my next session in a few weeks.

As I mentioned in my last post, I received a copy of Mario Barth's "Under the Skin" documentary which features Horitoshi. After watching it, I'd have to give it mixed marks. In the documentary Mr. Barth makes his way over to Tokyo for the annual Sanja Matsuri festival, which if you've been following me you know I also visited (I believe I was there the year before Mario, you can check out the archived post with a few pictures here.) The interviews with Horitoshi and family are short, but a picture emerges of the artist as exceptionally committed to his craft and refreshingly humble. A few of Horitoshi's clients are featured and the work they display is just incredible. At the end of the film you also get a taste of the festival, which is just insane - I highly recommend checking it out someday if you can. I suppose what bothered me about the film is that I got the feeling that in the end it is just another promotional tool for the Mario Barth marketing machine; that staking out his rather dubious claims to be the "only Westerner welcome to immerse into this highly guarded world" and thereby raising his own profile was secondary to exploring the world of Horitoshi and Japanese tattoo. But perhaps I'm cynical, so please, check it out yourself and draw your own conclusions.

The other day someone remarked my tattoo was "quite an accomplishment". I reminded them I don't actually do anything, I just lie there. The accomplishment is all Horizakura's.

2009-05-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

During my last session, we started to shade some of the water on my left side. It's a nice change of pace, the light shading heals a little faster. I'd forgotten how the area just around my nipple can be so sensitive...

I stopped by the New York Tattoo Convention yesterday. Usually conventions aren't my thing, but I figured, "what the heck." Actually, I was bored as hell and there was nothing better to do yesterday afternoon. I've attached a picture of some of the business cards I picked up as I made the rounds. Lots of great artists there, I really enjoyed looking at the portfolios. Funny, a friend of mine made the following observation: "strange that you see so many great portfolios at these events but you rarely see really good tattoos on the folks at the convention." Very true! I am always surprised that attentive tattoo artists can always pick up on the fact that my tattoos were done by hand instead of machine. Only a little bit of my sleeves were sticking out from my t-shirt, but time and time again people were calling me over to their booths to ask questions and have a look. Some of them immediately recognized it as work by Horizakura, others just knew that it was tebori and were curious to see more. By around 5PM the place was packed and they were gearing up for the competitions of the day (Best Chest / Back, Best Black & White, etc.) But the crowds were starting to get to me so I left for the day before anyone took the stage.

Edit: I almost forgot, the folks at the Starlight booth were nice enough to give me a copy of Mario Barth's "Under the Skin" documentary which features Horitoshi. I'll post a review once I get a chance to check it out.

2009-04-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

Here you can see the results of my last two sessions. We've been filling in the inside of my arm. I think there's probably only one session left until all the background on my left arm is done!

Random thought: you'd be amazed how many people think I have pot leaves tattooed on my arms! I suppose the differences between a Japanese maple leaf and a marijuana leaf are lost on most, but wow..this is annoying. Especially if it's say, my girlfriend's parents or a coworker. I'm trying to have a sense of humor about it, perhaps responding with something like "DUDE! If ya like that, you gotta check out this tattoo of a bong on my penis. It even grows when you.." (by this point they are walking away rather quickly..)

2009-03-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long delay! The last month has been hell. Moving into my new apartment was a huge pain in the ass, so I've spent my days either moving future and boxes or dealing with completely unreliable brokers / supers / managment / movers / etc. I also had to take some time off from tattoos to let my body heal. My left arm was absolutely not happy, at one point with a month and a half's worth of healing tattoo, rashes, minor infections, etc. My theory is the stresses of moving and my upcoming unemployment did a number on my immune system.

Anyway, I'm finally feeling normal and fully healed. I have an appointment today so I took some picture before the new work is done. Last time we did more work on my arm, and I believe we'll start on my leg today.

2009-02-16T15:47:00.000-08:00

No new pictures today, but I should have some up in a week or so. I've had two appointments since my last update, but unfortunately the last bit is taking longer than usual to heal and the pictures don't due the tattoo justice - which is why I'm not posting them. At this point, the background on my left arm is filled in up to the elbow.
Until next time, I'll leave you with this bit of tattoo humor.

2009-01-20T16:07:00.000-08:00

Hope you had a pleasant New Year! I also had a birthday in there, so the past month has been one of many festivities. These pics are from work done at the end of December. I have a series of appointments starting this week, so I hope to have more regular updates for at least a little while. The bottom edge of my left sleeve is now starting to take shape. I'm glad he's starting with the shading on my arm as the imbalance between and the left and right sides of my body is particularly noticeable there.
One of my Christmas gifts this year was a copy of "Under Way Is The Only Way" by Grime and Horitaka, which I previously mentioned here. I found the book very good and I'd definitely recommend it. Aside from the great pictures, there are interviews with each artist that are in-depth and go a long way towards exposing a more personal side of the artists. I learned a lot of interesting things about Horizakura in there. Funny that after years of regular appointments I hardly know the guy, but I guess that's not too surprising considering neither one of us is very chatty. (Plus I always thought it was a bit rude to talk his ear off while he's trying to work).

