Tattoo Artist Magazine #4: Horiyoshi III

TAM#4 is one of the rarest issues and it marked a real turn in the scope of my little Zine project, having been invited to visit Japan by Mr. Gus (who spent a week babysitting and shuffling us from town to town, train by train, leaving his family and making sure we were fed, housed and safe 👉and without getting lost!) — We saw many great cultural spots, tattoo shops and even cried over Hiroshima/Nagasaki. We met so many artists — but the jewel of the trip was sitting down with Horiyoshi the 3rd for a bit and being allowed to watch him work for a day! Truly amazing. But the topper was then being given the honor of a little cherry blossom tattoo (slide left to see it today) as a gift (he even signed it) when one of his clients failed to show!
- My favorite Malone Tattoo Tale and illustration. (Who owns this now? I’d really like the chance to get it back🙏)
- Our Step-By-Step was by Guy Aitchison, another big inspiration to me. His generosity in sharing his journey and artistry inspired several thousands.
- also, This is the first issue with a black border, plus we added gold letter printing because It was just such a special experience. Taki also was a great guide before we left on this trip, and Tomo was amazing to film and learn from.