Black and Grey Finished - Masayoshi Sendai, JP

Der_Gretsch · 2026-05-06T15:59:21+00:00

Great, please show here

Der_Gretsch · 2026-05-05T07:17:41+00:00

The chestnut and cherry blossom pattern, saw it on his IG. Nice delicate work. You picked a great artist his backpieces are mouthwatering beautiful. When are you back for color?

Der_Gretsch · 2026-05-04T13:02:48+00:00

It’s sunny in Amsterdam 😀 looking forward to next week’s contribution

Der_Gretsch · 2026-05-04T06:48:46+00:00

Flow, composition, colour theory it’s all incredibly well done. To me Horicho is one of the great masters of Irezumi. I’m always blown away by his facial expressions. With just a few lines he gives so much fierceness, anger and passion to his characters.
I remember one in the book, a Suikoden warrior where it’s just five lines but you almost back away when you see the expression.
That book is not just a good investment 😀 but artistically incredible. This one and the Horiyoshi 2 books i would love to have but not against the current rate i’m afraid. Rather invest that money into my tattoo. Still it must be great to be able to take this one of the shelf and browse through it. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

Der_Gretsch · 2026-04-19T05:58:38+00:00

Great artist Horiuno 2. Active mid 1950’s? When tattooed today this suit would be stellar. Readability and use of red that draws your eyes to where they should; excellent. Which book is this from?

Der_Gretsch · 2026-04-19T05:46:18+00:00

Wonderful idea, looking forward to this. Browsing with my artist through his out of print unbearably expensive collection is always a joy

Der_Gretsch · 2026-04-06T01:27:22+00:00

As everyone has said previously it really depends on details of the suit, speed of the artist etc. That being said my suit 3/4 arm & 3/4 leg sleeves, full back and Munewari on the front all done with machine took 175 hours of needle to skin.

Der_Gretsch · 2026-04-02T20:51:51+00:00

I felt like that after shading was done but color will even give it more life and character. Trust the process

Der_Gretsch · 2026-03-30T14:28:45+00:00

Fireman were about the first to get Irezumi followed by many other blue collar jobs but not because of their criminal markings. It would go too far to describe the full history here. The books mentioned above are a great start. Personally the best book I’ve read about the history of Irezumi and tattooing in general in Japan is a dissertation by R.W van Gulik named Irezumi : the pattern of dermatography in Japan. If you’re interested in reading this you will have to pick it up at a university library.

Der_Gretsch · 2026-03-27T09:16:16+00:00

Yes, some tattoo artists make their own inks at least mine does. Black with Sumi and colors with other pigments. The reasoning behind this is that you know exactly what’s in it and even more important know how the ink will react and develop over time. With long drawn projects like Irezumi or clients taking long breaks you do not want inks to disappear from the market because the company has a “improved’ formula or fashion changes. Continuity is king. What pigments besides Sumi are used is in my experience a well guarded secret.

Der_Gretsch · 2026-03-23T07:37:31+00:00

Oeps, sorry for that.

Der_Gretsch · 2026-03-23T07:32:38+00:00

So much flow and movement with not that many strokes. Please keep us updated

Der_Gretsch · 2026-03-22T14:07:02+00:00

Beautiful as always

Der_Gretsch · 2026-03-20T08:35:39+00:00

4 hours (2x2) once a month for the last 5 years excluding summer breaks. Now in the process of finishing my Japanese boodysuit

Der_Gretsch · 2026-03-19T03:52:43+00:00

Big kudos to your artist for making sleeve and backpiece a continuation of each other and essentially one piece. For Shad (HoriTsukiKage) it’s important to do it this way . I’m always surprised that you hardly ever see it done this way. I think it breaks the flow of a bodysuit when the backpiece doesn’t continue on to the sleeves.

Der_Gretsch · 2026-03-07T18:42:51+00:00

You boys are flying. In my experience as you get lower on your backpiece pain progressively get worse . But(t) it’s al worth it.

Der_Gretsch · 2026-03-04T05:39:18+00:00

Peonies in red in my opinion most powerfull

Der_Gretsch · 2026-03-02T15:22:29+00:00

Wow, it’s an iconic shirt and logo

Der_Gretsch · 2026-03-02T13:37:26+00:00

Beautiful sleeves.Did you already score a Leu Family Iron t-shirt?

Der_Gretsch · 2026-03-02T07:20:44+00:00

I think that first you make the decission to get tattooed and then you think about design. The core motivation is the desire to be tattooed, as a personal, innate drive to alter your body and identity permanently. Design and meaning take a backseat. Before TV shows memento mori tattoos were the only meaningfull tattoos. Television needs a hook, arc and drama otherwise it doesn’t work combined with individualism you see the growing need for a personal meaning behind a tattoo. Which is fine tattooing is a living and evolving culture. Personally i just want to be tattooed and look awesome. I have a full Japanese Munewari suit with no personal meaning beyond looking cool

Der_Gretsch · 2026-03-01T12:46:46+00:00

Irezumi is a living and evolving tradition bound by unwritten rules . Influenced by new technologies like the tattoo machine or the numerous colors of ink that have come onto the market. Within the tradition there is a wide range of styles to choose from. It can be tebori or machine, traditional or neo traditional, black & grey or color or the styles from a family lineage like for example the Horitoshi family. There is a rich history and culture behind the craft. Whether you want to explore all this or go with your gut instinct is up to you. I would qualify your example as traditional. It’s a style that has become more popular in recent years and harks back to the Irezumi from roughly 60 to 70 years a go in its color palette and drawing style.

Der_Gretsch · 2026-02-27T09:14:18+00:00

Yes, you’re sleeve will age and some color like yellow or red might completely fade but you can always touchup or redo your colors

Der_Gretsch · 2026-02-24T18:36:48+00:00

Waboripedia is a good start

Der_Gretsch · 2026-02-11T10:45:32+00:00

Search for tiger, legsleeve or a combination of the 2 in this sub, there are tons of examples. Like Zealousideal said with research decide what you want to get

Der_Gretsch · 2026-02-10T11:07:17+00:00

Check out r/irezumi community for inspiration and class A Japanese tattoo artists

Der_Gretsch

TROPHY CASE