Horiyoshi III: The Master of Traditional Japanese Tattooing

Photo Credit: Zozios ‘meeting the master(s)’

Horiyoshi III of Yokohama is Japan’s preeminent tattoo master and is revered as a living legend to tattoo enthusiasts around the world for his prolific traditional Japanese bodysuits. Born Yoshihito Nakano (b. 1946), Horiyoshi III started his apprenticeship under the late Yoshitsugu Muramatsu (Horiyoshi I) and in 1971 received the honorary title of “Hori” (meaning “to engrave” or “to carve”) passed down from master to apprentice.

Horiyoshi III’s artwork is synonymous with Japanese culture and focuses on folktales, calligraphy and religious subjects. Before tattoo machines were readily available, Horiyoshi completed bodysuits by hand, using a technique known as tebori. This method consists of using a wooden or metal stick with needles fastened to the tip, using pressure to apply the ink into skin. Not until 1985 during a tattoo convention in Rome, did Horiyoshi begin to integrate machines in his process after witnessing experienced tattooists achieve the same accuracy with significant efficiency. Since then, Horiyoshi has achieved national and international fame for his work performed with both traditional tebori technique and modern tattoo machines.

For many years, Japanese tattoos were associated with the country’s criminal underworld. Despite the controversial history, Horiyoshi IIl’s clientele consists of members of the Yakuza (Japan’s mafia) and westerners alike. Horiyoshi views the body as a canvas and uses his platform to advocate and challenge the cultural stigma and discrimination of tattooed people in Japan.

Horiyoshi III continues to tattoo, publish books, and operate Japan’s only tattoo museum with his wife in Yokohama. His career is parallel to his character with a vision for Japanese tattooing interwoven with past, present, and future. Surrounded by mystique and built on tradition, craftsmanship and respect, Horiyoshi III embodies what it means to be a tattoo master.