Knives & Needles: Horitaka from State of Grace Tattoo
By Molly Kitamura
This is a blog that I started because I have a passion for food and a love for tattoos. I am a professional sushi chef of over 13 years and have worked all over the world for more than a decade. Over my travels working in various kitchens, I always noticed how many chefs are tattooed. Not only tattooed, but many heavily tattooed. I myself am pretty heavily tattooed. Not to get too deep but this has always interested me and I think that chefs and tattooers have similar personality types; artistic, transient punks who are traditionally the lowlifes of society working in a thankless profession. Tattooing and the chef profession have both seen a 180 to their popularity and reputation in recent years with TV shows and celebrity stars being formed in this modern-day atmosphere. I want to give all those tattooed chefs the chance talk about something other than food and give foodie tattooers a chance to talk about something other than their work with this blog! My friend Brynne Palmer, a tattoo artist at Gold Rush Tattoo, is a contributing writer as well as myself. And there may be others in the future! My friend Eric Alegria is helping with this blog as well! Thank you for reading this blog and follow us! There will be interesting interviews with your favorite chefs and tattooers, amazing recipes, cooking tips and beautiful photos of food and tattoos being shared here, don’t miss out! (more…)
Taki and Molly Kitamura: The Bay Area Convention of the Tattoo Arts 2012
By Molly and Takahiro “Horitaka” Kitamura
This year’s convention went by so quickly, so I will try to break it down for you short and sweet… (more…)
Taki and Molly Kitamura: Joshua David
By Molly and Takahiro “Horitaka” Kitamura
Josh David is one of the most good-hearted guys you’ll ever meet. And his tattoos ain’t too bad either, hee-hee! Having just moved to California from Ohio, he is building up a wide clientele by working at two remarkable shops, Garage Ink in Napa Valley and State of Grace in San Jose… (more…)
Bryan Burk Article Preview for Tattoo Artist Magazine Issue #32
Cover By Byran Burk
Interview by Miguel Montgomery & Adam Warmerdam
Miguel Montgomery: On a little bit of a different note about your tattooing, I’ve seen some Japanese tattoos with American roses in the background. I haven’t seen too much of that. Did something spark that made you want to do that? Or did you just take it upon yourself, like ‘this snake needs a rose next to it’?
Bryan Burk: There were a few conversations I had when I was working with Bob about how we should try doing that stuff. And there were some kids that I had tattooed on, one was my friend Jeff, who’d gotten a bunch of tattoos and wanted to fill in all the space around them. So he was one of the first people that I filled in with roses and water around everything because it kind of fit in all these little spaces he had. On his it worked, and I think if you’re gonna do blue water with roses and some American stuff, it works. As long as you kinda keep it pumped up on the American side of town; color clouds and blue water with black behind all of that, like Eddy Deutsche, like Eddy meets late Sailor Jerry-type Japanese compositions, it’ll work. But I think if you’re doing black Japanese background with grey water, for whatever reason, roses look weird… (more…)
Chente Rios Article Preview for Tattoo Artist Magazine Issue #32
State of Grace Article Preview for Tattoo Artist Magazine Issue #32
Crash: Okay, let’s start with a basic history of yourself and then I want you to talk about the shop and it’s crew.
