CaptCanada

You beat me to him lochlan, screwing around on google and found that they have him as "tattoo zombie man/boy." Heres a pic that shows some of his work http://www.likecool.com/Gear/Other/Zombie%20Boy/Zombie-Boy.jpg

Okay, well I'm sure you already know this (I don't know from when, few years ago) but horiyoshi III doesn't use the stick anymore only machine. He also won't take any new customers, only finishing old work. I heard his son has started tattooing, but I don't know much about it. So Adams tattoo won't be from horiyoshi III. When you do come here, and if you have time I would really like to meet you. Please tell me when you will be here.

Kylegray: I give him all the worlds respect, I wasn't refuring to him with that. It's for people traveling to japan with any form of tattoo, or getting a tattoo done while here. Like bryan has said Japanese don't like conflict, most will let everything slide because you are a gaijin. Yakuza included, real yakuza are quiet people unless they need to be heard. Chinpura are the low level loud mouths that will get mad seeing your Japanese tattoo, but they get mad at everything. Dari: No, I'm not an artist, I lack artistic talent. Just a fan of the artwork. I work as a bartender/manager. Don't know how many street shops they have in Tokyo, but Osaka has more.

No sorry don't get me wrong. All I'm saying is if you don't live here you don't have to bother learning the in's and out's. Just showing up and being respectful to your horishi and get some work done.

Thanks for the warm welcome. I came out here cause at the time I thought I wanted to leave the US, but found out I'm really just a rolling stone, not liking to stay somewhere once it becomes familiar. Picked japan cause it was very different then America while still being a 1st world country.

Bryan Burk, great post but I just have a few questions to ask you. Most of your experience is prior to 2001 right? It just seems like your info, altho great, is a little out dated. Second question I have is you came here for taking pictures and collecting stories about horimono? Again great post, but I would just like to add (not to you Bryan), unless you living here you don't have to care about what is happening in japan. Take a vacation, fly over here, meet your horishi and get a new tattoo if you want a horimono.

But that's the thing, they ain't hiding like they used to. A lot of them have websites. If they still tattooed cause of crime, it would be worse. What's stopping you from killing 10 people instead of one just so you know you'll get the death penalty.

Okay, lets see if I can help with this. Had to do alot of research before I started mine. Edo Period At the beginning horimono were mostly for trade workers like firemen, that would get koi back pieces that they believed would keep them safe from fires. Or by merchants, cause you see at the time Japan had very strict code of classes. Merchants were believed to be one of the lowest of the low, but were very rich. They couldn't wear expensive clothes or jewelry cause of there class being low, so they would tattoo themselves. After that criminals started being marked by rings around their arms, or a tattooed forehead. The number of rings meant different crimes, forehead a kanji character for the crime committed. After prison they wanted to cover these tattoo and started irezumi. Now that Ex-cons were getting tattoos no body wanted them or be associated with them. These cons become outcasts in Japan, formed there own groups and started what became the yakuza. Meiji Period Things stayed pretty much like that till 1860's when Japan opened its doors to the west. Tattoos were though to be very primitive and barbaric by the Japanese government so they banned them. But they only banned Japanese citizens from getting tattoos, foreigners were still allowed to be tattooed. During this time tattooing in japan went very underground. It stayed banned until the American occupation after WWII. Now The current position of tattooing in Japan is this. Traditional tattoos done in the hand poking method is still given a bad name, some osens/ beaches/ ect.... won't allow tattoos western style or Japanese style. But because they were only banned about 60 years ago old generations still believe them to be the mark of the devil, and raised there children that way too. As time passes it will change. Western style tattoos are starting to become more and more popular here, young japanese girls fallowing a fad are getting them mostly thinking that they are cute. Tebori style tattoos and tattoo artists are still underground for the most part. Most of them like it that way too, if you want horimono you need to find a artist that is willing to do it. Some are more open to the idea of tattooing a foreigner then others. But it is not like fight club, horishi are still out there, just need to find them. horimono, irezumi - traditional Japanese tattoo. tebori - technique of tattooing by hand. horishi - tattoo artist doing tebori

How is everybody doing lately? I'm an American (California) male living in Japan for the past 5 years. I've just started having my legs sleaved by Bunshin Horitoshi. My first Japanese style and 2nd tattoo. Still have a long ways to go, at 12 1/2 hours with some of my thigh covered. Been lurking around for a little bit, and it seems like a great place. Getting alist of who to visit when I go back home.