BME: Body Modification Ezine

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Category: ModBlog

  • Book Review: Traditional Tattoo in Japan

    Written by

    Jen Savage

    bookreview

    The publishers at Edition Reuss have done it again, with the beautifully laid out and interesting book, Traditional Tattoo in Japan: HORIKAZU. This book is a comprehensive look at the the life work of Tattoo Master Horikazu, from Asakusa, Tokyo.

    Click through to read the full review.

    I will freely confess my ignorance to this Master’s tattoo work so it was a pleasure to receive this book and be able to learn about such a highly skilled artist who touched so many with his work. Don’t be mistaken, this is more than just a tattoo book, this is a biography of images and contains not only the artist’s work but also photographs from his own archives, drawings, paintings and a very touching collection of photos from the artist’s funeral service.

    Horikazu Sensei was a horishi (a traditional Japanese tattoo master) who, the book tells us, had been actively working for forty years. He worked in the traditional tebori method of hand tattooing. The book begins with an interview with Horikazu where he talks about his past, his education in tattooing, some of his experiences, and personal stories, as well as insights into the beauty of traditional Japanese tattoo work.

    Photo by Martin Hladik.

    The text contained in the book is not the focus and while the articles are interesting, it is the photos that demand our attention. Personal photos of Horikazu with his family and loved ones give us a glimpse into his life and the way he worked. It feels like a privilege to be able to view photos from his archives, that he collected and saved over his extensive career. These photos reveal his earlier work and stand as a photographic ethnography of traditional tattooing.

    Photo by Martin Hladik.

    Photo by Martin Hladik.

    Also contained within the book are beautiful photographs of artwork done by Horikazu with detailed photos that carry explanations into the designs and motifs. On page 115, we are told that “Lovers often pray to Kannon, asking to be granted the joy of being united in heaven on the same lotus after their death”, with a beautiful accompanying photo of the bodhisattva. These motifs and explanations are as educational as they are a pleasure to look at and would be useful both to tattoo artists and collectors interested in learning more about Japanese art and motifs.

    Art by Horikazu. Photo by Martin Hladik.

    The photographs of the artist’s work stand as a testament to the love and loyalty of his clients. They demonstrate the patience and dedication that comes from having such extensive work that can only be completed over many sessions and the lifelong commitment of covering one’s body in tattoo work. One of the striking things about traditional tattoos is that while they cover can cover the body from head to toe, they consist of one piece, a design that carries over the entire expanse of skin and transforms the wearer into living art.

    Photo by Martin Hladik.

    Photo by Martin Hladik.

    We are also taken through a Sanja festival, a three day festival that includes drinking, dancing, and as we’re told on page 397, debauchery. This festival is one in which the yakuza (Japanese mafia) are known to take part. Here they strip down and display their tattoos for all to see, and as we learn from this book, regular citizens mingle with these legendary men. Traditional costumes and geisha are seen at the festival and this section of the book is an interesting glimpse at a culture that is very unlike the West.

    Photo by Martin Hladik.

    Photo by Martin Hladik.

    Another contrast of cultures comes in the section of the book that is a memorial to Horikazu Sensei, who died on November 15, 2011. It was the photos from his funeral which struck me the most as the cultural differences between my own Western (Canadian) upbringing and the Eastern (Japanese) approach were profound. I found myself deeply moved by this series of photos and lingered upon them appreciating the beauty in the way this man’s life was being honoured.

    Photo by Martin Hladik.

    Photo by Martin Hladik.

    The final section of the book is devoted to Horikazuwaka (Horikazu’s eldest son) who is also a horishi in Asakusa. An interview prefaces a collection of photos that show how tradition is being carried on, from father to son.

    Horikazuwaka carrying on his father’s tradition. Photo by Martin Hladik.

    Like other publications from Reuss, this book contains text in multiple languages, broadening the scope of reader to include English, French and German. Unlike some of the other publications from Reuss, this is more biography and cultural history than strictly a “tattoo book”. It holds appeal for those interested in traditional Japanese tattooing as well as those interested in Japanese culture. While this is only about one man it is also a broader look at a culture.

    At a whopping book, weighing in at 7.9 lbs. and containing 492 pages. It is meant for the collector, a beautifully put together work of art of its own right (and would make a handy weapon too, I have a hard time lifting it). This is the sort of book you leave on display and will certainly never lose value. It can be purchased directly through the publisher or at Amazon (and many other online retailers).

    Traditional Tattoo in Japan: HORIKAZU
    Photography: Martin Hladik
    Authors: Miho Kawasaki, Fiona Graham, Agnès Giard, Eberhard J. Wormer
    Hardcover: 492 pages
    Publisher: Edition Reuss
    Languages: English, French, German
    ISBN: 3943105105
    Dimensions: 11.8 x 11.5 x 1.7 inches
    Weight: 7.9 lbs

  • COSMIC EYES FTW

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    I have been dying to show you Howie’s latest masterpiece for weeks, but he’s insisted that because of the much higher risk and complexity with multi-color eyes that he didn’t want me posting it until he was sure that they were a complete success. They are of course on Pauly Unstoppable, who was the very first person to have an eye tattoo done (although with a different procedure) by Howie just over five years ago at my house in Toronto when he, Josh, and I became Howie’s first clients and opened Pandora’s Box.

    Now, it can be hard to listen when your mind is blown — and if you’re anything like me, this makes you want to shove the next few colored objects you can find into your eye sockets — but Howie emphasizes that is the quickest, easiest, riskiest way to get yourself blinded. He has been developing this procedure slowly and carefully for five years. Because no one listens to urgings not to “try this at home”, Howie is in the process of putting together a seminar/information lesson on eyeball tattooing to (in his words) “minimize the worldwide story of blindness due to eyeball tattooing”.

