Who do you guys think does the best Japanese Style tattoos?

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yodaddynukka
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Tue Jan 22, 2008 11:54 pm

Aivanne wrote:
yodaddynukka wrote:i LOVE shige, but isnt he in japan? i know he does conventions a lot in the US.
yes he resides in Japan but comes to the states quite often.

i LOVE his work. i dont love HIM, persay... :oops:
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hgiles
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Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:34 am

Jess (Hori-Yen) is very good with a Neo-Japanese thing going.
Dana Helmuth is also very good and has a more traditional leaning.
Kore Flatmo, awesome, but v. expensive -- worth it, I guess, if you've got the money.
Kurt Wiscombe Neo-stylist in Canada, tends to like darker themes.
Chris Trevino, great as well traditional.

NY ADORNED, KING'S AVENUE, BROOKLYN ADORNED -- all great NYC shops with many of the same artists at each.

If I had all the money inthe world, I'd go to Shige, though. I don't so I go to Dana, since he is within a 4 hour drive of me. Nice guy, fast worker, good rates, but I didn't notice that he smelled like pancakes!

I've been meaning to book Dana again, but I can't seem to get the cash together damnit!
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YakuzaIrezumi
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Wed Jan 30, 2008 1:45 pm

hgiles wrote:Jess (Hori-Yen) is very good with a Neo-Japanese thing going.
Dana Helmuth is also very good and has a more traditional leaning.
Kore Flatmo, awesome, but v. expensive -- worth it, I guess, if you've got the money.
Kurt Wiscombe Neo-stylist in Canada, tends to like darker themes.
Chris Trevino, great as well traditional.

NY ADORNED, KING'S AVENUE, BROOKLYN ADORNED -- all great NYC shops with many of the same artists at each.

If I had all the money inthe world, I'd go to Shige, though. I don't so I go to Dana, since he is within a 4 hour drive of me. Nice guy, fast worker, good rates, but I didn't notice that he smelled like pancakes!

I've been meaning to book Dana again, but I can't seem to get the cash together damnit!
Wow,i just checked out this Jess (Hori-Yen) you just mentioned and the work is unreal.By Tebori also!!!!!!!!!! Like your chest /arm work also.
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PyrrhusDarwinCastello
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Wed Jan 30, 2008 2:31 pm

I think the chest is done by Jess & Dana. Seperately to be more precise.
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PyrrhusDarwinCastello
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Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:22 pm

Ok. Here is at this moment my definite list of japanese style artists in the world. I know, amazing, isnt it :D

GOLDEN GODS

Horiyoshi III (www.ne.jp/asahi/tattoo/horiyoshi3) & Don Ed Hardy (www.tattoocitysf.com)

The word TATTOO MASTER is more than fitting in the case of legendary tattooers, artists and historians Horiyoshi III & Ed Hardy. Without them japanese tattooing might be only curious footnote in art books in the western society. There shouldnt be a tattoo artist or collector out there who doesnt acknowledge the impact they have had. They are like a doppelganger. A mirror of the same person. Almoust a failry tail told to children after tattoo convetions. They ARE modern tattooing.


Dave Fox www.evilballs.com

Dave has revolutionized japanese tattooing in my humble opinnion. Its unbelievably hard to take something that has existed for hundreds of years and give it a new life, while still honoring the past. I mean, just think about it. The style of japanese tattooing has stayed pretty much unchanged for generations and generations. So to someone to change the formula, they have to be one Crazy. Talented. Mother. Fucker. Like Shaft on crack.

He takes history and rewrites it and while he does it, he actually creates a NEW chapter on its rich history. And most importanly he makes it accessible for the younger generations who have been raised in the world of punk rock, comic book's and sarcastically fucked up humour. He creates something completely new but still without a doupt you can recognize the picture. How many artists do that, regardless of genre?


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Filip Leu

Grown men have been known to whimper when they have heard that they cant get tattooed by Filip. And that is no suprise. Propably one of THE MOST INFLUENTAL tattoo artists ever. He is astonishingly fast. I have seen a full backpiece done by him that took only 14hours and I just gasp and shake my head when ever I see it (the picture number 3). He is proapbly one of the most imitated tattoo artists, when it comes to style, in the world. He is the forefather of the new breed of tattoo artists and still continues to be one of the most innovative ones after tattooing for almoust 30years. If tattoo artists have someone they want to get tattooed by, Filip is in the top of that list. He also is a spectacular fine artists and one of THE artists to show how tattooing is a art form.

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Kore Flatmo www.plurabella.com

Sometimes, less is more. I think to appreciate Kore's work you have to let go all your prejudices. When I first saw his tattoos I didn't know what to expect. I just stumbled on to his site and I was in shock. I felt the same when you see a really beautiful woman and you just cant compehend it. First you feel astonished that something like that exists. Then you feel almoust anger when you cant have it, touch it, feel it. And then you are just left in a state of confusion mixed with child like wonder and exitment. Its like you would be born again when you see his work. When he mixes B&G with color, it looks and feel's like they would be there own beings. Like they wouldnt be colors at all. It seems just so fucking amazing that it hurts.

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Dana Helmuth www.solidstatetattoo.com

Dana is perhaps the most femine styled artist in this list. His tattoos are almoust cool in a way, peppy and delicately shy. Color cyan seems to make a apperance many times and it gives his tattoos a certain vibe. They are almoust erotic in a way. Also a certain papery quality makes them recognizable and completely Dan. Also you can sense deep respect for japanese culture in them. They are very silent and calm. Beautiful. Caring. Poetic. And really dynamic. I feel at peace when im looking at them.