2008-12-13T12:11:00.000-08:00

As you can see below, in my last session we started to fill in my left arm. The lines around a few of the rocks were thickened, and some of the water on my forearm and elbow was shaded. Also, a small rock was filled in on the bottom of my bicep.

2008-11-13T03:59:00.000-08:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been three months since I posted any pictures. Unfortunately, I haven't had much new work done in that time. I've been forced to cancel more appointments due to being broke. And I'm afraid it's not going to get better anytime soon - at the end of December I'm getting laid off from my job. I'm sure I'll find a way to finish the tattoo but..it may take longer than I expect.

At any rate, here are some pics of the completed left side outline.

I believe at my next appointment we'll start shading in my left arm.

As Cameron pointed out, there's a new book out entitled "Underway is the only way" by Horitka with an interview with Horizakura. I'm very curious to see a copy, especially since a picture of my tatoo is in it, but I've heard the first edition is already sold out. There should be a second edition out in Spring '09.

2008-09-25T15:49:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to a story on the NYTimes website about the increasing frequency of tattoos in places that were traditionally considered "no go zones" - places like hands, face and neck.
The outline on my left side is done! I'll post pics in a week or so when it is healed.

2008-09-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

Woah, it's been almost a month and a half since my last post. I haven't had an appointment in a while due to scheduling conflicts and being broke (my girlfriend and my bike are eating up the little free cash I have.) But, I do have an appointment tomorrow so I'll be posting an update soon. I'm anxious to get the outline finished and start on the shading!

2008-08-11T18:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay between posts. I had to cancel a few appointments so I'm a little behind schedule. Also, lately I've been a little preoccupied with my new toy. These pictures are of work done about a month ago. You'll notice the outline on my right are is basically finished, and we also did a bit more on my torso area around the koi there. I think the next session will be the last outlining session - after which I'll post some pictures of the entire completed outline on right side.

As someone pointed out in the comments of my last post, there's a documentary out on Japanese tattoo which features Horitoshi. I watched the internet trailer, and it left me a little underwhelmed. I guess I was put off by the fact that the trailer seemed to be more about Mario Barth than it was about Japanese tattoo. But I guess a guy who Inc.com says is looking to build the "Starbucks of tattoo parlors" is no stranger to a little self-promotion. At any rate, I'll probably end up buying it anyway since coverage of Horitoshi is hard to come by, especially in English.

2008-07-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

This picture is of work done a few weeks ago on my left arm. As you can see, there's a large koi swimming up my bicep, with a few rocks and leaves near the bottom edge. This appointment took a little longer than usual since Shinji didn't have a drawing for the koi prepared, but I was still surprised how quickly he was able to sketch it. I came in and he took a few measurements, and about 30 minutes later the sketch of the koi was complete and Shinji was ready to start tattooing. I'm glad my tattoo is starting to have some symmetry, it always bothered me to have one half of my body completely bare and the other half completely covered. I figure I have about 2 more outlining sessions and the entire outline will be complete.

2008-06-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of the most recent work. The bottom edge of the outline is the bottom border of the tattoo, just above my knee. The top edge of this outline is about 4 inches below my left nipple. I'm pleased that we were able to get a decent amount of ground covered during the first outline session. Can't wait for the next appointment!

2008-05-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of the last of the touch-up work done a few weeks ago. You'll note the head of the large koi in the center of my back is now shaded a bit darker, making it consistent with the shading on the more recent koi. I also had the red ink in my backside redone (ouch).

This past Sunday I had an appointment and we began to outline my left side. While that work is too fresh for me to post pictures of, I do have something else - a picture of the tattoo in progress. Strange, over the years I've never managed to get a photograph which illustrates any of the preliminary arrangements; this is the first one. What you see here is a premlinary sketch drawn on your favorite human canvas and narrator. The detailed koi on the bottom was transfered onto me from a predrawn sketch in preparation for the tattoo. The rest of it was drawn on me freehand. First the outside boundaries of the tattoo shape are marked, using a line drawn down the center of my torso as a reference. Then, broad shapes are drawn using a light green marker. You may be able to make out crashing waves and rocks on my chest/torso, as well as the head and fin of a koi on my upper left arm. Next, the final detailed outline is drawn on with a black brush-tip marker. This is then tattooed over. I'll post pictures of the completed outline soon.

2008-04-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

Quick update: Here's a picture from my last session, about a month ago. It was strictly touch-up work on my back, mostly redoing many of the sections in red which never really took well the first time around. Also, small scales were added to the lip of the large koi where before it was just a solid block of color. Shinji thought this would help minimize the appearance of the old tattoo underneath it. I have an appointment today, and I believe there will be a bit more touch-up work, but I am hopeful we will start to outline the left side of my body.

