Japanese Tattooing Now: Memory and Transition

Over 500 photos display a vast range of Japanese tattoo styles, from the classic Horimono to the new One Point style, along with stories of Japanese masters of the tattoo art.

Japanese men have been marked by tattoo artists for the past 300 years. Today's urbane Japanese youth continue the tradition, proudly creating and wearing this ever changing art form.

Here, over 500 breathtaking color photographs display a vast range of Japanese tattoos, from traditional full-body forms repleat with classical images steeped in symbolism, including Horimono, to modern One-Point style, heavily influenced by the cultures of the West. The fascinating accompanying text provides a glimpse of Japan's youth culture and recounts, through personal interviews, stories of Japanese masters of the tattoo art, including Senseis Horihide, Horiyoshi III, Horitoshi I, Horiyasu, and Horikoi.

Readers will see some of the most intricate tattoo art in the world, while traveling through time from the 19th century Edo Floating World to the busy streets of modern Tokyo.

Michael McCabe is a tattoo artist and cultural anthropologist who has published extensively about tattooing in Asia, Europe, and the United States.