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Most recent acquisition. From @helfire in Newquay, Cornwall. Little birthday treat for myself. Next to the first tattoo I ever did!

Appointment for early Feb made with Paul Dobleman. *squee*

By Chad Koeplinger while visiting Art Work Rebels here in Portland. This is the last stop on his 50 States trip, so stoked to be a part of it!

Since @PinkUnicorn found the Smithsonian link, I'll share the Soldier's Medal pictures with you. I don't think I've ever posted them on line before. The glare is the camera flash. It is awarded with two certificates - the award certificate as well as a narrative certificate. Most other medals only have the award certificate. I have them framed along with the eagle rank insignias that was able to recover from the locker in my office several weeks later and a picture of the Pentagon showing the destruction.

Got tattooed last night at Art Work Rebels (see lowdown thread), what a treat! Had a great time talking travel etc. with Chad, I didn't realize that no other tattooer has tattooed in all 50 states. He says it was one of the best trips of his life, I'm so glad I was able to make it. He's putting a book together with photos of every tattoo done this trip, should be a pretty cool project. @Rob I I almost got that same image! That book was just full of great choices.

Thanks for the reply. Its doing fine now. The swelling is gone and its not hot. The edge of one of the tegaderm pieces near my crotch got really irritated and left a big red mark. I rolled it back some and put a new piece ontop, which I applied poorly and had to tape down the edges with water proof medical tape. Figures. Ir does a good job of keeping water out of it while I shower tho. This is on day 4 now and I plan on taking it off tomorrow. There is hardly any fluid underneath this time, strangely. Probably because I left the first bandage on for 13 hours, and it finished seeping. Hopefully it hardens up overnight.

it looks fine,the overlapping is not a problem,I put mine on in pieces sometimes,as long as there is no pockets of fluid under it,I leave it on for 3 or 4 days after the tattoo,it will already be at the peeling stage,I love that stuff.the warm feeling is also normal.it looks fine. Saniderm(the one I use) says this " For large areas, pieces of Saniderm may be overlapped ".

I leave the original Saniderm that was applied after the tattoo for 48 hours. Then I clean it and dry heal the rest of the way. This is mostly because I don't have any Saniderm at home, but it works really well for me.

To some extent, heros are victims of circumstances. But, they must be willing to act on their training and care for others more than themselves. My deep gratitude for your service that day, and your entire career is my award to you.

Met with my artist yesterday, put down a deposit and discussed the design again. He hopes to have it ready for me later this week - but still have plenty of time.

Plenty of time to save my pennies! @Manu Manu

Here is my latest done on my birthday by Yushi while guesting in Seattle and under the needle great guy and awesome experience lines by machine and colored by tebori. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I saw yesterday that Scott Harrison just uploaded a movie he made in 2004-2005 to YouTube. I haven't had the chance to watch it yet, but with the following description, I can't wait to make the time for it:

you got your artist picked out yet do this first then ask them bigger is better in the long run for many reasons primarily for the immediate and long term readability of the piece

Love that, @Guerillaneedles!

This thread is great. Ive ordered over 20 books in the last few months in search of information and it can be difficult to find. If I could read Japanese It'd be much less difficult! I have just ordered Kojiki and Japanese Mythology. As far as books I own that have useless information, I dont have much. Mostly picture books of tattoos and Ukiyo-e. Most of my information comes from tattooers or the internet. Id be cool if we could start a Last Sparrow refference club and discuss/recommend books /documentaries/images with each other. My library is a decent size and I feel I have enough obscure books/refference to be able to add something to the conversation. Im not sure how much intrest there would be in that, tho.

This is what I do, and what was told to me by the saniderm website. I put on one piece right after the tattoo and leave it on for 8-24 hours. Then I remove that bandage, clean off all the gore with soap and water, let it airdry for 10 minutes or so and then apply a fresh bandage and leave it on for 4 or 5 days. You could use a normal tattoo meat bandage the first day as well, which is what tattooers normally do, but saniderm is a more comfortable option, personally. The first bandage, essentially, is to keep the new tattoo safe and to let all the blood, ink and plasma seep out, and saniderm does a good job of keeping all the juice in there and everything else out. Atleast this is my impression. I know people that take off their first bandage within hours, but Ive always left it on atleast overnight, whether it be sanider or meat bandage. As for 48 hours Im not sure. Ive never left my first bandage on for more than 12.

I started the Kojiki - wow! I'm a bit sad I can't read Japanese because I definitely feel that the names of the deities (of which there are many) lose something in translation. Plus the book I have has about an inch of actual translation of the text then the rest of the page is footnotes on phonetics and translation. Very dense reading but I'm going to stick with it.

