I live in Tuscany and have been studying and researching Japanese tattooing for over 10 years. Tattooing has fascinated me since I was a child, there is no specific reason, it is a strong attraction and perhaps it is no coincidence that the first real tattoo I saw, which I regularly reproduced on my arms with markers, with poor results, it was indeed a dragon. The tattoo has accompanied me ever since, initially with anything non-permanent I could use, until the day I was able to get a real one. I have always had a passion for drawing and, also thanks to the first book on tattoos that I bought in 1997, I drew everything I saw in there. Along with tattooing, I have always been fascinated by Japan, also considering the period in which I was a child, where we played a lot of video games, of which I preferred typically oriental characters, and on TV we saw many anime from the rising sun. From a simple attraction, I went on to develop a true love for that distant nation and the aspects concerning its culture, especially the ancient one, which, together with that for tattoos, also thanks to Ransho, a book with wonderful photos of traditional tattoos Japanese, led me to become very interested in Horimono, the traditional Japanese tattoo, in all its forms. So I began to obsessively study its history, integrating it with that of Japan and drawing its subjects. I constantly and self-taughtly study Nihongo 「日本語」 – the Japanese language – which helps me feel even closer to this country. For some years now I have been studying Buddhism more and more insistently, initially driven by Siddhaṃ, which I began to study self-taught with many difficulties, but the beauty of these characters completely captured me, making me enter a dimension that fascinates me and brings me inner peace. Writing these magical letters for me is meditation. I always continue to research the culture and history of Japan, especially the traditional japanese, and everything related to the world of Horimono without ever stopping, in a desire of greater knowledge. I have made study and knowledge my reason for living, dedicating almost all of my free time to learning, also because I think that the true meaning of freedom and tolerance lies in study and knowledge. I published The Flower in the Shadow. Paths through traditional Japanese tattooing (Phasar 2016), The Meiji Masters. The Horishis from the Edo period to the early years of the Shōwa (Phasar 2017), Irezumi. Journey into the penal system of ancient Japan (Phasar 2018), Bunshin Hayashinan (Phasar 2019) Bunshin Hayashinan II (Phasar 2020), Il giardino dei fiori di loto (Phasar 2020) Sotto le stelle d’oriente (Phasar 2021) and La scrittura perfezionata (Phasar 2023)
Conferenza:
The traditional Japanese tattoo, the Horimono, tells of ancient stories and legends, expertly handed down on the skin by master craftsmen such as the Horishi. The tattoo of the dark, as defined by Iizawa in the introduction to Ransho, with its perfect balance between the subjects and the dark backgrounds, an impactful tattoo that is neither created to be perfect nor to be shown, but capable of giving emotions to those who look at it, but sometimes it also arouses fear because it is rooted in a dark subculture. In these days together we will talk about its history, how it developed in Japan and some technical parts regarding this form of traditional tattoo. We will also talk a little about the ancient masters of whom we have news and also about the characters who tattooed themselves in ancient Japan.