2008-03-09T07:51:00.001-07:00

My right side is finally done. During my last session we finished off the color inside the koi on my ribs. At my next session we will be doing some touch-up work on my back, for the most part trying to fix a few areas where the red did not take. Although it will be a pleasant change from getting my torso tattooed, the back is no picnic, especially the second time around.
Speaking of my back, I was able to get a copy of the February '08 issue of Skin and Ink. When Shinji told me they had a "big" picture of me, I didn't think he meant a full page picture! Now I can proudly say I've had a full page nude photo of me in a Larry Flint publication. I also like that my sweet tribal armband is forever immortalized there. Doh!
In other news, on Friday I went to check out some art at Saved Tattoo here in Brooklyn and had the pleasure of meeting John Reardon. He immediately recognized my sleeve as Horizakura's work and came over to chat with me. After a few minutes of trying to compare Horizakura tattoos (John's upper left arm was done by him) without taking off more clothes than would be appropriate in public, John said "You know..I think there is a picture of you in my book!" He pulled out a copy of his Complete Idiots Guide to Getting a Tattoo and sure enough, there I was in the section on Japanese tattoo! John was nice enough to give me a copy of his book, I'd recommend checking it out if you are thinking about getting a tattoo but don't really know where to start.
Yesterday someone asked me, "Isn't it a little weird to find out you are in a book or magazine? Shouldn't they be asking your permission?" Actually, I'm OK with it. It's not a picture of me really, it's a picture of Horizakura's art work. He should be able to display it wherever he likes. I wouldn't even have a picture of it published outside of this website without asking him first.

2008-02-24T16:06:00.000-08:00

I just found out that Skin and Ink Magazine did an article on Horizakura in their February issue. I hear there's even a picture of me in there. Unfortunately, I could not find a copy. After hours of hitting the stores with no success, I decided to order a copy online and I'll have to wait a few weeks before I see it. Anyway, pick it up if you're a fan of his work.

2008-02-24T08:57:00.000-08:00

Well, I thought we were going to add color during the last session. We did some more grey shading instead. But today, we're definitely adding color..I think. I just want to finish this spot. I'm really tired of getting tattooed there. It's so uncomfortable that after an hour I'm ready to stop for the day.

2008-02-10T08:45:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we did some black shading in the koi on my ribs, here's a pic. I have an appointment today, I imagine we'll be adding color. I really want to start outlining the other side, and I'm so close now. Also, check out Inked Inc. This site focusing on tattooed professionals has been around for a while, but it's new to me.

2008-01-24T16:30:00.000-08:00

Howdy folks. Here are some pictures from 1/23/08. The only thing left to shade in now is the koi in the right-center of my torso. We started it yesterday, and it's a tough spot. Shinji told me that speaking with a few others, they agree it's the worst to sit through. So naturally, my appointment last night was no fun. But I'm very excited to begin outlining the left side of my body. You'll notice the last session was just coloring in odds and ends all over the place. It's a little annoying to have fresh work in many different spots, but luckily I usually heal fairly quickly. Don't know if you can tell, but the green in the leaf near my right hip sort of bled into the gray underneath it. I've got sensitive skin and that's a spot that is particularly so. I've seen it happen in other spots but this is larger and since this is a bright color it's a little more noticable. We may need to go in and do some touch-up over the gray later.

Also, I saw this article in the NYTimes today you might be interested in. It discusses the recent popularity of temporary tattoos. I've certainly seen a lot of these lately. I really got a laugh out of the Miami Ink brand cloth "sleeves" I saw people wearing on Halloween, too funny.

2007-12-26T18:40:00.000-08:00

What's in a business card? I find myself picking these up whenever I stop by a tattoo shop. From busy to bare and everything between, everyone has their own tastes it seems. Maybe once I have enough of these I'll setup a gallery. If you have interesting tattoo business cards, please send some pics my way.

At my last tattoo session, we finished all of the remaining color except for the large koi in the center of my torso. The most recent work is almost done healing, I should have some pics up very soon.

I also wanted to give a shout out to Iron Horse Magazine. I was quite surprised to learn a small picture of me was published in their last issue. I'm just glad this picture wasn't of anything embarresing. It just goes to show you never know who's watching after you've had a few drinks at the bar.

Hope everyone has a wonderful New Year. Happy tattooing in 2008!

2007-12-05T05:29:00.000-08:00

The background on my right side is finally finished! More color soon..

2007-11-24T04:35:00.000-08:00

These pics are of work done over a month ago, on 10/7/07. I did a bit of traveling (New Orleans for Halloween) and so did Shinji, so my appointments have been irregular. Hopefully I can get back on track soon.
Instead of finishing the background, Shinji decided to work in color. As you can see, most of the leaves on my right arm now now filled in with either red or orange. My skin doesn't like red ink very much but it seems to have taken better this time. No problems at all with the orange, although color in general takes a bit longer to heal.
We started to discuss colors for the koi, but we did not reach a decision. Maybe blue? Originally we dicussed maybe a kohaku coloring scheme, but now we're having doubts about such a large area of white ink - I'm not sure it would look good.
We're getting really close to finishing the right side of my body, so I'm already thinking about the left side. Perhaps in another four sessions we will start that, that's only two months!
More pics soon, my last session was a few days ago and it should be healed enough to take pictures within a week.

