Todays appointment was much easier than the last one. Despite my having such an intimate relationship with Shinji (see my previous post), I know very little about him. Whether it's that English is not his first language, or simply the fact that he's Japanese, Shinji is very economical with his words. We exchange polite greetings when I arrive (I offer the same to his apprentice), and the same when I leave. Except for the occasional direction ("Head here, please."), or requests to his apprentice in Japanese, the session usually lacks any conversation. I used to joke with Andi that I would pay extra if I could find I barber that I didn't have to talk to during a haircut—what is there to talk about, really?—so Shinji's style of tattooing is a good fit for me: no conversation, no machine buzz, and jazz playing. What could be better?
But still, I'm obviously interested in Shinji's story, so I was excited to be able to pick on a book this trip about his master, Horitoshi 1. I first saw the book offered on NY Adorned's Tumblr page, and after emailing him about it, I was happy to hear Shinji was going to be holding a copy for me.
The more I get tattooed, the more I realize the vast stylistic differences between Japanese tattooers, and that even I still struggle with a not-uncommon attitude that there is a singular look to Japanese tattooing—when is is really strikingly and obviously different from one tattooer to the next. And yes, I've read a good deal about Japanese tattooing, and searched out a great many books for my collection, but the published writing about the Japanese tattoo tradition in English is at best incomplete, and at worst ignorant and ill-informed—with often not a small number of Western prejudices and presuppositions as well. I haven't more than skimmed through this book, but we'll see how it rates: a book about the work of a Japanese tattoo master published in Italian by a publishing company who took the name "Chopsticks Productions." Hmmm.
Regardless, I'm really excited pore over the book and see the work—and to watch the accompanying DVD. Shinji is profiled on one page toward the back, along with other members of the Horitoshi "Family."
