Monmon is a Japanese term for tattoo, and a monmon cat is a cat with tattoos. They were designed by Horitomo, a Japanese tattoo artist well known for his hand work (tebori) and his monmon designs. He published a book entitled Monmon Cats and has inspired other tattoo artists around the world.
Sassy looking cat with skeletons by Amber Bananafish at Bananafish Tattoo Parlour.
Monmon cats are usually done in traditional Japanese style, and usually have their own Japanese tattoos. They can also be done realistically, in black and grey, and have other tattoos such as American traditional, flowers, and skulls.
Realistic cat with rose by Ash Valentine.Samurai cat by Simina at Old Bastards Tattoo Shop in Romania.New school cat with geisha back piece by Heather Sinn at Tattoo Room in Simi Valley, CA.Matching foot monmon cats by Horitomo at State of Grace tattoo in Japantown SJ, CA.Another by Horitomo with American traditional tattoos.Stomach cat by Horitomo with peony tattoos and a fun ball of yarn.Full sleeve with monmon cat also by Horitomo.More matching monmon by Horitomo with mean looking Oni!Monmon cat doing its own tebori tattooing by Jason Rose.Large monmon with koi fish and cherry blossoms by Jamie Negro at Be Hardcore Tattoo.Monmon with waves by Kika Blunt.Monmon with cloud and wind designs and cherry blossoms by Luana Cavalcoli.Monmon drinking sake with a wicked dragon tattoo and flowers by Sarah Baldwin at Control Tattoo in FL.Cute cat with peony flower tattoos by Sebastian Giraldo Nieto.Blackwork monmon cat with skull inspired by Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre by Utagawa Kuniyoshi done by Steph White at Cock A Snook Tattoo Parlour in Newcastle.
The geisha, or, “person of accomplishment” date back to 1751 in the mid-Tokugawa period in Japan. Geisha’s were originally men, but eventually became women.
Deep in thought by Ami James.
Geisha’s were trained artists skilled in tea ceremony, flower arranging, and as singers, dancers, storytellers, servers, and conversationalists. These women were all literate and were familiar with poetry and tales of warriors in order to entertain their patrons. Geisha’s were not prostitutes, but worked in the pleasure districts, also called “the floating world” and while not they were not sex workers, some did become concubines or mistresses for men who would buy their contracts from their masters.
Black and grey neo Japanese geisha with cherry blossoms by Andrew Mcnally at Northside Private Rooms in Newcastle, UK.Realistic side/stomach piece with cherry blossoms by Anna Yershova.Brilliant Japanese back piece by Horiyasu.
Geisha’s are known for their musical prowess, particularly with an instrument called samisen, which today is also used in kabuki plays and has an inherently “Japanese” sound. As for appearance, while working a geisha would wear a kimono tied from the back, which is another difference between a geisha and a prostitute as a prostitute would have her kimono tied in the front. A thick white foundation of makeup is applied to the face, neck, and upper chest, with a line around the hairline creating a mask like appearance. Other makeup includes black around the eyes and eyebrows with bright red lips.
Fantastic neo traditional neck piece also with cherry blossoms, by Daniel Gensch in Berlin, Germany.A more Westernized neo traditional geisha by Emily Rose Murray in Melbourne, Australia.Blackwork Japanese piece of a sly looking geisha by Gakkin in Amsterdam.Another traditional Japanese back piece with cherry blossoms, skeleton, and Buddhist imagery by Horihana in Brazil.Dark American traditional geisha and flower by Jarrad Serafino at The Sweet Life Tattoo in Melbourne, Australia.
Geisha’s still exist today, though due in part to the rigorous training in order to become one, are much less frequent. Today, geisha’s mainly entertain politicians at parties.