2007-10-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

No new pics yet, but I should have something in the next week or two. I had to cancel my last tattoo appointment because there was a scheduling conflict with Starlight Tattoo's Annual Tattoo Expo. Horizakura had commited to working there over the weekend alongside his teacher, Horitoshi. Having never been to a tattoo convention, I was curious to see what the fuss was about and decided to stop by on Saturday. I got there a bit late and missed the "Best Back Piece" competition (I wanted to see it, but not to compete). But, I did get to meet Horitoshi briefly when Shinji called me over to show off his work. I also got a chance to see one of Horitoshi's most well known tattoos, a full body suit of dragons and flowers which I've seen in several tattoo books and magazines (see issue 2 of "NIHON DENTOH SHISEI" for a good article on Horitoshi in Japanese, from the same folks who publish "Tattoo Burst"). I wish I'd bought my camera! The Horitoshi family had a good size booth setup and were working on people there. I was glad I had declined moving my appointment to the convention center - there was a large crowd gathered watching and I would have been quite uncomfortable.

2007-09-17T15:45:00.000-07:00

Came across this article on CNN today about the tattoo removal business and "removable" ink. The best part of the article is definitely the comments, everything from "people with tattoos are idiots" to "I'm 20 and I'm certain I'll never regret this tattoo".

On the topic of the health impacts of tattooing, the other day someone said to me, "I heard that once you get your entire body covered in tattoos then you die because your skin can't breathe anymore".

Where do people come up with this stuff?

2007-09-12T19:52:00.000-07:00

I haven't been spending much time at home lately, so I haven't had a chance to take any pictures in weeks. These represent three sessions worth of work. As you can see, the background on the right side of my body is near completion - after one or two more sessions we'll start adding some color. The area under my armpit on the upper part of the ribs wasn't at all pleasant to tattoo, but other than that the past few sessions haven't been too bad. I'm really not looking forward to getting the background near my groin area filled in at the next session.
The last time I was at the shop one of the artists joked that my kidneys were probably turning black. I managed a nervous laugh, but only barely. I've noticed it takes me longer to heal these days. I chalk it up to age and pray all the ink building up inside me isn't taking its toll. I'd be interested to see some studies on the health effects of tattooing. Seems like most of the information out there is anecdotal, which is not surprising - it's not like scientists can just tattoo folks and see what happens in a controlled environment. I try to put my faith in the tattoo community and their collective knowledge on the matter. The artists probably know more than anyone else. I'm assuming that it's a situation similar to steroids. For many years, the body builders and locker room dealers knew more than doctors about the effects of steroids on the human body because they were out there experimenting on themselves every day while scientists were grappling with the ethical issues involved with human testing. That being said, the most common health issues associated with tattooing are transfer of blood-borne illness, infection, allergic reaction and scarring. So far, I'm pretty good on those fronts. I'm still really curious to hear about potential health issues due to extensive tattooing.
I went to the beach a few times this summer (armed with plenty of sunblock of course), and the looks I'm starting to get when I take my clothes off are pretty funny. Sometimes I forget I'm turning into a bit of a freakshow.

2007-08-14T18:15:00.000-07:00

Here are two pics from my 8/5 session. My back is now connected to the front via the sholder, and the outline of the right side is quite clear on the top portion of my chest. The distinctive munewari shape is finally coming into focus. I thought getting tattooed around my collarbone would hurt more than it did, it actually wasn't so bad. At the last session we also discussed doing some touch-up work to a few areas on my back either to minimize areas of cover-up or to try again on places where the color didn't take very well the first time. There are definitely some places where my skin was not very receptive to the red ink in particular.

2007-07-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Now that the background on my arm is complete, we're moving on to my chest. The first picture details work from my last session, two weeks ago. The next two pictures are of the entire piece so far. I've been focused on displaying the newest work so it has been a while since I posted pictures of the whole tattoo. Hopefully this gives some of the "context" or perspective I mentioned in my last post.
There really is not a whole lot of background on the front of my torso, so I think from this point on the background is going to go much faster. I'll probably have one or two more sessions near the top of my chest, and then we'll continue working up from the bottom again from where Shinji left off on the right thigh.
Overheard on the web recently: "Japanese is the new tribal".

