The Art and Culture of Japanese Tattooing

Join tattoo master Horisumi (Kian Forreal) as he talks through the history of tattoos and tattoo culture in Japan, exploring the techniques, tools and trends of tattoos and traditional Japanese tattooing. This talk is for art lovers, tattoo lovers and those with an interest in Japanese culture.

Kian ‘Horisumi’ Forreal is a tattoo artist whose expertise and passion lies within Japanese tattooing. His love for tattooing began when he got his first tattoo in 1989, this then grew into a passion and then into a career when he became fully qualified in 1993.

The name ‘Horisumi’ was given to him by a Japanese tattoo master, Horiyoshi III, who, in a rare gesture, gave Kian an honorary Japanese name due to his exquisite artistic Japanese inspired tattoo experience gained after working for over twenty years in the industry. This is what makes Kian a Japanese tattoo master. All traditional Japanese tattoo artists have a ‘hori’ name, which means ‘to carve’, and a tattooer is a ‘horishi’ or carver. This is a throwback to the woodblock print or ukiyo-e days when block carvers would also do some tattooing on the side.