Presented by Komiyama and Sabukaru, ‘The Japanese Tattoo’ explores the history and living culture of wabori through photography, archival materials and traditional works. The exhibition centres on three figures who have shaped Japanese tattooing across different generations. Horihide played a major role in introducing Japanese tattooing to the wider world, building relationships with artists including Sailor Jerry and Don Ed Hardy. Asakusa Horikazu represents the technical skill, craftsmanship and cultural weight of traditional wabori, while Horicho II continues the respected Horicho lineage and its commitment to tebori.
The exhibition is curated by cultural researcher and journalist Manami ‘Maki’ Okazaki, whose decades of work have documented Japanese subcultures through extensive research, personal relationships and a deep archive.
Rather than treating tattooing as a finished image alone, the exhibition looks at the wider culture surrounding it: the techniques passed down between artists, the rituals of the studio, the communities built around the craft and the histories carried on the body.
A programme of related events will also take place during the exhibition, including a live tattooing session by Horicho II on July 4 and a conversation with Horihide and Manami Okazaki on July 11.
‘The Japanese Tattoo’ runs from July 4 to July 20 2026, at Komiyama Tokyo G.
