Magic Ink

By Sam Zipursky

Ben Her came to Japan from Minneapolis in 2002. Around 5 years ago he moved to Osaka and began a tattoo apprenticeship at Chopstick Tattoo; a couple of years later he became a professional tattoo artist, working under the name 'Hori-Benny'. For the record, his favorite energy drink is Aojiru: "Hands down", says Benny, like Aojiru has no competition. As we sip our bottles of bitter vitamins, I ask Benny about his life as an artist with the magic ink. 

JZ: So you work as a full-time tattoo artist in Osaka. I'm guessing that's not a common gaijin career choice. How exactly did you get into it?

Ben Her: No, it's not common at all. Tattooing in general is uncommon compared to the West. In Japan it doesn't enjoy such widespread acceptance and even to this day can still carry negative connotations in certain areas. As far as I am aware, I'm the only gaijin who immigrated here and went through an apprenticeship start to finish. While living in the States, I was always looking for opportunities to study Japanese and ended up making friends with some Japanese tattoo artists. We kept in touch through the years and after moving to Japan and experiencing the country for a while, I decided to make a career change. Before my previous job obligations expired, I made several pilgrimages to Osaka to request an apprenticeship. Eventually they realized I was serious and agreed to let me onboard.

JZ: What kind of 'style' of tattoos do you do? Do you have some kind of style that you would say you specialize in?

BH: I'm really an all-genre kind of guy. As I said before, Japan isn't really experiencing the 'tattoo boom' that other Western countries are at the moment. There isn't so much business in Japan that I can completely specialize - not yet, anyway. That being said, I'm slowly trying to prune my portfolio to more clearly reflect the tattoos I'd like to be doing. I especially enjoy realistic portraiture, traditional Japanese motifs, and colorful characters.

JZ: What are some of your influences in the tattoo and art work you do?

BH: There really isn't too much separation between the pre- and post-Japan me - the presence of this country's art in my life goes back as far as I can remember. I was being influenced by Japan the moment I saw the animation Urusei Yatsura at the tender age of 11. (If you don't know it - look it up in Wikipedia!) The attention to detail in Japanese comics and animation got me hooked on Japanese culture as a kid, but eventually I grew more and more fond of traditional Japanese art - everything from ukiyo-e woodblock prints and ikebana to irezumi (tattooing).

JZ: Are Japanese customers skeptical about getting a tatty done by a foreigner? What's the whole 'acceptance' thing been like, in terms of clients and also co-workers?

BH: As far as clients go it's actually the total opposite. My non-Japanese customers sometimes want to know what qualifies me to do a tattoo for them in Japan. Tattoos cost a lot more here than in most people's home countries. If you're all the way over here, shelling out your hard-earned bread for a tattoo, I feel it's fair to ask your artist if they're on the level. I usually take clients through my portfolio and that always allays any anxiety about my credentials and abilities.

As far as co-workers go, that was extremely challenging. I spent an awful long time proving myself - probably more than I spent on mastering the technical aspects of the tattooing craft. There was no "Oh well, he's a foreigner, let's just let it slide" nonsense. They held me to the same standards as any native Japanese prospect. It was really a Spartan training regimen of language, customs, and manners - besides the already heavy workload of drawing, cleaning, and tattooing.

JZ: Explain a bit about the 'taboo' that affects tattooing in Japan. Are tattoos still associated mostly with Yakuza, or is that something that's opening up with the younger generation?

BH: That's an insanely broad topic, but let me give it my best shot. Basically, the strong association of tattooing with the Yakuza persists even to this day - and with good reason. There is a very strong relationship between various tattoo families and Yakuza groups. But all media - movies, television, comics, and so on - perpetuate only the negative side of these stereotypes. Tattooed individuals are more likely to experience ostracism the farther out they go from a city - and of course at various gyms, clubs, and onsen where they may restrict membership.

But this is Heisei, not Showa. Celebrities, musicians, athletes - even various Manga characters - get ink these days, and an entire generation of Japanese kids have already grown up with it. When kids here see a design poking out of a shirtsleeve, they're more likely to associate it with rock stars than wise guys. And in these tough economic conditions, I don't think businesses will be able to continue to restrict themselves to non-tattooed clients indefinitely.

I think that even though we are still in a transitional period for tattooing (from being totally underground to being completely acceptable) things are moving in a direction away from taboo. I have a variety of clients - school teachers, doctors, lawyers, salarymen and OLs - who have to keep their tattoos hidden from their employers but are pioneering a change in social attitudes nonetheless, one person at
a time.

JZ: You also do other kinds of art and graphic design. You were telling me your daily schedule, which sounds incredibly hectic... What other kinds of projects do you do, and when do find time to do them?

BH: All of my other projects are related somehow to art. My hobbies and my job are now one and the same, so I don't mind focusing on it 25 hours a day. Painting takes up the bulk of it, and I do a fair amount of CG and 'digital painting' as well. I did graphic design in a previous life and it still has a special place in my heart, so I still
make all my own promotional materials as well - posters, stickers, stencils, flyers, stuff like that.

JZ: Awesome, keep at it. Lastly, then, how can any readers find out more about you or get in touch with you regarding tattoos, designs and art?

BH: I'm open for free consultations every day of the week (except Thursdays) or you can call me directly at the shop on 06-6534-9595. You can also check out my work and keep up with various shenanigans on my website. Cheers, and thanks for reading!

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