Horitaka Kitamura: Sure man, basic story… Well I was born in Japan and my parents moved to America when I was a few years old. My parents were bilingual so they taught me Japanese as well, which opened a lot of doors for me later on… So I grew up here and probably had a very similar interest in tattooing like many of my generation, I was a skater, turned punk rocker and liked tattoos from my junior high school days. I do recall liking the tattoos in an old Japanese TV show, “the tattooed magistrate” where the hero shows his cherry blossom tattoos before he kicks ass at the end of every episode. So I guess I’ve long had an affinity for tattoos. I know in high school I had already decided I wanted a body suit, didn’t know what the hell that meant or what was good but I just knew that I wanted tons of tattoos! (more…)
Taki and Molly Kitamura: Amsterdam Adventure
By Molly and Takahiro “Horitaka” Kitamura
We love Amsterdam! Taki had been commissioned to do a promotion for Bacardi Rum’s new flavor, and as part of the commission they flew Taki out there (with me in-tow) to do a few tattoos… (more…)
Taki and Molly Kitamura: A Tour of New York City
By Molly and Takahiro “Horitaka” Kitamura
New York City. I love this over-crowded, smelly, hot and humid oasis of culture, counter-culture, history, music and art. Horitaka, Horitomo, Drew Flores, and I flew out to give Horitomo’s seminar on Japanese back pieces that he did for The Bay Area Convention of the Tattoo Arts last year. It was a whirlwind of heat, walking, talking and eating… (more…)
Molly Skobba: Brynne Palmer
By Molly Skobba
I have not known Brynne Palmer for a long time, but I feel like I’ve known her for years already. I attribute that to her sweet and open personality. Her sunny disposition immediately puts you at ease and any intimidation seems to melt away. Brynne has been tattooing for almost eight years. She started out at Tattoo Mania in L.A. and currently works at Gold Rush in Costa Mesa, California… (more…)
BLOODWORK: BODIES Now Available From TAM
BloodWork: Bodies is an archival body of work requiring time and attention to absorb. Weighing in at 27 pounds, the scale alone informs the holder of the commitment needed. Inside this tremendous 900 page tome, 119 back-pieces and bodysuits created by 53 tattooers the world over, are documented in luxuriant detail. The oversized foldouts offer massive views of each tattoo, exhaustive close-up studies reveal hidden details, and portraits of tattooers as well as collectors personalize each image set… (more…)
Molly Skobba: Colin Kenji Baker
By Molly Skobba
Colin Kenji Baker started off his remarkable career as a tattoo artist at State of Grace as Horitaka’s apprentice. He has worked at State of Grace ever since, instrumental in the shop’s growth for the last 4 years. Colin has done everything from making killer tattoos to passionately assisting Horitaka in his many media and publishing endeavors. Colin is a hard worker. His latest passion is tattoo machine design. I have a short Q & A with Colin. He is a quiet soldier instrumental in the State of Grace Army, read on… (more…)
Molly Skobba: Si’I Liufau
By Molly Skobba
Si’I Liufau, owner of A-Town Tattoo Studio, is part shark, part human and definitely a tattooer with talent. We spent time with Mr. Liufau in Hawaii; I think I might have mentioned him in my blog about Pacific Soul. Although he has not been tattooing as long as some of my other blog subjects, he is one to watch out for… (more…)
Molly Skobba: Drew Flores
Molly Skobba
The minute Drew Flores started at State of Grace everyone knew he’d fit in just fine. He brought a breath of fresh air into the studio, adding to the repertoire and reputation of the already stellar State of Grace… (more…)
Molly Skobba: Pacific Soul Tattoo
By Molly Skobba
Man, Pacific Soul has it all: personality, style and most of all talent. Steve and Paulo can tattoo everything from American traditional to Japanese to what they’re most famous for, their Polynesian tattoos. in addition, they’re located two blocks from Ala Moana beach in Honolulu, Hawaii… (more…)
Molly Skobba: Beau Brady Visits State of Grace Tattoo
By Molly Skobba
Beau Brady is rad. He is known not only for his killer tattoos, but also for his warm and open personality. Taki and I had the opportunity to hang out with Beau for a week. Beau is originally from Arizona but works at Fun City Tattoo in Manhattan and Da Vinci Tattoo in Long Island, New York. He likes long walks on the beach and thinks sun-dried tomato aioli is a revelation… (more…)
Molly Skobba: In Yokohama, Japan With Shige and His Family (Part II)
By Molly Skobba
