Members of the Edo Chōyūkai Japanese Tattoo Lovers Club, ca. 1955, Tokyo ©Akimitsu Takagi
Members of the Edo Chōyūkai, c. 1955, Tokyo.
Tattooed women with Japanese tattoos made by Japanese master tattoo artists Horiuno II and Horigorō III, ca. 1955, Tokyo ©Akimitsu Takagi
Tattooed women wearing Japanese tattoos, c. 1955, Tokyo.
Japanese tattoo by Japanese master tattoo artist Horiuno II, ca. 1955, Tokyo ©Akimitsu Takagi
Backpiece tattooed by Horiuno II, c. 1955, Tokyo.
Tokyo tattoo artists Horigorō II and a client wearing a Japanese tattoo inspired by ukiyo-e artist Yoshitoshi, ca. 1955, Tokyo ©Akimitsu Takagi
Tokyo tattooer Horigorō II, c. 1955.
Japanese tattoo by Tokyo tattoo master Horiuno I of a hannya mask, ca. 1955, Tokyo ©Akimitsu Takagi
Tattoo by Horiuno I, ca. 1955, Tokyo ©Akimitsu Takagi
Japanese tattoo master Horiuno II in his Tokyo workshop, ca. 1955, Tokyo ©Akimitsu Takagi
The tattooer Horiuno II, c. 1955, Tokyo.

TATTOOING IN TOKYO IN THE 1950s

Photographs by the writer Akimitsu Takagi (1920–1995) documenting the tattoo scene in Tokyo in postwar Japan.

Forgotten until its rediscovery, this collection offers a unique and rare glimpse into the underground culture of horimono (irezumi), traditional Japanese tattooing.

LEARN MORE
Livre des photographies sur le tatouage japonais prises par le photographe et écrivain Akimitsu Takagi.

THE BOOK

134 black-and-white photographs of tattooing in Tokyo in the 1950s.

DISCOVERBUY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWUpW3IKlqc

EXHIBITIONS

Since its discovery in 2017, this unique collection of photographs has been featured in several exhibitions - including photography festivals, tattoo conventions, studios, and galleries.
SEE

“Tattooing's attraction is not unlike that of opium : once under it's control, any resistance is futile. For victims of its hold, nothing else has any importance.”

Akimitsu Takagi (1920-1995)Writer and photographer
Anna Badina is passionate about Japanese culture.NEWSInterview with Anna Badina
6 June 2026

Interview with Anna Badina

The release of three Fine Art prints, based on illustrations inspired by Akimitsu Takagi’s photographs, gives us the opportunity to meet Anna Badina. Based in Switzerland and originally from Russia,…
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Fine Art print based on an original drawing by the artist Anna Badina, inspired by a photograph of the underground tattoo scene in Tokyo in the 1950s.NEWSANNA BADINA x THE TATTOO WRITER
14 May 2026

ANNA BADINA x THE TATTOO WRITER

The artist Anna Badina has created a series of original drawings in ink, pen and brush, inspired by photographs from Akimitsu Takagi’s collection and the world of traditional Japanese tattooing.…
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the tattoo writer au Musée Nicéphore Niépce le 22 avril 2026NEWSLecture at the Nicéphore Niépce Museum on 22 April 2026
18 April 2026

Lecture at the Nicéphore Niépce Museum on 22 April 2026

Lecture on Japanese photography and tattooing at the Nicéphore Niépce Museum On Wednesday 22 April at 6.45 pm, Pascal Bagot will give a talk at the Nicéphore Niépce Museum in…
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