【Profile】
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Asakusa HORIMIWA
Date of birth: 12/07/1995
Hori-shi
Horiyu Family
――What made you want to be a Hori-shi(Japanese style of tattooist)?
It’s really hard. There's no one definitive thing. It's just that there were times when a lot of things really came together at just the right time. I don't know. There were a lot of things I wanted to do. I listed them all in an itemized list, and as I was living my life, I started eliminating things, and the last thing I wanted to do was to be a Hori-shi. That's probably it (laughs). It's difficult to say. I could have had about 10 opportunities.
Also, there was a Hori-shi in Asakusa who used to have Irezumi done for me. I started hanging out with him privately as well. It's not very common for a man to fall in love with a man, is it? But I fell in love with his work. So I became his apprentice, and here I am.
――Do you have any design themes when you carve for people?
It's something that won't go away until you die. While thinking about that to some extent, hmmm. Theme. On the subject of timeliness, there is a customer who wants to put a tiger on his back, and thankfully he said he'd get the conditions up to that point and leave the rest to me. Also, I make a distinction between tattoos and Irezumi, when it comes to Irezumi, there is a part of me that wants you to leave your body to me. Tattoos are like saying, "I want to get a rose here," and then putting a rose there and that's it. But Irezumi is supposed to be done by using one whole body to make one picture. So even if a person started putting Irezumi on the back only, he has a story in his mind, because it becomes a single picture with one body.
――Is there anyone who you respect?
I guess it was my master. I thought he was a great Horishi from the time I wasn't planning to become one, so I started having him to get Irezumi done for me. Then I started doing it myself, and after two years of training, I had my first studio, and now it has been four years since I started. I still think of him as the best, even though I'm on the side of Hori-shi. That's why he's a master. But this answer is so boring, isn't it? (laughs) If I had to choose other masters, I'd go back to the Edo period. Ito Jakuchu, Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, and so on. In the end, that's where the Japanese Irezumi come from. There are so many Irezumi from that era. When people draw a picture, they usually pick up a lot of information from there. They mix it with their own style and make their own pictures. That kind of thing. The subject matter has been used all over the place, so it's a matter of how to make it more modern and personal. That's why the people of the Edo period are my art teachers.
――What was your first Irezumi?
It was the Mon (Japanese emblems used to decorate and identify an individuals) on my ankle. At first, my parents were really opposed to me getting Irezumi. I didn't want to make them sad, but it wasn't just that I wanted to get Irezumi, I was really attracted to it. I wanted to persuade my parents by getting my Mon on the very first shot.
――Do you remember what you carved for the first time and how you felt at that time?
It’s a mask on my friend’s leg. My hands were trembling (laugh).
――Is there any particular part that makes you nervous when you carve?
After all, it's the place you can see on a daily basis. The backs of your hands and legs are hard to carve, even though they're visible on a daily basis. It doesn't leave a clean image. But I still get nervous no matter where I do it.
――What do you think is the difference between tattoos and Irezumi?
The technique or the process of carving is different, and the way of thinking is different from the beginning. Tattoos are completed as a single picture with a single point. As I said before, the premise is that everything is connected to make one picture. Also, the method is different. The sujibori is done with a machine. Tebori is slightly different in each country and region. There are several genres of tebori. Also, nowadays, only the best parts of American tattoos have been imported, but in fact, Japanese Irezumi can be completed with the original ones in Japan. Also, the ink is different. For example, there is a black ink for tattoos, but I use the ink used in calligraphy.
――Calligraphy ink?
People were surprised to see that there was an inkstone. Also, this ink stick is stripped of gold, but when you polish it with an ink stone, the gold will be gone and it will turn black. Also, Irezumi are actually blue. The ink is a deep blue color. After it has been in our skin for 10 or 20 years, it becomes bluer and bluer. Tattoos are written as "piercing blue," aren't they? I think that is why the kanji for "blue" is written when you write Irezumi in kanji.
――What are the tools for Irezumi?
I make the tools for carving from scratch. I buy a lot of needles at a factory in Hiroshima. I sharpen them one by one. And then I stacked them on top of each other, 10.9.8 needles, and this one is called a 3-step 10.9.8. Ah! All right! I see a big difference! It's either the craftsman or the artist! I was told by my master that set-up is 80 % of Irezumi, and the rest of 20% is when I'm working with clients. Preparation is 80%. For example, the term "80% for set up" is used for a steeplejack or a fireman's job. I think Irezumi is similar to that. I think the preparation determines a lot.
I am happier to be called a craftsman than to be called an artist. I don't mind if people call me an artist, but my own feeling is that I want to be a craftsman. I guess my mind-set is different.
――What was the hardest Irezumi that you’ve done?
Maybe when I did the whole back. Sometimes people who are working on a single arm will come every week, sometimes every few months. Even if I want to finish the work within the year, there are times when it's frustrating because of the pace at which they are working. Irezumi is a collaborative process. It is a genre that cannot be finished unless both the customer and the Hori-shi work well together. There were people who came to me because they used to go for other Hori-shi but didn't feel comfortable with them. Some of the people I worked with may have left elsewhere. The relationship with the clients are very important. We're connected in a much deeper way than most professions.
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