Japanese tattooist Horihiro came to Melbourne for a holiday but has spent much of his time decorating the arms and backs of a lucky few.
As one of only about five masters in the world who specialise in the art of wabori - the manual tattooing of traditional images, favoured by the Japanese mafia or yakuza - Horihiro has been in high demand since arriving in December.
Using a needle attached to a wooden stick, Horihiro uses quick, rhythmic jabs to insert ink about six millimetres deep in the skin. The technique, which dates from the Eno period in 17th century Japan, produces a more vibrant, longer-lasting colour, but is much more laborious than electric machine tattooing, used widely in Australia. A full-body tattoo, favoured by the yakuza, could take more than 50 long sessions over a year.
(The Age)
Japanese tattooist Horihiro came to Melbourne for a holiday but has spent much of his time decorating the arms and backs of a lucky few.
As one of only about five masters in the world who specialise in the art of wabori - the manual tattooing of traditional images, favoured by the Japanese mafia or yakuza - Horihiro has been in high demand since arriving in December.
Using a needle attached to a wooden stick, Horihiro uses quick, rhythmic jabs to insert ink about six millimetres deep in the skin. The technique, which dates from the Eno period in 17th century Japan, produces a more vibrant, longer-lasting colour, but is much more laborious than electric machine tattooing, used widely in Australia. A full-body tattoo, favoured by the yakuza, could take more than 50 long sessions over a year.
(The Age)