Koi, dragons, peonies and waves, composed to wrap the body as one piece rather than sit on it as a collection.
What it is
Irezumi is the Japanese tradition, and it is a system rather than a look. Bold outlines and saturated colour, yes, but also a fixed vocabulary of subjects and a set of conventions about how they combine, which seasons they belong to, and which direction they face.
A koi swimming upstream means something different from one swimming down. Artists who work in this tradition take that seriously.
It is composed, not collected
The defining feature is the background: wind bars, water and clouds that flow between the main subjects and tie a sleeve or a back piece into one design. That background is why Japanese work is usually planned whole and executed over many sessions.
Adding an unrelated tattoo into that space later is very hard. If you want a Japanese sleeve, plan the sleeve before the first session.
Time and money
A full back piece is a project measured in dozens of hours across a year or more. Expect a consultation, a deposit, and a booked series of sittings rather than a single appointment.
This is normal for the style and a shop that offers to do it in an afternoon is telling you something.
A note on respect
Irezumi carries history, including a long association with the yakuza that still keeps tattooed people out of some Japanese pools and gyms. Most artists in the tradition welcome clients from anywhere who are interested in the craft. Being curious about what your imagery means is the whole of the etiquette.
Reference work
This gallery fills up with real japanese / irezumi work from studios in the directory. We would rather show you nothing than show you somebody else's tattoo and call it an example.
Find someone who does this
Browse the directory and check healed work before you book. Every studio in it has real Google ratings and reviews you can read.