Tattooing
Horimono
Japanese tattooing is much more than the pictures we commonly associate it with. For this reason, especially if as tattooers we embark on the journey of carrying this tradition, it’s important to learn the concepts, customs and philosophy of a culture we often don’t belong to.
Dave Regan is a tattoo artist specialized in Americana and Japanese, author and musician. His passion for Japanese culture extends to activities like bonsai gardening and working with the Denver Botanic Garden on cultivating their renowned Japanese garden program, as well as maintaining the trees of Hakubai Zen Temple in Boulder.
In his website Dave introduces us to some important concepts regarding Horimono and it’s a great free resource to expand our understanding of this marvelous culture.
Folklore
Promenades Japonaises
“I will have a diplomatic passport for Japan and a government mission to study the religions of the Far East. You see that a designer is essential to me. Try to be my companion, we will spend ten months this way which will enlighten the rest of our lives.”
Émile Guimet
The Guimet museum in Paris is one of my favorites when it comes to Japanese art in Europe. The collections of the Japanese section number around 11,000 works and offer an extremely rich and diverse panorama of Japanese art from its birth until the advent of the Meiji era in 1868, as well as works of modern and contemporary art. A must see if you are in the area.
The Lyon industrialist Émile Guimet, patron of this museum, left to study the religions of the Japanese archipelago, and in this book he recounts the adventures of the trip and the discovery of daily life in Japan, often disconcerting for a Westerner.
The work is punctuated by numerous illustrations by his traveling companion, Félix Régamey.
Always with the goal of better understanding a culture foreign to mine, in this case the Japanese one, I search material that can help me in this journey. Go to the roots, not to the fruits they say. This leads me to various directions, sometimes it’s local medieval literature, sometimes contemporary academic studies, in this case it’s a French book. It’s not always easy to find material in a language you’re fluent with but, luckily today, with Google translate we can fill the gaps. It’s a bit more work but it also shows your dedication in this task.
In the link below you can find a pdf version of the book.
News
NEW 6 months Tattoo Mentor Program
have started running the assessments for the Mentor Program starting next January. I have also developed a longer version to be able to offer more assignments and guidance along the program, so that I can see more impact in the practice and development of new skills.
For more info please visit the link below
Tattoo Tales: Horimono
This week I will release a new episode of the Tattoo Tales podcast with Dave Regan.
Dave is very knowledgeable when it comes to Japanese culture and he shared with us about his new amazing upcoming book on Japanese tattooing, a gem if you want to learn more about the subject.