    I would very strongly encourage all artists considering doing this procedure (or currently doing this procedure) to get in touch via lunacobra.net with Howie and get every bit of education they can before putting clients and risk. It’s irresponsible in my opinion to do otherwise. I know it’s exciting and I know you want to jump right into the deep end with your clients, but given how choppy the water is and what the consequences of drowning are, it’s negligent not to get the very best swimming lessons available. And of course clients wanting eye tattoos and other procedures can also contact Howie at that same URL.

  • Memorial Amputation

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    The very oldest example of religion that we have documented is in the form of a voluntary amputation found in a Polish archeological site dating back about 30,000 years — Blake wrote about this for BME back in 2003. Even today there are African, Australian, and other indigenous cultures that practice small digit amputations as a way of coping with mourning and the loss of a loved one. There’s something very instinctual about it in the human experience.

    A friend of mine, an experienced cross-spectrum practitioner, recently did this amputation on a customer who had lost his mother, and wanted to do this amputation as a tribute or memorial to her. The procedure was fairly simple, although not as simple as the hammer-and-chisel that many people resort to. He used a number 11 scalpel to peel back the skin, leaving enough skin so that when he removed the bones there would be enough left over to create a flap to cover the wound to speed up the healing. Doing the procedure this way also leaves a more comfortable result, because the amputated finger has a little more “padding” on the end.

  • Arriving on the Red Eye

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    Well, well, it seems that Brazil’s population of eyeball tattoos has just jumped dramatically in the last week, with Emilio Gonzalez having done a handful of them, and also Rafael Leão Dias of Dhar-Shan in Jundiaí, who did the striking red eye pictured below that’s going to leave nineteen year old Mary Jo with a life of assuring people she hasn’t been injured. As I’ve said many times, I really like colored eye tattoos a lot.

    I know I’m sounding like a broken record on this point, but I think it’s justified — I really implore people to exercise extreme caution and respect with this particular mod. For example, if a practitioner wants to forge ahead and isn’t interested in playing it safe and waiting until the procedure has been thoroughly developed and training is available, I’d really really urge them to use a similar learning curve to Howie five years ago — do a number of small single test injections and get an understanding of the anatomy and how it behaves with the smallest amount of damage. With eye tattoos, remember too that less is more. You want to inject the absolute minimum amount of ink you can get away with — the more ink, the more risk. Do not underestimate the effect it will have on someone’s life if something goes wrong. Hell, even if everything goes right, don’t treat this lightly — be sure that your client is mature enough (and I’m not saying that a teenager can’t make drastic permanent life-altering decisions — that’s got to be handled case-by-base) to understand that if they do this, they will never, ever, ever have a normal life.

    Given how many people — even people inside the piercing industry — are having stretched ears reversed, I have real serious concerns about the regret train that could come smashing into us in ten years over eye tattoos (and that’s assuming that it’s as safe as I believe it is and there’s no larger apocalypse). Stretched ears have a very minimal impact on ones social and public life when compared to eyeball tattoos. I’m not telling anyone not to do these things. It would be silly and hypocritical for me to do so. Personally I think eyeball tattoos are awesome. But more than any other modification, I hope that people treat it with respect and caution. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that because I think they look amazing and you think they look amazing that the world agrees with us. The world thinks we’re fucked in the head for doing this, and I don’t see them changing their mind on that any time soon. And, if eventually they beat us down and make us regret it, guess what? Too bad. This tattoo can’t be lasered off. If you hit the ink particles with a laser, the body can not remove the broken down bits. And you certainly can’t excise the tattoo surgically without destroying the eye. Regrets be damned, because this is for life.

    Rafael also posted a video of himself doing the eye tattoo that I posted yesterday. Please, do not treat this video as a “how to”. If anything, note how incredibly differently the first injection and second injection behave — the margin for error in this procedure is extremely slim, and unfortunately the only way to figure it out at present is trial and error because the procedure is still being refined and is still experimental. You can’t sign up for a class in it at the next APP convention. So it’s almost certain that every practitioner that throws their hat into the ring is going to mess up some eyes — over-injection, lumpy eyes, various sorts of damage, aesthetic shortcomings, facial stains, and perhaps even serious injury. Different types of tattoo ink respond very differently (for example, UV ink has responded badly in some people). Again, trial and error. In a perfect world, people would seek out experienced practitioners, and practitioners seeking to add this to their roster would seek out training from those with years of experience. But unfortunately we don’t live in a perfect world. Just remember, if you may a mistake on an eye, it’s not like a piercing or an implant or a normal tattoo — there’s no rewind button. You can’t go back. You can’t go to someone and have it reversed. It’s for life. No going back, whether you get it perfect or whether something goes wrong.

    Awright, time to break out the ink syringe!

  • When life gives you keloids, make eyeballs

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    I think that’s how the old expression goes, right?

    Ighlif Rendina, owner and piercer at H.F. Body Art in Turin, Italy, had a customer who’d previously gotten a transdermal implant. The transdermal itself did alright, but in time, a large unsightly scar built up over the insertion incision. The microdermal was removed, and the scar reworked using a combination of cutting and cautery branding. The insertion scar became the pupil of the eye, and the scar that formed in the transdermal scar was covered up by the bottom line of the eye. In the picture where you can see the entire eye, it’s quite fresh, about two months after being done, and the picture where it’s partially covered by clothing is current, showing the piece at almost two years old.

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