Tattoo artist from Japan creates stunning freehand body art
Gakkin, real name Kenji Nishigaki, 40, hails from Wakayama, Japan, but now resides in Amsterdam as a free-hand tattoo artist. He is known as one of Japan’s most internationally renowned tattoo artists.
His work is done directly onto the skin with no pre-drawn stenciling whatsoever, this allows him to create unique and free-flowing pieces that conform to the contours and curves of each individual he works on.
Gakkin plied his trade in Osaka for many years and with his experience began to tattoo full body pieces. He then moved to Kyoto where he began to make a name for himself on the international scene with his distinctive style. He was more or less exiled from Japan following an Osaka district court ruling that tattoo artists were operating outside the law by working with needles without a medical license.
“The news was a big surprise. In other countries, tattooers have worked with local governments and doctors to establish guidelines and regulations. Of course, I got a license to tattoo in the Netherlands. But if I worked in Japan, I would be a criminal because I don’t have a doctor’s license. Who’s gonna become a tattoo artist after graduating medical school?!” Said Gakkin.
Now working out of his own studio in Amsterdam, Gakkin usually only take one appointment a day such is the complexity and time-consuming way in which he inks his customers. Working almost entirely in black with the odd splash of red, Gakkin creates masterful works of art whether it be tribal blackwork, ero-guro (erotic/grotesque) or a nature irezumi (Japanese traditional tattoo) motif the completed pieces are striking to view. Check out this ink master at work in this video featuring some of his work.