I was asked to donate my uniform and original award from that day - never thought it would be featured as a part of the exhibition. The award was the original one I received. I honestly didn't want one - I did then and still do feel that I was doing what I should have done. It was my responsibility to protect and help others. After time, people who were there submitted a request to have the award upgraded - without my knowledge - and I was ultimately awarded The Soldier's Medal at my retirement ceremony a little more than two years later. That truly humbled me. Thanks for the kind words. It was my honor to serve and I am grateful to have been able to help that day.

You are welcome! Hahaha. Also, I'm not being sarcastic in this instance. My second tattoo was a tiny wrist doodle. It took less than five minutes. Pain was over before it fully registered.

I am truly stoked and anxious. This will be my personal memorial to 9/11 and my experiences in the Pentagon. I witnessed much that day - and carried the vivid nightmares for many months - much pain, fear, grief and heroism. Despite the fact that I tried to avoid it, I was humbled to receive the Army's highest award for non-combat heroism. It is the only of my many awards I received during my career that hangs in my den - and only because it was others who were there who petitioned the Army to present the award two years later when I retired. I accepted it on behalf of those who were killed, injured and the many heroes I saw that day. Although I did not experience any real long-lasting emotional or physical impacts, each year I still find myself slipping back into the nightmares as the anniversary approaches. I can literally smell the burning jet fuel and human flesh mixed in the acrid smoke, hear the screams and feel the heat of the flames. There is even a block of time that remains hidden to me - a point where my only memory includes seeing blue skies, green grass and hearing birds chirping...literally as I know I was looking out a window overlooking the post-impact destruction. I hope to never regain the memory of what I actually saw. So, on the 15th anniversary, this tattoo is my attempt/hope to finally close that chapter in my life. It is a way to recognize what happened, what I saw and did, and all those I knew who were killed, injured and impacted emotionally. I want it to express both what happened but also the awakening and hope of our Nation afterwards. It is a Nation that I hope we can find again - without having to witness the same degree of trauma, destruction and loss of life....unfortunately it seems a remote possibility now. If you are interested, this book is a collection of interviews done by The Army's Center for Military History that captured the day's events in the Pentagon in the words of those who lived it. My recollections begin on Page 105. As you look at the cover picture of the book, my office and where I was when the plane hit was just above the "R" in LOFGREN and where you see the lower yellow flames. You can download the book for free as a .pdf through this link. http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/070/70-119-1/CMH_Pub_70-119-1.pdf

Retailer wise, Gomineko is a book seller that focusses on tattoo references. She's an excellent resource for purchasing books but depending on where you are at, it can take several months for books to arrive and there are no notifications of shipping/tracking. Also she is more expensive than other resources. Some people love her due to her inventory, while others not so much due to the price, lag or non-delivery. If you are fortunate enough live near a Kinokuniya book store, their books in their tattoo/woodblock section can range from decent to pretty good. They're a Japanese book retailer and have a few shops across the US. They sell the same books as Gomineko but are cheaper. They can also order books for you if you know exactly what you are looking for. That said, actual material wise, for general symbolism,"Bushido" and "Tattoos of the Floating World" by Takahiro Kitamura are excellent resources. I don't know the name of it but it looks like Horibenny just came out with a new book that at glance appears to be decent for introductory info on motifs too. Check out Amazon for all. For myths, study the source material. Read books on Japanese mythology and books on Woodblock print artists. There will often be descriptions about the scenes in woodblock prints. That can often give you enough information to research further about a subject on your own. Regarding mythology, read the "Kojiki" and the "Taiheiki". Both are translated in english and chronicle stories of the origin of/early Japan and medieval Japan. Another book I've found is called "Japanese Mythology" by Michael Ashkenazi. These books tell stories about deities and ancient heroes that are often subjects in Japanese motifs. I wish I had read the "Kojiki" sooner. Not regretting what I have but I feel I may have chosen different subjects if I had. Things I had written off earlier, I gained new appreciation for after reading more about them. There are tons of information out there. I feel it's much easier to learn about now, than it was even a few years ago. Hope this helps.

Just got this hannya giesha from Jeremy Lamos on my thigh. So happy with it. The actual tattoo didnt take long but it was a long sit. Felt pretty sick by the end of it. Had allot of fun with the eyes.

Three new ones last night by Will Lollie! My wife and I got "matching" swallows and I also got the bison head. I've also added a quick picture of my healed foodog.

The young rebel Johnny Cash.

Man ! Go away for a week and come back to see the last two pages of people killing it ! I love this place. Inspirational.

