心 My philosophy
Thoughts about tattoos, culture and ideology
My mission is to facilitate the creation of the highest quality authentic Japanese tattoos using the latest modern and traditional techniques and equipment in a safe, clean and inspiring environment that my clients will wear with pride for many years to come.
Furthermore I aim to create classic traditional Japanese tattoos that not only stand the test of time in terms of quality and longevity but also on their artistic merit, by being true to the traditional Japanese style and form that rose out of the Edo period of Japan.
In doing so my aim is to give the wearer of these tattoos a source of personal power, a feeling of accomplishment and everlasting pride that will accompany them their entire lives and into the grave — granting them access to the club of true tattoo aficionados.
Honesty & Integrity · Quality & Service · Patience & Discipline
影響 Japanese influence
Classic, timeless and, in my opinion, perfect.
What it really comes down to in the long run is how the tattoo will age and grow alongside you as you change — as the bearer of the tattoo, this is a very important factor. Lasers and removal are for mistakes that are best not made in the first place. We all change; our ideas, our lifestyle, our beliefs, our bodies — everything changes, always. The Japanese style of tattooing is unchanging. It is classic, timeless and, in my opinion, perfect. It follows the contours and forms of the body, flows like the seasons and moods that set its backgrounds, and can tell a fantastic story of masculinity, femininity, playfulness, joy, terror, eroticism or death, moral and all, with lines, shading and colours. Japanese tattooing is all-encompassing — like the 26 letters of our alphabet that contain all the knowledge of the universe if only one knows how to spell, the same can be said for Japanese tattooing if the artist knows how to compose correctly and seeks out the stories, myths, tales and legends. There is something for everyone in the Japanese tradition. Like a fine wine or single malt scotch that only gets better with age and never goes out of style, modern Japanese tattooing is the culmination of hundreds of years of tradition, art, mythology, mystery and technique. It is the very pinnacle of what great tattooing should be. It is by far the most complicated and involved of all the tattooing styles, and even after decades of practice in this style one is still learning something new every day.
Choose your artist carefully — there is a big difference between correct, good Japanese tattooing and the rest. Large scale work is near impossible to remove or cover. Invest the time to research your artist and find someone who can deliver what you are seeking, even if you don’t know yet what it is you are after.
儀式 The ritual
One of the last real things.
Tattooing is a very ancient art that has spanned much of known and unknown time and is found in many cultures all around the world. It is said that tattoos have the power to transform people, and I agree wholeheartedly — providing they are done in the right spirit. When a person makes a conscious decision to alter their body permanently with ink and some form of design, it is more than just that. It can be a heavy undertaking, a desire to make manifest a yearning for change on one of a multitude of levels. The pain factor is a huge consideration — it marks time, and pain for three hours is living in the moment for three hours, inescapably so. That is something you never quite forget, and that is what separates us, the tattooed, from them, the unmarked. It is a decision you must live with for the rest of your life regardless of what may come, and the reality of that starts the moment the needle first finds home in your skin. I find this whole idea incredibly seductive — coupled with the esoteric nature of the art, its dubious, glorious and tribalistic history, the pain, and the ritual of it all, it makes for a real experience that few others in our brave new world can come close to comparing with. An authentic ritual, and it is a ritual in every sense of the word. We live in a world that has thrown the idea of ritual for ritual’s sake to the wind. It is a necessary facet of human development — without time for pause and introspection, life can stop making sense.
Some people don’t know it yet, but they are getting their tattoos for these very reasons, and later in life they will understand how it has affected them in this capacity. Many people decide to make a tattoo after a serious life change; a break-up, a family death, a geographical move, a great success or failure, a need for some control over their lives, a personal awakening, a period of confusion — the list goes on. These are all valid reasons to stop and mark time, to do something solely for themselves and their wellbeing. In many ancient cultures the tattoo was a rite of passage that symbolised the transition into adulthood or warrior classes, and as simple as it may seem, just like today, it was also a fashion accessory.