2007-07-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

This picture is from 7/15/07, just before my last session. The background on my arm is finally done! As far as pain goes, we saved the best part for last - I'd say the inside of your bicep is fairly sensitve but further into your armpit is worse. Also, this took a long time to heal and it's still not 100%, especially the area where your arm attaches to your chest since it folds and stretches everytime you move your arm in any direction.
A few people have made comments about how the background takes up most of the space on my arm and there's little room for color. One person went as far as to call it a "negative space tattoo". I suppose you really need to see the tattoo as a single piece covering my entire body to get the right sense of scale, thereby putting my arm into the proper context - it's really just a small part of a larger whole.
In other weirdness: this is old news but in case you missed it the first time around, check out this article about a woman who got an advertisement for a casino tattooed on her forehead. She planned to use the money to send her son to a private school where he "promises to get good grades".

2007-07-10T04:38:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting an internet connection in my apartment this week, so updates should be more frequent after that. Here are a few pics I took on 6/22/2007. I've had some work since then, will post more current picutres soon.

2007-05-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

Just came back from a 9-day trip to Japan, and I had a great time. One of the highlights was definitely hanging out in Asakusa, Tokyo for Sanja Matsuri. This festival is starting to be known for open displays of tattoos, something which is very unusual in Japan. In fact this year they banned riding on the mikoshi in order to discourage the more flamboyant displays of tattoos from yakuza types. Still, a few were out in force. Here are some of the pics I snapped. I believe everyone in this set of pictures was tattooed by Horigane (the fellow in the white suit). Please email me if you believe this info is incorrect, my Japanese is pretty bad so it's possible I misunderstood (added 11/27/07 - made a correction, the artist's name is Syodai Horigane (Kanazawa, Kesao), his website is at http://www.horigane.com). Anyway, check out the great work!

2007-05-22T19:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I've been slacking on the updates. These pictures cover work from two sessions. As you can see, there's a bit more shading on my elbow and we've moved further up my arm. The tattoo on my arm is actually connected to my back for the first time.

2007-04-30T16:05:00.000-07:00

At a dinner a few months ago with some folks who work in the tattoo industry, I voiced my opinion that the current fascination with all things tattoo-related was nearing an end. After all, how many tattoo reality TV shows, books, magazines, etc can the public really absorb? So imagine my surprise when the other day I walked by the Macy's department store here in Manhattan and saw their latest window displays which are built around classic tattoo imagery in support of a new line of clothes sporting Ed Hardy's designs. Does the tattoo fad still have legs? Or is this the death knell? Can tattoos maintain their "street credibility" now that they have been whole-heartedly embraced by mainstream corporate America? In the end, it doesn't really matter to me; but it must come as a bit of a blow to those who got tattoos in order to cement their personal "rebel" status. I wonder if tattoos can go the way of the skull - once used to strike fear in the hearts sailors by pirates, but now suitable for baby clothes. In an age where tattoos are increasingly common, can they still be thought of as marks of individuality?

2007-04-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are a few shots of recent work. The first three are after my 3/11/7 session and the second set are after my 4/1/7 session. I've gone again since then and will post more pics soon.

I recently read an article on tattoos in Contexts magazine, a publication of the American Sociological Association. The article, titled "Why Do People Get Tattoos" was written by Miliann Kang and Katherine Jones at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. As the title suggests, the authors discuss the myriad motivations people give for wearing tattoos, especially among women. They also devote some time to discussion of tattoo subcultures (so called "modern primitives" and "tattoo enthusiasts") and the limitations of using tattoos to communicate messages due to cultural stigmas attached to tattoos. The tone of the article is captured best in the following quote:

"While these individuals give varied and multilayered meanings to their own and other's tattoos, their personal assertations are sometimes at odds with the pervasive popular interpretations of tattoos as signs of rebellion or faddishness."

I agree. If your tattoo is a means of communicating a message, it probably won't be very effective since most people already have such strong preconceptions about tattoos.
Some recommended reading cited in the article:

"Tattooed: The Sociogenesis of a Body Art" by Michael Atkinson
"Revolting Bodies: The Monster Beauty of Tattooed Women" by Christine Braunberger
"Bodies of Inscription: A Cultural History of the Modern tattoo Community" by Margo DeMello
"Tattoo Narratives: The Intersection of the Body, Self-Identity and Society" by Mary Kosut
"Bodies of Subversion: A Secret History of Women and Tattoos" by Margot Mifflin

2007-04-09T20:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been slacking with the updates! I've got three sessions worth of pictures to post. Sometime this week I promise to get them up. Until then, check out this movie on the NYTimes website. It's the first in a series of short videos called "The Story of Skin" (sorry, a login is required to view), and it is on tattoos. The description on the site reads "Dr. Nina Jablonski says the human canvas offers something different and deeply personal for a world where fashions are mass produced." The video features a brief appearance by New York's Daredevil Tattoo. Thanks to Josh for forwarding me this.

2007-03-12T04:52:00.000-07:00

These pics show the work done on 2/25/07. The rocks are now starting to be shaded in, and we also did a little more work on the background. I just had an appontment yesterday so I will try to post more pictures shortly. Also, I just purchased a new camera (a Canon SD 900) so I should be able to produce better pictures for this site. In other news, I'm planning a trip to Japan in May so I'm pretty excited about that. I'll be in Tokyo for Sanja Matsuri! I was hoping to have most of the background on my right side finished by then but I'm doubting that I will have enough time.

