Gakkin is a (mainly) blackwork and freehand artist working out of Amsterdam after first working in Kyoto.
Blackwork raven across the back of the neck.Large octopus sleeve and chest piece.Bodysuit featuring birds, flowers, wind, and clouds.Huge snake torso piece.
His pieces are all large scale. Full sleeves, large torso pieces, back pieces, and bodysuits.
Gruesome namakubi (severed head), with hair that flows into an almost cloudlike state.Massive crane back piece with clouds, waves, and koi.Negative space stomach hannya as part of a full bodysuit of mainly solid black.Red flowers on heavy black leg sleeve, with white spider web.
He collaborates often now with another Japanese blackwork artist, Nissaco. The two work well together, and their pieces flow seamlessly into each other.
Bright flowers within a dark backdrop.Chrysanthemum with Japanese noh mask.Back of a bodysuit featuring negative space geometric designs.Beautiful blackwork moon and cloud back piece.
His work is largely inspired by nature. Everything from wind, water, flowers, mountains, the sun, and the moon, and animals.
Large brushstroke style.Geometric, blackwork sleeve.Large chrysanthemum as part of a sleeve.
Gakkin also takes direct inspiration from ancient Japanese painters, adding his own interpretations.
Waves and wind in these nature sleeves.Part of a bodysuit featuring wind and waves.Bright red flowers on heavy black.
Though he mainly works with black, he does also add splashes of red to draw the eye. In an interview with Tattoo Life, he said about working with black “I believe that black is the most important color in tattooing. Every ancient tattooing culture – Maori, Japanese, and Polynesian – considers it as such. It just works better than any other color on the skin.” (www.tattoolife.com)
kuchisake-onna ghost, from stories dating back to the Edo period.Tsuchigumo, the Japanese spider demon.Collaboration piece done with Nissaco at the London tattoo convention 2017.
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!
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!
Horitsuki is a tattoo artist and owner of Galaxy Tattoo 3 in Hong Kong. He studied under Nicckuhori, the god son of the brilliant Horiyoshi III, in Singapore before finding his own style within Japanese traditional art, despite working in China.
He has gained recognition throughout Asia and Europe, travelling as a guest artist. He does all the classic Japanese designs such as hanya masks, snakes, koi fish, fu dogs, and flowers. However it is dragons that he is most famous for. He is nicknamed the Dragon King in Europe.
Fu dog hand piece.Brilliant Hanya with a bold placement.Colourful chrysanthemum.Ghost lantern.Koi and cherry blossom sleeve.Koi and cat piece.Matching foot namakubi.Beautiful, bloody namakubi.Bold red Oni.Traditional smoking frog.Beautifully detailed Japanese tiger.Angry dragon head.Dragon head and claw.Dragon chest piece coming off of a sleeve.Gorgeous dragon back piece with flowers.
Horitsuki is the guy to see if you’re in Hong Kong.
Reuben is a tattoo artist working out of Kapala Tattoo in Winnipeg. His main styles are American traditional and Japanese. Along with tattooing, Reuben also paints; mainly Japanese inspired images.
Reuben has years of experience under his belt and is a pleasure to be tattooed by. Even while tattooing my stomach which is quite a tender area, he was able to take my mind off the pain with conversation.
My own blackwork American traditional stomach piece.Blackwork American traditional clasped hands and dagger with flowers.Peter Pan inspired piece with pan flute and script.Blue traditional rose.Matching knee ditch Halloween pieces. A witch and Casper the friendly ghost.
Reuben has been doing larger pieces recently including half and full sleeves. His American traditional pieces are reminiscent of the old days, but have a twist of newer style, particularly while tattooing lady heads.
Ladyhead with apple and different coloured eyes based on his clients photo.Large healed ladyhead with new traditional wolf below.
His Japanese work is bold, often featuring waves or flowers, which really make the main center piece of the tattoo pop. His Japanese work is generally done large in a arm or leg sleeve.
Japanese dragon 3/4 sleeve with fire.Full Japanese leg sleeve with koi, waves, and leaves.Japanese snake sleeve with waves.
Reuben is a must see artist for your traditional or Japanese tattoo needs.
