Horitoshi The First Photo Album

I am pleased to announce the release of a photo album of Master Horitoshi The First in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. I, Keiichi KUWAI, the author and photographer, first came to the door of Master Horitoshi The First in 1995, and since then, I have been a great patron of Master Horitoshi The First for nearly 30 years, both publicly and privately. Since then, I have been allowed to bring my camera to the workshop of Master Horitoshi The First and take many pictures of his work. I was allowed to take many photos not only of his finished works, but also of scenes of his daily work, some of which were taken while he was drinking, and some of which were taken during band performances. We also have a wide variety of photos, such as those of his band performing. I also found some photos from Las Vegas in 2007, and one from a swimming trip in Katsuura, Chiba Prefecture, which made me laugh.

In my case, I had all my tattoos done in 2008 and the last one was the name "Horitoshi The First" on my back. Of course, I went to Ikebukuro to get a tattoo by Master Horitoshi, but basically, once a week, I spent an hour or two with Master Horitoshi, which became my greatest pleasure, and I have been going to his workshop with this feeling ever since. And I am sure that those of you who have captured this feeling, for example, in this photo album, will understand.

Master Tattooing is an art form.

Master Horitoshi's tattoos had been amazing until then, but it was probably around the time when Master Horitoshi The First turned 60 years old that he suddenly made a major breakthrough in his carving. The greatness of the composition, the dynamism, the expressions of the individual subject matter, the use of color, and the ultimate precision and fineness of detail. I will never forget the day when the tattoo on the skin of a person living in the familiar scenery of my master's workplace, seen through the viewfinder, looked so clearly different from what it had been before.

The current Horitoshi The First workshop is a truly international place, and is filled with many visitors from overseas, probably due to the influence of social networking sites. In the beginning of 2023, I felt a kind of sense of mission to preserve the works of Master Horitoshi The First as an official album, but at the same time, I also wanted to help people overseas better understand traditional and authentic Japanese tattoos. At the same time, I also felt a strong desire to help people overseas better understand traditional and authentic Japanese tattoos. In this book, we will introduce the unique sensibility and aesthetic sense of the Japanese people. I have also incorporated another theme of the Japanese people's deep-rooted ideas and senses of "all things in the forest, the 8 million gods".

We are well aware that there are many people who have negative impressions of traditional Japanese tattoos, but the true form of modern tattoos is the result of Master Horitoshi The First's many years of hard work, constant effort, and his never-ending interest in everything he does, and the courage to always improve. The true form of modern tattooing is an art form. We hope you will take a look at the extraordinary works of our beloved Master Horitoshi The First.

- Photographed and created by : Keiichi KUWAI 2023.4/21

Purchase

Horitoshi The First Photo Album : Limited edition of 500 copies sold worldwide

Special Edition Horitoshi The First Photo Album : Limited to 500 copies worldwide
> We will ship by EMS to overseas.

¥98,000 (tax not included)

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Album Introduction Video

Album text sample