2007-02-25T12:01:00.000-08:00

Here is the latest batch of pictures. The background now runs completely around my right forearm. I have an appointment later today, and I'm guessing we will continue working up my arm.
I finally picked up a copy of Poysden and Bratt's "A History of Japanese Bodysuit Tattooing". It's a great book. It goes into a lot of detail regarding the history of tattoos in Japan and also the history of Japanese yakuza (mafia) organizations. The book also showcases Horikazu and his work, which is incredible.

2007-02-10T04:36:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of the last session's work, sorry for the delay getting them up. It wasn't fully healed when I took these pictures, but you get the idea.
As you can see, we started on the background on my right forearm and finished the shading of a large splash of water. The forearm is an easy enough place to get tattooed, it doesn't hurt too much at all.

One reason why getting tattooed on the front of my body and arms has been interesting is that I can actually see Horizakura work, carefully placing each spot of color with a deft movement of his hand. It seems he hits my skin at a certain angle, and once punctured, pushes the ink downward with flick of his wrist. Amazingly, he's able to do this quite quickly while maintaining the required precision.

Tebori aside, if you haven't already you should check out Troy Denning at his shop Invisible NYC. He's been doing great work here in NYC for years, and he's also been very friendly the few times we spoke. I understand he has a small gallery at the shop where they showcase various artists, all the more reason to stop by.

2007-01-21T15:22:00.000-08:00

Those of you interested in Japanese woodblock prints or ukiyo-e should check out my latest acquisition: a series of 29 prints depicting the story of the 47 Ronin. If anyone happens to have more info on this series, please contact me. I purchased it from a vendor at an antiques market who did not know much about it.

2007-01-19T09:54:00.000-08:00

A company called Somark Innovations has successfully tested an RFID "tattoo" on cows, mice and rats. An array of needles is used to inject a passive RFID ink which can be read at a distance of 4 feet. Looks like this will be used for branding cattle and...military personnel. More info at The Register and Engadget. Now if this isn't the "mark of the beast", I don't know what is. ;)

I wonder what other applications they'll think of? They already use RFID to process credit card transactions ("Paypass") and are pilot testing the same payment system for use in the subways here in NYC. Now if you can get a tattoo of your baby momma's name on your neck and pay for your beer/cigarettes/lotto tickets by banging your head on the cash register..that would be something.

2007-01-17T19:55:00.000-08:00

The outline on my left side is done! Just a few details to be added here and there, but the bulk of the work is finished. Now Horizakura can start filling in the background again. The plan is to start on my arm and work his way up. Eventually the background creeping up my leg and the background creeping up by arm will meet around my sternum somewhere. The pace of tattoo work has been steady lately, and I don't have enough time to adjust to my new body between sessions. I find myself looking in the mirror and wondering - "Who is this person in front of me? What am I becoming?" Sometimes this sensation is interesting, even pleasant. Other times it's not. I joke that the tattoo has a mind of its own but some days it doesn't feel like that's far from the truth.

Last weekend a few of my coworkers saw the portion of my tattoo which covers my forearm. We all went out for drinks after work, and after a few beers I thought "Fuck it". It was a group of people I'm fairly comfortable with, and no senior management was around. It's just exhausting for me to try to repress every part of my personality that doesn't fit into the narrow slice of humanity we call "corporate culture". I've spent my whole life living on the edges of acceptable and polite society, which basically means I've never felt free to talk about most anything in my past or that happens outside business hours with people at work. I'll be damned if I can't even unwind and enjoy a beer in my off hours.

Anyway, I better stop before I launch into a full-on rant. ;) Next update will be in a few weeks.

2007-01-06T17:35:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Sorry for the delay in posting updates. I was far too busy eating, drinking, being with friends and family, and all those other holiday-type things. As you can see, the incredible man-eating tattoo has started to engulf my right arm. I decided on the seven-tenths length sleeve ("shichibu"). It's primarily composed of more crashing waves and rocks, punctuated with a solitary maple leaf. There is also a small plant growing out of the rock near my elbow. The scale of the tattoo doesn't allow for a whole lot of different elements on my puny arms. The tribal-style tattoo on my upper arm will be completely covered (It won't be missed. Oh, to be 18 again..). This is the first time any of my tattoo work has extended into an area that is usually uncovered (that's outside of my office, of course - at work it's long sleeves everyday). I'm sure it will spark a few interesting conversations since many people, even people I've known for ages, don't know about my tattoo work. These conversations tend to make me a little uncomfortable. Tattooing is a personal thing, and I'm not really much of an exhibitionist (I know, I know..the existence of this blog suggests otherwise ;). People always have such funny notions of what type of person gets a tattoo. Upon seeing the tattoo some people have said "oh, I never would have guessed you were that type of person". For some, the presence of ink in my skin apparently is enough to undo all of our past interactions. Wouldn't it make more sense for these people to reexamine their preconceived notions of "people with tattoos" now that they have some evidence which suggests these theories are bunkum? The next update will be in about 3 weeks. I believe in the next session we are going to complete the outline on the right side of my body.

