Tokyo Tattoo 1970

by Martha Cooper

In 1970, photographer Martha Cooper came to Tokyo and immediately focused on documenting the work of traditional Japanese tattooist, Horibun I; Tokyo Tattoo 1970 is a slim hardcover book about both the traditional art of tattooing and a close-up portrait of this master artist. In the early 1970s, the masters of the traditional techniques were working in small studios and tattooing was something for a distinguished few; no one could foresee the incredible mainstream rise of the art of tattoo internationally in the past 20 years. Japanese tattoo was a secret art form and Horibun I was a rare tattooist for his time in that he was open to letting a foreigner photograph him and his customers.

Horibun I used traditional Japanese methods and the tattoos were made completely by hand with different-sized needles bound to sticks which he dipped into colored inks. His motifs were all derived from traditional Japanese legends. Tokyo Tattoo 1970 tells the story of this Japanese tattoo master: we see him at work, meet his customers who show their tattoos, and follow Horibun on a pilgrimage to a holy Shinto shrine. Martha Cooper's pictures show the process of the tattooist's work as well as his finished motifs from an era long gone.

Hardcover. 72 pages. Measures 7" X 12"

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