Japanese is undeniably one of the most popular tattoo styles, but heavy black pieces are changing the game.
Blackwork wave sleeve mixed with geometric patterns by Raimundo Ramìrez.Spirited Away’s Yubaba done by Stephen Doan.
Japanese tattoos traditionally use lots of red and black, but also feature some yellows, orange, and shades of grey. Basically the same colour palette as original American traditional.
Blackwork tiger back done by Takizomoro.Samurai Hannya done by Daniel Ra.
Blackwork is becoming a more and more popular style all the time, and can be done in many styles.
Blackwork leg sleeves done by Guy Le Tatooer.Blackwork cloud sleeves with geometric patterns done by Gakkin.
Japanese blackwork often makes great use of negative space, making the subject pop, particularly when done on lighter skin tones.
Blackwork Bodhidharma by HoriNami.Blackwork peony and snake sleeves by Lupo Horiōkami.
Some artists also mix styles such as Neo-traditional and geometric with their Japanese work. Both of these styles are often done as all black pieces, so it mixes well.
Blackwork namakubi by Damien J. Thorn.Blackwork fish by Horihiro.
Which tattoo is your favourite?
Blackwork negative space sleeve by Oscar Hove.3/4 sleeves and chest panels by Gotch.
Kelly Smith works out of Cry Baby Tattoo in Sheffield, England. Kelly mainly does American traditional pieces, but also works in black work and Japanese styles.
Bloody panther head and a deadly looking snake.Some gorgeous pink peony’s paired with solid black filler in a forearm half sleeve.Some old school flowers for a bold neck piece.Badass scorpion ready to sting for this side neck piece.Japanese kitsune, or fox spirit.
Kelly’s work is bright and bold as hell, mixing the traditional themes of Americana and Japan with the bright colours of a Neo-traditional style.
Some classic clasped hands and trad flowers on the collar bone.Traditional geisha wearing a beautiful kimono.Anchor featuring Neck Deep lyrics.Good luck horseshoe and some mountains done in blackwork style.Badass Sailor Jerry inspired piece.
If you’re looking for a banging one off then Kelly is the one to see, but don’t be shy about getting a big piece! A back or torso design will be a brilliant addition to your collection.
Toad getting that zen life.Lots of green in this gorgeous back piece featuring Eve and Lucifer with that dratted apple.A painful spot for a mean looking eagle.Wicked snake head with some bright colours.Very painful looking old school piece featuring a tiger and a snake battling it out.
If you happen to find yourself in the Sheffield area Kelly is one to visit. I know I will!
Blackwork lady and rose.Namakubi hand banger. Gorgeous blue tones in that bloody head.Another peony, featuring a cute old school butterfly.More pink peony’s and solid black. These pieces are great for some heavy contrast.Sick traditional dragon looking ready to get into some mischief.
You can find Kelly on Instagram at @kellysmithtattoos
Namakubi tattoos are one of the most popular and recognizable motifs in Japanese tattooing.
More of a neo Japanese style hand namakubi, done by Alessandro Lauricella.Very traditional lady namakubi done by Hide Ichibay at Three Tides Tattoo in Tokyo.Namakubi chest piece done by Ichi Hatano at Ichi Tattoo in Tokyo.Namakubi and snake done by Sergey Vaskevich in Warsaw, Poland.Heavily stylized namakubi done by Zach Black at Akara Arts Tattoo in Wisconsin.
Namakubi are severed heads, usually fresh, and sometimes impaled on stakes, arrows, or swords/knives.
Blue and bloody namakubi done by Alex Rusty at Lighthouse Tattoo in Sydney, Australia.Neo Japanese piece done by Horiei Shinshu in Matsumoto, Japan.Broken katana through the head done by Jeremy Deboer in Adelaide.Heavy black piece by Shinya at Studio Muscat in Tokyo, Japan.
Namakubi can have a number of different meanings including respect for the enemy, overcoming a fear, or accepting ones own fate with honour.
Three arrows through a head in a more American traditional style piece. Done by Andrew Nectar at Fine Tattooing in Lethbridge, Alberta.Bleeding head done by Horihana at Kirin Tattoo in Brasil.Ghastly namakubi done by Lango Oliveira at Black Heart Tattoo in San Francisco.Blackwork namakubi with arrows done by Stephen Doan.
In ancient Japanese history, taking the head of ones enemy is the ultimate sign of respect and honour. It is also a representation of life’s full circle coming to an end.
