Chris is known for his notable work in two main styles, Japanese and traditional old school, with some black and grey or black work versions of both styles thrown into the mix.
Hannya and snake back piece Black American traditional torso
Chris’ Instagram is full of both large and small scale work, including back pieces, full sleeves, one-offs, and job stoppers.
Hannya job stopperKintaro wrestling a wolf
His work is crisp and detailed, and you can tell how much pride he takes in his work by spending only a few minutes looking through his portfolio. Much of his work takes direct influence from woodblock Japanese artists as well as old school tattooers from the 19th-20th centuries.
Kyōsai’s frogBlack and grey Japanese sleeve
If you’re able to make the trip to Norway or are lucky enough to live in Europe where it’s easy to travel between countries, Chris is a must see artist.
Kintaro (literally translated as “golden boy”) is Japanese mythology’s equivalent to Hercules.
Kintaro vs the giant koi Done by Hide Ichibay at Three Tides TokyoKintaro’s head Done by Diau Yīshēng in Cape Town South Africa
Despite being called golden boy he’s usually depicted as red-skinned. He is also always seen as quite a young boy, very muscular, squat, and usually either naked or covered by only a loincloth type material.
Kintaro side piece Done by Marco Rossettini in SpainKintaro sleeve Done by Ryo Niitsuma in Okinawa Japan
According to legend Kintaro was raised by an ogre in the mountains, and his feats of strength are just as well known in Japan as Hercules’ are in most Western countries. Kintaro defeated a bear and an eagle at the same time, uprooted a massive tree to form a bridge over a river, and most famously wrestled a giant koi fish into submission.
A more old school take on Kintaro vs the koi Done by Kendi at Victory Tattooing in Vancouver, BCKintaro vs snake Done by Amar Goucem in the Netherlands
It is this last image of Kintaro wrestling the giant koi that is most often seen in tattoos. Utagawa Kuniyoshi most famously painted that specific image and made it popular for tattoo collectors.
A bright and bold Kintaro Done by Davide Di Cintio at Cloak and Dagger in London, EnglandBlack and grey Kintaro vs koi back piece Done by the Gioi Tattoo
Though Kintaro is a famous legendary figure, scholars believe he is at the very least based on a real person. The real Kintaro was most likely the son of Sakata Kurando, one of Emperor Suzaku’s bodyguards in the tenth century. Sakata’s wife Yaegiri was apparently a very beautiful woman, but when Sakata committed suicide after losing the Emperor’s favour, she took her son Kintaro to remote Mount Ashigara to raise him among animals, spirits, and mythological creatures. Here he gained powers of strength and was able to communicate with and control animals, and Yaegiri became a sorceress. Kintaro also eventually gained a powerful weapon, the very axe the god of thunder Raijin used.
Kintaro vs the boar Done by Baki in South KoreaKintaro head on the foot Done by Ordi at Black Rose Tattoo in Barcelona
Information found in the book “Japanese Tattoos: Meanings, Shapes and Motifs” by Yori Moriarty.
Josh is an artist specializing in American traditional style tattoos, working out of Love Tattoo Parlour in Melbourne Australia.
Classic dragon Spiderweb belly button filler.
Josh bases his designs on classic old school art, with a focus on American traditional work. He also creates tattoos with a Japanese influence, done in American traditional style.
Battle Royale back piece.Based on Japanese classic, Kintarō wrestling the carp.
Currently (April 2020) Josh (and the rest of the world) is not tattooing, but you can commission paintings by him by sending a DM on Instagram
American traditional flowers done up in a vase.A classic chest ship.
If you’re a fan of old school classics and want your own piece from Josh, whether you live in the Melbourne area or are stopping in on a trip, make sure to set up an appointment with Josh.
