horiyoshi-traditional japanese tattooing Horiyoshi-3 the greatest Irezumi artist in the world, working on the earlier stages of my left chest and arm piece.

A new video from the NOWNESS highlights one of Japan’s most respected tattoo artists, Horiyoshi III. Enjoying tutelage under the original Horiyoshi I, Yoshihito Nakano (his birth name) was originally mesmerized by the world of tattoo culture upon a visit to an onsen. It was there that a local Yakuza member displayed a vivid example of the beauty of tattooing. From there, an apprenticeship at the age of 25 was the catalyst for Horiyoshi’s rise to the top of Japan’s tattooing ranks where his greatest ability lies not only in his fine attention to detail and lines but his ability to express concepts abstractly. Director: Johnnie Shand Kydd

horiyoshi-traditional japanese tattooing