2006-12-15T04:38:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of the work completed last Sunday. The water being churned up around the koi is now completely shaded. At some point soon, Horizakura will need to begin outlining again since we are only a session or two away from finishing the black and gray shading in the previously outlined area. At the end of my last session he spent some type sketching out the outline for my right shoulder and arm, so I suppose that's where he will start next. I have another session scheduled next week so I should be posting new pictures in about a week and a half.

2006-12-03T18:55:00.000-08:00

Here are the pics of last week's work. It's is not quite healed yet, but it's getting there. The background just above my knee is now completed, I anticipate the rest of my right leg will be completed during the next session. When we first started to connect the new background to the old, I was a little concerned as the new area was noticeably darker. Over the past month or so however the color has mellowed out and now it matches the back of my leg perfectly. I'm still wondering if this will be that case when we start connecting areas that are 3 or 4 years apart.

2006-11-27T16:27:00.000-08:00

Horizakura is back in action! Yesterday was his first day back, and I was there for my ink fix. I will post pics in a few days, when my skin is not so swollen and red. Did I mention the pelvic area is not a fun place to get tattooed yet?

Until then, I leave you with this Christmas gift idea for the little 'uns.

2006-10-28T16:19:00.000-07:00

Bad news: Horizakura broke his collarbone and is out of commision for the month! Let's all wish him a complete and speedy recovery. Of course this means I won't have any tattoo updates for a little while, I'd say at least 3-4 weeks.

2006-10-11T20:01:00.000-07:00

The work pictured here was done on 10/5/2006. In this session we continued the shading on my right thigh, as you can see the rocks at the bottom edge of the design have been completely shaded. I wasn't quite sure how they would turn out but I think they look great.

Is it strange to say "we" continued the shading? Even though I have given Horizakura pretty much complete creative control, somehow I feel as if I played some part in the creation of this tattoo. Perhaps it's just wishful thinking. Others have made similar comments. Once someone asked me why I chose to undergo such extensive tattoo work, and I jokingly replied "Everyone's got a hobby" - to which she responded under her breath, "More like someone else's hobby.."
Another friend once asked if Shinji ever requested that I let his friends tattoo me, sort of like a "guest appearance" on my skin. That struck me as an absurd question. Why would he ask such a thing?I can only guess that he perceives me as having surrendered my skin completely to the whims of others; a living canvas who cared little what ended up painted on him.

Perhaps I do surrender something each time I go in for a session. But I still believe that because this act of surrender is what enables the creative process to begin and continue, it is in fact my small way of actively taking part in that process. As strange as it may sound, it takes a significant amount of energy and will to surrender in this way. I believe that energy and will is exactly where a tattoo derives much of it's ability to amaze.

2006-09-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

I came across this story on CNN today, about a convicted child molester and murderer who had a tattoo forcibly applied to his forehead in prison. "Katie" was the name of the young girl he killed. The full story can be found here. Prison justice can be brutal, and child molesters rank at the very bottom of the prison hierarchy. This reminds me of some of the prison tattoos detailed in the fascinating book "Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia". As a mark of shame, nothing can surpass the tattoo - it is the permanent Scarlet Letter. In a very similar way, tattooing was used in Japan during the Tokugawa period as a form of punishment. To quote from "Japanese Tattooing from the Past to the Present" by Mieko Yamada:

"Crimes such as extortion, swindling and fraud were punished by tattooing. The criminals were tattooed with a black ring around an arm for each offense, or with a Japanese character on the forehead."

To many this custom marks the beginning of the poor reputation wearers of tattoos face in society. Yamada goes on to say:

"The tattoo became a mark of punishment, used by the authorities to ostracize the outlaws from society. While the purpose of this penalty was to identify criminals and repeat offenders, tattooing as punishment became a vicious circle. The tattooed criminals were ostracized by society throughout their whole lives. Some of them abandoned all hope, and sank to a level of despair and a cycle of crimes. Consequently, the penal system formed a solitary minority group, called eta class, the social outcasts. For this reason, ordinary people became afraid of tattooed people. The people with the penal tattoos often used the records incised on the skin for illicit purposes. They hardly rebuilt their trust in society. Some of them abandoned themselves to despair and repeated crimes. This phenomenon made other people feel frightened and they came to see any tattooed person as a criminal or evil. Therefore, showing tattoos was perceived as a threat to society."

From what I have been told, the association between tattoos and criminals has decreased in recent years, and now many young Japanese proudly display their Western-style tattoos. But there are still many places in Japan where showing a tattoo would be considered completely inappropriate, especially the larger, traditionally styled tattoos which have been strongly connected to criminal organizations for years.

