“If you can’t tolerate the pain, you’re not a man.”
– Horiyoshi III
Japanese tattooist Horiyoshi III is a living legend, not just in the Japanese tattoo community, but the world tattoo community. In many ways, he is the living embodiment of what Japanese tattoo is about. While statements he makes (like the one above), might not sit well with everyone, he does have a very clear and distinct awareness of what tattoo is. More than anything else, his experiences, knowledge and insight are invaluable to any tattoo artist or fan of tattoo art, whether they are male, female, black, white – whatever. The bottom line is that Horiyoshi III has a massive respect for tattoo; something that he sees as more than just art. If you’ve got a spare 15 minutes on your hands, I highly recommend that you check out the documentary below. Especially if you’re a tattoo artist. It very well could change the way you think .