Shigenori Iwasaki is a remarkable being. Sorry, just had to get that out there. Taki and I spent two-and-a-half days with Shige, his adorable family (beautiful Chisato, plus cute-as-a-button Ayaka) and a family friend nicknamed ‘Mister’. We started out the mini but extremely action-packed adventure at the famed Yellow Blaze Studio…
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Molly Skobba: In Japan With Horikiku (Part I)
By Molly Skobba
I briefly met Horikiku at the Bay Area Convention of the Tattoo Arts last October, and first got to witness him in action. I didn’t get to see a finished piece in person at the convention, the weekend was just too crazy, and so I was super stoked to get a chance to photograph some of his current clients in Japan. (more…)
Molly Skobba: Pacific Soul’s Renowned Paulo Manabe
By Takahiro “Horitaka” Kitamura and Molly Skobba
I was really excited for Molly to meet Paulo and Blaise Manabe and even happier that she wanted to blog about my Hawaiian braddah! Paulo is an amazing artist, and an even more amazing person. I always work with him when I am in Hawaii and am continually impressed with his tattoos. He is a true master of the Polynesian-style (though he would never let you call him that) and is constantly working to improve his work. He is a great father and has the coolest kid ever. You can find him at Pacific Soul Tattoo or at Zippy’s…
-Horitaka
Horitaka: Molly Skobba Previews Bloodwork: Bodies
By Molly Skobba
I had a hard time writing this blog. It took me longer than usual, with more restarts and edits before send off. I realized that it’s because BloodWork: Bodies is such a gigantic project with so many facets and possible approaches in writing about this book. It is epic not only in content but also in physical stature with 2 volumes, 900 pages and weighing over 25-pounds filled with massive pages of outsized and extravagant photos that bond the human form and visual art seamlessly…
Horitaka: Getting Tattooed by Horitomo by Molly Skobba
By Molly Skobba and Takahiro “Horitaka” Kitamura
First off, I want to express how absolutely honored I am to have been tattooed by the renowned Horitomo. Not only did he take the time out of his incredibly busy schedule, but also he tattooed a one-point tattoo on my hand -something he does not do often. It was incredibly kind and generous of him and I am so very grateful.
Horitaka: I Love Books!
By Takahiro “Horitaka” Kitamura
It’s no secret that I love books. I collect them, I write them, I publish them… and it’s nice to see that amidst the flurry of Google image searches and technological advances, books are still in use in the tattoo community. I haven’t been tattooing that long, but book collecting was, and is, something all my mentors and role models encouraged. It was about study and reference, doing your homework to make the best tattoo drawing you could!
Horitaka: Mini San Francisco Tattoo Adventure
By Molly Skobba and Takahiro “Horitaka” Kitamura
And here we go again! I’ve been super busy tattooing and also getting ready for the SFO Tattoo Convention coming soon and haven’t had a chance to blog lately. No problem, my amazing girl Molly has been on it and wrote a few words about Ben’s last visit to San Jose. Enjoy… (more…)
Horiken Tattoo Artist Magazine Article Preview for Issue #27
Interview by Nicki Kasper
Nicki Kasper: Do you explore other mediums, like paint? If so, how do you approach that? Do you market and sell them?
Horiken: Yes, I like to paint very much. I usually paint with acrylics on paper. I like wooden panels as well. I do try to do different things from my tattooing, I may use the same motifs, but I lay paintings out differently. And, I guess I use different shading and coloring techniques; some that may not work in a tattoo. And… yeah, I do sell paintings, I don’t really make a huge effort to sell them, but if someone wants one, I do sell them. When I was in art school, I studied art history. I am trying to study this more and I have the thought that maybe I can paint and draw, a bit separate from tattooing and make something new…
Horitaka: Molly Skobba Previews Horitomo’s New Book Immovable
As many people in the tattoo world are aware, Horitomo has been busy working on his first book and seminar. I was just telling my girlfriend Molly that I was going to blog about this and she beat me to the punch. She even snapped some photos at Horitomo’s house when he was showing us his drawings. Here is a sneak-peak at what I think will be one of the most important books in tattooing. Introducing guest blogger Molly Skobba… Enjoy!
-Horitaka
Thanks for your support!
