My Tattoo Inc - December 2021

CHRIS HIRAKAWA @ KIYOHARU_TATTOOER

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TATTOOING AND HOW DID YOU START YOUR TATTOOING JOURNEY?

-I’VE BEEN TATTOOING FOR ABOUT 4 YEARS NOW. I WAS HOPING TO START EARLIER AND I HAD AN APPRENTICESHIP LINED UP WHEN I WAS 16 BUT MY FAMILY MOVED BEFORE I COULD GET STARTED, THEN I JOINED THE ARMY WHERE EVERYBODY SAID WHY DON’T YOU TATTOO, ETC… AND THEN THROUGH ONE OF MY FRIENDS THEY KNEW A TATTOO ARTIST WHO I GOT AN APPRENTICESHIP WITH EVENTUALLY :)! I LEARNED THE MOST FROM MESSAGING SOME ARTISTS AND ASKING ABOUT HOW TO DO EVERYTHING FROM SHADING ETC AND FROM GETTING TATTOOED BY PEOPLE FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD I’VE BEEN FROM AMERICA SOUTH KOREA ENGLAND FRANCE BUT IN EACH PLACE THE ARTIST WORKING ON ME TAUGHT ME SO MUCH TO THE POINT I’M AT NOW.

DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT WAS THE FIRST TATTOO YOU DID? IF SO, TELL US WHAT IT WAS AND FOR WHO?

-INDEED I TATTOOED SOMEONE’S KNEES WITH TWO BIG SMILEY FACES FOR THIS GUY WHO EVERYONE IN HIS FAMILY HAD THEM WHICH WAS AMAZING AHA AND THEN I WRAPPED HIS KNEES UP IN A BLUE ROLL AND BRIGHT PINK CAMO TAPE SO HE HAD SOME FANCY KNEE PADS DO YOU HAVE ANY MEMORABLE TATTOO STORY OR A CUSTOMER THAT HAS STUCK WITH YOU THROUGH ALL THE TIME YOU HAVE BEEN TATTOOING?

-HMMM… I ONCE TATTOOED A GUY FOR 14 HOURS AND THEN HE CRIED A LITTLE AND THEN HIS WIFE CAME IN AND LAUGHED AT HIM BUT SHE WAS THE MANAGER AT THE SUBWAY ACROSS THE ROAD SO I GOT FREE SUBWAYS FOR A MONTH AHA

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AND DREAMS? IF YOU THINK ABOUT YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS, WHAT DO YOU SEE?

-I WOULD LOVE TO ONE DAY WHEN I’M OLDER AND SETTLED TO HAVE A SHOP HOWEVER I’M VERY CONTENT TRAVELING AROUND AND MEETING NEW PEOPLE :)! WHEN I WAS YOUNGER MY MUM ALWAYS TOLD ME ” THERE’S ALWAYS GOING TO BE SOMEONE BETTER THAN YOU, SO TRY TO BE THAT BETTER PERSON” SO I HOPEFULLY WILL BE BETTER AND BETTER AND I WON’T STOP LEARNING :)! ALSO HOPEFULLY I’LL BE GUESTING IN AUSTRALIA, AMERICA, OR JAPAN :)!

DOES ANYONE OR ANYTHING INSPIRE YOU?

-THERE WERE A FEW THINGS THAT INSPIRED ME GROWING UP, THE FIRST WAS MY GRANDFATHER (KIYOHARU) AS HE LIKED TO PAINT AND WE ALWAYS HAD A PAINTING HE DID HANG UP IN THE BATHROOM OF MT FUJI AND FROM THEN ONWARDS I STARTED TO DRAW EVERY DAY. IN MY EVERYDAY WORK, I’M INSPIRED BY NATURE

PHOTOGRAPHY AND PLAYING WITH THE DEPTH OF FIELD IN IMAGES.

ARE THERE ANY TATTOO ARTISTS WHO ARE EXTREMELY ADMIRABLE TO YOU? IF SO WHO?

-THE PERSON I ADMIRE MOST WOULD BE THOMAS

CARLI JARLIER. WHEN I FIRST GOT INSTAGRAM I SAW HIS TATTOOS AND IT WASN’T JUST TATTOO LOOKING IT MORE LOOKED LIKE A PAINTING/ PHOTOGRAPHY SO FROM THEN ONWARDS I WAS LIKE “I WANT TO BE LIKE HIM”