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

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PyrrhusDarwinCastello
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Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:24 pm

Matti Sedholm aka Horimatsu

I felt the need to write more (blogs in tattoodles etc) about the artist who will be doing my japanese style full sleeve in the future.

For me personally there has been a long time when a artist had such an impact on me as Horimatsu has. Both artistically and intellectually. He's whole presence radiates a deep knowledge and respect for the traditional japanese tattooing. But it still has a sense of freshness in it. And I believe that is because hes undying thirst for the roots of japanese culture where he goes beyond the actual images. He reaches for the soul in them. Many artists study Horiyoshi III works for example, but Matti goes straight to the source, to the ukiyo-e prints, Buddhism and so forth. That is the reason I think his stuff has such an impact on me. It's fascinating to see that when a person actually goes deeper in the roots of the culture and relies on the thousands years of tradition, he's tattooing can actually become something that not many aren't doing.

As tattooing for me is deeply spiritual, in a way anarchist craft, it is important that artists have that revolutionary spark in them as Horimatsu does. His views on how the modern western society has started to make tattooing closer to shopping is something that I believe also to be true. Infact after sometime he found out that his drive came from somewhere else than it had before. In a way he was a outcast among outcasts, so he stopped tattooing in a shop with others and went underground for many years, only now again starting to tattoo in public. To me that is really admirable when a person takes such a step in life. It is something that you could hear being told as an age old story of the great master who defied the norm and followed his own path. It is magical. Adventurous. And also simply just bad ass fucking shit. As tattooing should be. At this moment in time, I really couldn't think of someone else that would do my tattoo. Infact I feel such a deep bond with him, that it could be a possibility that when it comes to japanese style tattooing I couldnt imagine having anyone else in the world tattooing me.

He's tattoo's and art make´s me feel like I would be looking at some forgotten and magical sect of japanese tattooing that I discovered first time in centuries. I feel like a kid again. He does that with the harmony in the designs, the story in them. The undying and for ever absolutely virtuous heartblood that he has in his tattoos. He has made tattooing seem actually something that can change people's lifes. As it did his.


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www.horimatsu.com
Cease676
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Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2008 4:34 am

Sat Mar 15, 2008 4:42 am

yodaddynukka wrote:yeah i know a few people who got work from shige at conventions. he does the sickest oni's. he is in the states all the time, but you have to hit him up early if you want to be booked for a session. once i get a set date on my japan trip i am making a special trip to his studio to get work done, that is if he has an opening.
I was in Tokyo in January and made a trip out to Yokohama to check out Yellow Blaze since I'm a big fan of Shige's work. My Japanese isnt great, and his English is limited but he's an extremely nice guy. I knew my chances were slim but I asked if he had an openings but unfortunately he said he has a two year wait list and he stopped taking reservations three years ago. He said the best bet is to catch him when he's doing guest spots if you're not on the wait list. Hope this helps.
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