My evil plan is to have Henning fill in the space opposite Grez's fall piece with winter and spring botanicals. Mike offered to add more fingerwaves around the fall piece to tie it all together. I'm silly happy. @sophistre

This page is amazing. That Grez stuff is so pretty it hurts, and that Shaun Martinson tiger is also killing me. You guys are champions.

Ive gotten a few sinse my last post on here. Chest and skull/dagger are by Josh Peters. Kingyo is by Daryl Hart. Tiger by Shaun Martinson. Heart and flies are by Pat Mcfarlane. (pardon the saniderm)

Progress with Chelsea Kotzur... color next.

My first ever tattoo! Done by Pedro Soos at Frontier Tattoo, Cardiff.

Kim Saigh @ Memoir in L.A. added on to my half-sleeve to match my other arm. Impressed by how seamless she made it look. Healed pics by @TrixieFaux.

Got in a short session with Jess Yen on my in progress back piece https://www.instagram.com/p/BIbWbdxjxB3/

Hmm weird, lets try again! I can't seem to find the edit post option so i appologize in advance for posting this one again to anyone who has allready seen it ;) The first picture is how it looked 10 minutes after it was done last monday. Now it looks like it does on the second picture and itches like hell.

So last session today finishing up the dragon and the background on my sleeve. Arm by Daniel Innes at The Pearl Harbour Gift Shop in Toronto

Ugh. Have you talked with a labor attorney? You are in a protected class and a decent attorney should get you some amount of severance. The going amount is 1 week for every year of employment - sometimes more. And, you can COBRA your healthcare.

Thank you. It all took a brutal toll, but my elderly mother came through her 7 hour open heart surgery like a champ and is back at home, and getting back to normal.

=== Adding some humour here...

