man with short hair and mustache wearing dark blue western shirt looking out tattoo shop window, tattoo design art on wall

Man, short hair, dark western shirt, looking out tattoo shop window

One thing I have learned is that not all tattoos hold up to the test of time. Some styles or execution of those styles can result in a faded or distorted looking tattoo that just doesn't look good anymore.

Another issue is choosing a design that is a short lived trend that will eventually become embarrassing when it goes out of style. Believe me I have seen so many come and go.

This is why I specialize in Japanese style tattooing. The style is designed to retain it's integrity throughout the life of the individual wearing it and has gone virtually unchanged for almost 200 years.

Will it hold?

Japanese tattoo man's sleeve, red maple leaves, clouds swirling

Having the subject in color and the background in black creates a separation that makes the tattoo pop because you can immediately see all the elements of the design.

Not to say that all black and gray tattoos can't be high contrast and readable, but we have all seen tattoos that require close inspection to figure out what it is that you are looking at.

Cover-ups

It's all about the background

Japan in the 1800's tattooed criminals as a deterrent; using black marks on the face hands and arms. Can you see where this is going?

The Irezumi style with heavy black backgrounds are perfect for covering unwanted tattoos.

Speaking of the background, this style is designed to be expanded. When a person starts with let's say a half sleeve, the artist will end the edge of the sleeve in a way that already has in the design a plan to be continued.

Japanese woodblock print, black koi fish sock flag, Mt. Fuji background

Japanese woodblock print, black and gold koi fish swimming in blue water

In the mid 1800's some of the early tattooers called "Hori", began designing picture tattoos based on images found in woodblock prints; depicting heroes, mythical creatures and animals.

Typically this style of tattooing has the subjects (characters, animals, flowers) in color while the background elements (rocks, water, wind, clouds) are in black and gray.

Impact

Tengu (both kinds) bird face and bearded man faced Tengu sword fighter,

black and white photo, man short hair, mustache, dark western shirt in tattoo shop

Japanese woodblock print green and gold koi swimming

Japanese Tattooing

Hi, I'm Jason.

I have been tattooing since the 90's so I have a ton of experience to help you through the process of creating a tattoo that you will be proud to wear for the rest of your life.

Garden Fence, Japanese woodblock print of woman wearing kimono walking through red flowers

Butterfly and Flower Japanese woodblock print