The Sacred Art of the Japanese Tattoo

Based in Yokohama, Japanese tattoo artist Horiyoshi III is widely recognized as one of the most prolific tattooists in the world, with people from all over the world making dedicated trips to his studio for his painstakingly intricate full body tattoos, or shisei. VICE recently interviewed Horiyoshi III while he worked in the video below, where he shares his profound insights on the similarities of a well-planned tattoo to a well-lived life, breaking away from the old in the process of shu-ha-ri, the merits of going the long way round, and ignoring the client in using their bodies as his canvas. Stunning in their complexity, catch the master in action as he creates his shisei while educating on important life lessons for all, tattooed or not.