2006-09-24T13:25:00.000-07:00

I picked up a book the other day with pictures of tattoos by Horikazu (I think it's called "Horikazu's World" but since I can't read kanji I can't be sure) and I definitely recommend grabbing a copy - that is, if you don't mind the high price, usually around $200-$250 USD! Horikazu has been tattooing for over 40 years and his work is highly regarded. I believe some of his work is also featured in the book "A History of Japanese Body Suit Tattooing" by Mark Poysden and Marco Bratt. I don't own that book though, so I can't verify. Anyway, this book is great; it's filled with high-quality images of his detail-laden and colorful work.

2006-09-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

Those of you near Montreal, Canada should try to get out to the tattoo convention this weekend. Horizakura and Horimasa will be there along with too many other great artists to name. More info can be found on this site (in French and English).

2006-09-21T04:20:00.000-07:00

Here are the pics. I had to keep the lighting low to avoid glare from the A&D ointment, so the pictures are not as sharp as they could be - sorry. This session was a departure from the norm. In the past, Shinji was very strict about following a certain order: first outline, then background and black shading, then color. This session he decided to do some shading even though the outline is only about 1/4 complete. I wasn't quite sure if this reflected a change in his thinking or had more to do with the availability of his gear. At any rate, tebori was a nice change of pace. The work was concentrated on the bottom right portion of my thigh. As you can see, the new background on the front is starting to be joined to the background on my back. Shinji also did some shading in the water at the top of my thigh and thickened up the lines which form the rock on the left side of my right thigh. I am surprised at the uniformity and crispness of the line he created in the rocks, I imagine this is quite difficult to do by hand.

2006-09-20T18:37:00.000-07:00

Just got back from another session, will post pics soon. I had the pleasure of meeting Horimasa while I was at the shop, who is in town for a few weeks. Horimasa is another one of Horitoshi's students, and I believe he will be working out of the well-known Starlight Tattoo in New Jersey while he is here.

Horimasa, hope you enjoy your time on the East Coast!

2006-09-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

A friend sent me this link, along with a note which read "I think I found the perfect coffee table for you!"

2006-09-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from the second outlining session, completed yesterday. At this rate, I imagine it will take approximately 6-7 sessions total to complete the outline. Notice the outcrop of rock near my armpit and on the bottom of my thigh. The rest is crashing water and backgroud. You can also start to see the right boundary take shape near my center-line.
I dragged myself to the appointment even though I felt awful. Tired, hungry and with a headache is not the way to walk into a tattoo parlor. Amazingly, I felt much better during the actual process than I did last time. Still, I was glad that we finished a little ahead of schedule and I could get out of there and into bed.

2006-08-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

After months of waiting, we finally started work on my tattoo again. It's been a long time since I felt the stink of a tattoo gun, and I had almost forgotten it's distinctive touch. The motor's vibrations spread out in waves from the area of impact like an earthquake emanating from the depths of an inky black fault line. The electric tattoo gun has a bite that a hand-driven needle doesn't, but this is offset slightly by the calming buzzing sensation. The front of my torso is an area which has never been tattoo, and different areas respond in their own ways. On my side over the ribs, and the pelvic area on top of the bone - these areas are not particularly pleasant to tattoo. The rest of it isn't so bad really, nothing nearly as bad as having your backside tattooed. The plan is to make this koi white with a shock of red or orange on it's head, something like the Tancho or Kohaku koi varieties. We won't start the outline on the left side of my body until the right side is complete. I'm realizing that photographing the front of my torso presents it's own challenges; namely, that I can deal with baring my ass online but full frontal nudity is a bit much. For now I've resorted to using a none-too-subtle black bar to hide my "naughty bits". Hopefully I can come up with something a bit more subtle without sacrificing visibility.
It's a little scary starting this project, even with the previous experience under my belt. But with something like this, the only way to begin is by jumping in with both feet. And I've certainly done that..

2006-08-06T06:26:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the lack of updates, but there hasn't been much to report. We are scheduled to start the next phase of work on 8/23/06, and I anticipate more frequent updates after that. It sounds like we are leaning towards a simpler design, for the most part incorporating just water, maple leaves and koi. We had discussed working in yokai of some sort, but it just didn't feel right.

Check out this website for a fascinating look at one man's munewari style tattoo by Horiyoshi III. The design is packed with mythical imagery and detailed explanations are given for each item. And of course, Horiyoshi's artwork is as wonderful as ever.

2006-07-01T05:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday New York Adorned! Surviving 10 years in the tattoo and piercing industry is a feat in and of itself, but New York Adorned has done more than just get by - they have been recognized time and time again as one of the finest shops in New York. They have an incredible roster of tattoo artists and a great selection of custom jewelry, and I've always found the staff to be friendly and knowledgeable. Here's to 10 more years.