Sword right through the cheeks by Ash Davies at Stronghold Tattoo in Cardiff Bay.Japanese namakubi part of a bodysuit, done by Horishige in Osaka, Japan.Half sleeve with maple leaves done by Matteo Ceccarini at Extreme Needle Tattoo Studio in London, England.Crazy eyed namakubi done by Tamar Karp at The Black Lodge in Bristol.
Namakubi are almost always done in a traditional Japanese style, but can also be done in neo Japanese, neo traditional, and American traditional styles.
Rotting neo traditional namakubi done by Dan Arietti at Black Sails Tattoo in Brighton.Sliced open namakubi done by Horiyoshi the third in Yokohama, Japan.Matching legs done by Rich Handford at Kapala Tattoo in Winnipeg Manitoba.Another neo Japanese piece done by Zach Black at Akara Arts Tattoo in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Lera is an artist from Moscow, Russia. Her specialty is blackwork, particularly Asian inspired horror.
Japanese Yōkai featuring a couple of lantern demons and terrifying head.Terrifying demon woman.Incredibly dark blackwork demon and monsters.Japanese geisha demon with a geometric kimono.Detailed moth and moon.Shoulder flowers with eyeballs.Japanese inspired demon with too many hands!
Most of her work takes on a dark theme, such as ghosts, demons, and skeletons.
Skeleton and nude woman. Some fantastic details in there.Peony flowers covering up old scars.Robotic severed hand and knife.Sternum moth.Maneki-neko cat from Japan.Heavy blackwork goldfish.
When she isn’t doing blackwork, her other work is quite delicate, including flowers and other natural plants.
Delicate pink rose.Cute mushrooms!
Lera has an incredible attention to detail, with an eye for the supernatural and spooky!
Queen of hearts meets gruesome death.Creepy goblet of blood.Namakubi with incredible linework in the hair.Small butterfly with some great dotwork detail.Some brilliant kanji with great hand placement.Split lion head with a distinct Asian style.
Lera is a must see artist for your creepy blackwork needs.
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.
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!
Clemens is an artist working out of Electric Circus Classic Tattooing in Mannheim, Germany. Clemens specializes in neo traditional, traditional, and blackwork, with some Japanese thrown into the mix. Clemens does fantastic work using timeless designs mixed with new techniques and styles. He doesn’t shy away from tough designs or locations including full sleeves, bellies, ribs, back pieces, and even hands and faces for those whose lifestyles can afford them.
Hardcore full frontal blackwork traditional panther head and webbing with matching black and grey sleeves.Matching chest heads, dagger through a heart, and angry bear head in rad neo trad.Elephant head inspired by deities.American traditional classic of an eagle fighting a snake, sun and moon not by Clemens.Japanese backpiece with oni and namakubi in a neo Japanese style.Full blackwork backpiece inspired by the beauty of death with crow and matching coffins.Half backpiece in Japanese black and grey featuring a tiger, peony, and cloud background. with a matching sleeve.Whole bunch of job stoppers! Beautiful hand and neck pieces including traditional and blackwork.Crazy throat peony.Neo Japanese tiger head neck tattoo.American traditional eagle on the back of the neck/head.Crazy elephant inspired piece.Brilliant neo traditional fox and bear in a tender spot.Tasteful face piece. Blackwork nails in a bleeding heart.Blackwork traditional Native American lady head.Matching back of the knees traditional mandalas.Neo traditional Little Red Riding Hood and the big bad wolf.
If you’re in Germany Clemens Hahn is a must see artist!
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.
Ichi Hatano is an artist working out of Tokyo, Japan. He has been tattooing since 1998 and has tattooed around the world in the United States, England, and Germany.
Backpiece featuring a samurai.Japanese woman backpiece.3/4 sleeve with a fantastic dragon.
His specialty is the traditional Japanese style of irezumi. His work is bold and precise. Ichi has brilliant attention to detail, and his work is full of the Japanese culture and tradition that people go to him for, from around the world.
Brilliant koi backpiece.3/4 sleeve with beautiful clouds as the background.Half sleeve of cherry blossoms, clouds, and wind.Colourful Oni looking ready for a fight.Samurai and a dragon in a delicate embrace.Gruesome Namakubi.Beautiful, tiny peony flower.Great contrast in this sleeve between the bright and dark.
Ichi Hatano is a must see artist if you’re in Tokyo.