If the original post was asking for info about the politics of the Japanese tattoo world in itself (their drama within their own tattoo culture, tattoo families etc), I apologize in advance for this long post about having tattoos in Japan. I've spent a lot of time in Japan, most of it centered around tattoo-related things. I've tattooed there a good amount, as have many of my friends. I work with a japanese tattooer who specializes in their traditional style of tattooing, working with machine and by hand. Both of us have been tattooed by Horiyoshi 3 extensively, by hand in Yokohama, which puts you right in the middle of where tattooing intersects with the underworld in their culture (Juan could also talk a lot about that I'm sure, having managed to get dozens of Yakuza naked and photograph them). We talk about this stuff all the time, and I've also had many hours of lengthy discussions with other tattooers who've spent way more time in Japan than I have, pre-dating the Japanese "open" tattoo scene that they have now; as well as years of talking to Japanese friends who live here and there. Given all that, I don't see any reason why people shouldn't discuss this publicly. In fact, I'd say it SHOULD be discussed, so tattooed people who'd like to go to Japan can have an idea about how to behave/what to expect/basic rules of thumb for services etc that might be effected by your having tattoos. I had a customer telling people the other day "you don't show a KOI tattoo in japan!!" which, while at least sensitive, is a little extreme and oversimplified. The above links have really good info. One of the best snippets I found was roughly "in Japan, the Yakuza are never far". That's really true, but not in the way you might think. In Japan, organized crime is an accepted part of the culture, and frequently they are involved in business that comes into contact with regular people (construction, high-interest cash loans which are very popular, nightclubs, property management etc). A friend of mine's elderly mother needed the roof on her house replaced: she got a bid of around $20,000, contracted the company to do it, paid them, and they stole her money. Although her deceased husband had once been the mayor of the town they live in, she was powerless to do anything. It's not like here where as long as you're pretty much not trying to deal large amounts of drugs on the street, or walking around in the ghetto dressed like 2-pac, gangs are pretty much going to leave you alone, because you're not moving in their world. In Japan, the Yakuza make their living off the normal people (as I understand it), so there's always the threat that ordinary people might have to deal with them. There are magazines you can buy at 7-11 in Japan that are basically like "Yakuza Weekly", it's that accepted. One of the famous ones is called "Document" This intimidation is where a lot of their power comes from, from what I can tell. Japan is a very "polite" society, where fitting in is stressed to a degree that we can't comprehend. People are quiet for the most part, humble, keep to themselves. The idea of a thug coming into a small business and making a commotion (most indoor spaces in Japan are small) by shouting or simply threatening to make a scene is intimidating enough that most business owners would want to pay money, monthly, to avoid such a mess. Every street tattoo shop in Japan I've ever asked pays these kind of fees, as I'm sure many, many businesses do. Even extremely well connected people I've met still pay, just heavily reduced amounts. Asian culture in general is just so much more homogenous than life as we know it, to stand out at all is to really draw attention to one's self. So tattoos not only go against the grain in the larger social sense, but they're also something that touches the ever present "yakuza" nerve in the minds of much of the population. It's like a double whammy for a largely mild-mannered people. An easy way to think about it is imagine being at the library with your kid, or at a restaurant, and seeing some guy walk in with "MS13" or "Slauson Crips" tattooed very visibly on his neck; would make most normal people uncomfortable. In Japan, to SOME people, it doesn't matter if you've got My Little Pony on your arm and you're as white as Howdy Doody, if you're showing a tattoo in public, you're a thug, and probably a criminal. I've had little old men come up to me and call me a Yakuza, and even after I explained in Japanese that I'm not Japanese so I can't be Yakuza (which isn't really true anymore), they just keep pointing at the tattoos and saying "Yakuza, Yakuza..." But keep in mind, that's the exception. In Japan, pretty much anyone who's not Japanese is seen as kind of a monkey anyway, so even without tattoos, there're going to be things they don't want you doing/participating in. I've gotten dirty looks without anything showing in a Bob Dylan themed bar for merely invading their little world. But I've also been shown enormous kindness with a lot of skin showing by elderly people. Kind of like here, I find young adults and middle aged people tend to be most offended, while kids, teenagers, and the old & elderly are usually interested or inquisitive about foreigners and/or tattoos. I've also seen many Japanese people showing tattoos in public, even very traditional ones. I'd be happy to answer any questions that I can, but in general: In Japan, many people live in tiny apartments that don't have a bathroom or even a toilet, let alone a shower (imagine living in a bed & breakfast with no shower). Many people who do have the square, deep traditional baths big enough for one in Japan will acutally re-heat bath water for themselves to save water & heating costs. Because of these constraints, and because it's so nice, the "Sento" or public bath is still very popular. Sento are kind of like an indoor public pool, but it's a bathhouse which has a separate side for men and women. There are little faucets with very hot water that you sit in front of on a stool, next to other people doing the same. Here you wash yourself with soap before getting into the very hot bath, which is usually big enough for 3-6 people. There are also showers, but the real fun is the bath, which feels amazing (there's usually an even hotter one right next to it). Sento is everyone's basic right, to take a bath, so it doesn't matter how many tattoos you have, you're welcome. When you hear japanese tattooers talking about seeing tattoos for the first time in the bathhouse, they mean Sento, not Onsen. Onsen are the natural hot springs scattered all throughout Japan, almost all of them have minerals that good for your health. Usually there's some kind of facility built up around them, whether it's a huge wooden building, a hotel, a rustic retreat, or even just a vessel that looks like a swimming pool. Some onsen are outdoor, some indoor, some co-ed, some public, some private. Unlike Sento, Onsen is a luxury activity, and a source of much national pride. It's like going to a spa here, many elderly people and families are on vacation, tour groups have chartered busses, schools are taking class trips etc. They want to enjoy the scenery relax, deeply, and they're naked in public (all Sento and Onsen are nude all the time). They don't wanna see Scott asking them to scoot over in some language they don't understand. Therefore, many Onsen don't allow tattooed people, they figure "why bother trying to sort out the good tattooed people from the bad, all Yakuza are bad, period, and many Yakuza have tattoos". If you want to enjoy Onsen, I'd say look for those that are more rural and private, not too fancy, connected to a hotel or inn. I've only been to a few, and the ones I know don't allow tattoos tend to be some of the most famous and beautiful. But I HAVE enjoyed seeing snow fall in ultra hot water under the night air with many naked tattooed guys, so it can be done. Hotels AFAIK don't turn away anyone, all have private baths. Some have Sento or "rooftop Onsen" which are nice and usually small, so you dhouldn't be shy about using them. Capsule hotels seem to be the exception, as they have a kind of Sento only, and since they're located in nightlife heavy areas, that means many Yakuza, so they don't want tattooed people in the public bath inside. Many nightclubs in Japan have specific "rules" which, as a monkey, they're going to think you of course don't understand; so you might get turned away, even if you're with a Japanese person, but not always. In Japan, just be polite, bow your head a little to people, say "Sumimasen" if you say nothing else (excuse me), and put soy sauce on your rice if you want, you're an American. anyway, I typed a lot & I wanna do something else, but happy to help anyone who has a question if I can

The outer forearm, the top of the thigh, and the outside of the thigh have been the easiest spots for me so far. I was getting my ribs tattooed a couple of years ago, and the girl at the booth next to where I was asked her tattooer about the least painful spot for a tattoo was and his very deadpan response was "On someone else."