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Shige www.yellowblaze.net

The modern tattoo master who has brought tattooing as a art form even higher. In the modern world where people need more and more to be astonished, Shige does that. He makes the body sing and dance. His tattoos look like paintings. He does it so well that it would suprise me greatly if people in the fine art world wont also be floored by the beauty, flow and complexity of the designs. When tattooing needs to be recognized as a fine art, having artists like Shige is more than neccecary. And if it is possible to do so, he has mabe japanese art even more beautiful. Now, its almoust realistic.

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Grime www.grimemonster.com

One of few new artist who also has created a style of his own. If Daves's tattoos are more Rat Fink inspired, then Grime is like a mix of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman and schizofrenic graffiti villain, El Grimo! He was one of the few who brought graffiti in tattooing and actually did it well. Besides the explosivness you can feel danger in his tattoos. The whole aura around him is like he would be one of the ghosts from Yoshitoshi old tales. Maybe he is, because he does respect and love japanese tattooing like his life depended on it. But still he has pushed the art of tattooing and continues to do so. Im positive that from 100years from now people will tell tails of the mighty Grime who thought he would change tattooing, but found out that tattooing infact changed him.

The horror... the horror


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Sabado www.lovesabado.com

Japanese peoples and there ultra america influenced culture is evident in the work of Sabado. But he still keep the childish, grinning and little pervert feel of japanese anime and kabuki in his work, thus making it unique and powerfull. If american artist try to do japanese tattoos then it was only a matter of time when japanese try to do american tattoos. And luckily Sabado has chosen to do so because his designs are wild, weird and totally, absolutely, no doupt, fully, 100% GAY.

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Last edited by PyrrhusDarwinCastello on Thu Jan 31, 2008 10:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
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yodaddynukka
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Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:55 pm

awesome awesome write up! and while i dont agree in the certain order of some artists, i do agree that david fox should be on the top of the list!
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Aivanne
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Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:25 pm

filip leu was my neighbor. never got any work from him.weird.
jsm1289
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Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:36 pm

great writeup but i want to ask a question regarding your list. All these artists, although representing the japanese tattooing, seem to appraoch it with different styles. What makes one of them better than the other in your eyes? personally shige is at the top of the list without including Horiyoshi III, followed by flatmo and filip leu, but that is irrelevant. I'm just very curious as to what categories you use to define the best japanese artist? And where do people, (other than Helmuth) who do the traditional style, like henning jorgenson for example, fit on your list?
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Aivanne
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Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:41 pm

jsm1289 wrote:great writeup but i want to ask a question regarding your list. All these artists, although representing the japanese tattooing, seem to appraoch it with different styles. What makes one of them better than the other in your eyes? personally shige is at the top of the list without including Horiyoshi III, followed by flatmo and filip leu, but that is irrelevant. I'm just very curious as to what categories you use to define the best japanese artist? And where do people, (other than Helmuth) who do the traditional style, like henning jorgenson for example, fit on your list?
you should be a fucking teacher.
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yodaddynukka
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Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:44 pm

Aivanne wrote:filip leu was my neighbor. never got any work from him.weird.

wtf... and why not?
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Aivanne
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Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:46 pm

yodaddynukka wrote:
Aivanne wrote:filip leu was my neighbor. never got any work from him.weird.

wtf... and why not?
i was way young. and he barely tattoos anymore.
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yodaddynukka
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Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:48 pm

jsm1289 wrote:great writeup but i want to ask a question regarding your list. All these artists, although representing the japanese tattooing, seem to appraoch it with different styles. What makes one of them better than the other in your eyes? personally shige is at the top of the list without including Horiyoshi III, followed by flatmo and filip leu, but that is irrelevant. I'm just very curious as to what categories you use to define the best japanese artist? And where do people, (other than Helmuth) who do the traditional style, like henning jorgenson for example, fit on your list?

its his OPINION, not a FACT. so he can put whoever he wants in whatever order he wants.
jsm1289
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Wed Jan 30, 2008 11:16 pm

i'm sensing a little hostility there. I apologize if my tone expressed something different than what i was trying to get at. I wasn't criticizing him at all, i just was curious and asked the questions i was curious about. I am just trying to absorb as much tattoo information as possible, and who better to learn from than people who know vastly more about every aspect of tattooing.
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spideytat
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Thu Jan 31, 2008 12:54 am

jsm1289 wrote:i'm sensing a little hostility there. I apologize if my tone expressed something different than what i was trying to get at. I wasn't criticizing him at all, i just was curious and asked the questions i was curious about. I am just trying to absorb as much tattoo information as possible, and who better to learn from than people who know vastly more about every aspect of tattooing.
the guy that invented cheese?
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Live4him
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Thu Jan 31, 2008 12:58 am

spideytat wrote:
jsm1289 wrote:i'm sensing a little hostility there. I apologize if my tone expressed something different than what i was trying to get at. I wasn't criticizing him at all, i just was curious and asked the questions i was curious about. I am just trying to absorb as much tattoo information as possible, and who better to learn from than people who know vastly more about every aspect of tattooing.
the guy that invented cheese?
:shock: I want to meet that man.
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