This photograph (click to enlarge) shows the work of tattoo artist Horitomo (Kazuaki Kitamura). Originally from Yokohama and now based in San Jose, CA, Horitomo is one of the few tebori (traditional Japanese hand-poke) tattoo masters living in the U.S.

"Horitomo rose to the forefront of pioneering Japanese tattoo artists in the 1990s by challenging traditions and bringing his own version of the Western style to Japan. In a marked shift, he undertook a Japanese apprenticeship and was re-titled Horitomo and devoted his life to the study of traditional Japanese tattooing," (Perseverance, p 196).