Neo traditional namakubi or severed head geisha with peony by Kevin Nocerino at Still Life Tattoo.Realistic black and grey geisha by Mark Wosgerau at Sinners Inc in Denmark.Bold mix of black and grey and colour in a realistic style by Michael Litovkin.Soft, colourful, realistic geisha by Pavel Krim in Stockholm.American traditional black and red work by Reuben Todd at Kapala Tattoo in Winnipeg.
As a tattoo a geisha will generally be done in Japanese traditional style, neo Japanese, American traditional, neo traditional, black and grey, or realism.
American traditional work by Shon Lindauer in Hollywood.Fantastic Japanese piece by Thomas Pineiro at Black Garden Tattoo in the UK.Bold American traditional piece by Tony Nilsson in Norway.Modern watercolor piece by Victor Octaviano in Brazil.tiny blackwork geisha and hannya by William Roos in Stockholm.Geisha head and fan by Zak Partak in Toronto.
Geisha’s are an important part of Japanese history and make a fantastic design!
Some great tattoos for all the great mothers out there! Happy Mothers Day!
The classic “mom” tattoo is an American traditional heart with the word “mom”. Nowadays there are many more versions of this, done in colour, black and grey, and many different styles including American traditional, neo traditional, dotwork, blackwork, cross stitch, and realism. Now there is also more than just the heart as a design. There can be flowers, birds, landscapes, and more meaningful pieces that really relate to a specific mom.
Sacred heart black and grey mom piece by Big Meas at Sacred Heart Tattoo Society in Ohio.Knee rose for mom by Brooke Englehart in Chicago.Anatomical heart with some colour by Carlos Fuentes at Mystic Owl Tattoo in GA.Blackwork anatomical heart by Jake Pierson at Old Soul Tattoo Club.Classic American traditional mom heart and flowers by Dana at Lucky 13 Tattoo and Piercing.Neo traditional heart and flowers with some great script by Koty Nyman at Heart and Soul Tattoo.Tropical landscape mom tattoo by Mike Santa Fe.Needle and thread mom tattoo by David Klingenfuss at PMA Tattoo Studio in CA.American traditional butterfly mamma piece by Ivan Castro at True Heart Tattoo in California.American traditional heart, flowers and swallow for mom by Jennifer Lynn at Trilogy Tattoo Gallery in Florida.Neat mom tattoo with crossed wrenches by Lexy Parsons at Tempest Tattoo Studio in TN.Beautiful American traditional heart and dagger for mom by Rick Ilcken at Heart Land Tattoo.Neo traditional squirrel for momma by Ryan Campbell at Memento Tattoo & Gallery in Ohio.Matching colourful mother daughter tattoos by Nat G at Good Luck Tattoo in Melbourne.Classic mom heart tattoo by Taylor Estrella at Empyre Tattoo in NY.
Sean Cushnie is a talented artist working out of Kapala Tattoo in Winnipeg. His style is both neo traditional and neo Japanese. Sean uses a mix of black and grey with bright colours to make his work pop. Sean’s black and grey work borders on realism while his colour is solid neo traditional, making it not only a mix of colouring, but also mixing style.
Monkey King!Neo Japanese sleeve featuring a hannya, chrysanthemum, and waves.Neo traditional black and grey woman with red flowers.Another neo traditional woman with skull and flowers.Bright red hannya.Very royal looking neo traditional woman mixing black and grey and colour.Neo Japanese peony flower and snake with vibrant colours.Japanese shoulder koi with cherry blossoms and waves.Black and grey woman and hannya with red flowers.Black and grey religious Sacred Heart.Another mix of black and grey and colour with bright orange and red, featuring nature themes.Mermaid with skull make of waves.Bright neo Japanese dragon sleeve with clouds as background.Neo Japanese body panel with a huge tiger.One final neo traditional sleeve of Roman warrior and skull.
Sean is a must see Winnipeg artist for your neo trad needs.
Nissaco is a tattoo artist based in Shinsaibashi Osaka at an unnamed private studio that goes by the name room_23_26 on Instagram.
Smaller scale pieces. Healed waves and fresh geometrical shell design.
Nissaco does mainly large scale pieces such as full sleeves, back pieces, and even body suits. His style is black geometrical work and it is extremely detailed.
Big and painful back of the leg going right over the knee ditch with some popping red in the mandala and linework designs.Full back piece right over the butt and legs leading into a great sleeve on the left arm. Some great use of negative space in the back.Fantastic sleeve with bird skull and eye mixed with geometrical designs.
His work is hard sought after with visitors going to see him from all around the world. Along with having clients from around the world, he also travels, going to various tattoo conventions. Most recent he will be at the 13th London Tattoo convention in September 2017.
Filler neck/throat piece that fits great with the adjacent neck pieces.Matching geometric sleeves.Full back and legs with a lot of heavy blackwork for filler.Full front is a tender area going right onto the nipples, with brilliant line work and heavy blacks.Brilliant full torso, sleeve, and two leg sleeves with geometric designs and a hidden face.Half body suit full of heavy blacks in large scale geometrics.Fantastic intricate healed geometric design.
Along with being geometrical in design, Nissaco’s work also often features classic Japanese elements such as dragons, waves, flowers, snakes, koi fish, and hannya masks. These pieces are almost entirely black, but occasionally feature a small amount of red to make them really pop.
Full front, sleeve, and half leg sleeve. Featuring a brilliant Japanese dragon, and flowers such as chrysanthemums and cherry blossoms.Great geometric koi fish with some colour thrown in.Heavy blacks and lots of negative space with this angry hannya.Another hannya coming off of a sleeve and onto the back.
Nissaco is a must see artist in Osaka, Japan, but book well in advance as his books fill up fast!
Sailor Moon is a popular Japanese Anime show based off the 52 manga chapters entitled Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon. The show premiered in Japan in 1992 and was popular there as well as overseas.
Brooch and crystals with colourful dotwork on the knee done by Alivia Foley at Artful Dodger Tattoo in Seattle.Dotwork mandala and brooch by Uls Metzger at Puro Tattoo in Italy.Photo realistic Sailor Moon portrait by Nikko Hurtado at Black Anchor Collective In L.A.
Sailor Moon is the heroine name of the main character, a young woman who fights evil. A cat named Luna gives Sailor Moon, or Usagi (Serena in English), a magical brooch that transforms her into Sailor Moon. Throughout the show Usagi/Serena meets other young women who are also given magical objects able to transform them. Together they form the Sailor Soldiers. Along with being able to transform, they have other items that help them to fight evil.
Bright purple one by Laura Anunnaki.Black dotwork piece by Charlotte Ann Harris at Castle Ink Studio in Birmingham, UK.Fight like a girl! By Eric Flannes.
The show is particularly popular with young woman as it is about strong, powerful women who fight evil and are portrayed as strong and capable, but also human, capable of having human breakdowns as well as strength.The show also has themes of love triumphing over hate.
In Japanese Sailor Moon is called Usagi which translated means bunny! Realistic piece done by Erick Holguin at Ink and Dagger in Roswell, GA.Brooch, dotwork mandala by Helena Darling in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Lotus and crystal thigh piece done by Kimberly Wall at Black Rabbit Tattoo in Richmond, VA.Neo traditional flowers, script, and brooch by Teresa Sharpe at Unkindness Art in Richmond, VA.
As a tattoo, many people get Sailor Moon or the other Sailor Soldiers, the cats Luna, Artemis, and Diana, the different magical items, and the crescent moon. These tattoos are often bright and colourful but can also be done in blackwork. Styles range from American traditional, neo traditional, realistic, new school, dotwork, blackwork, black and grey, and watercolour.
Luna by Kadee Spangler at Chroma Tattoo.Bright realistic/ neo traditional Artemis by Brando Chiesa on Florence, Italy.Neck Artemis with sceptre by Brando again.One more Artemis and creepy Sailor Moon by Brando once more.
