Show and Tell: Tokyo's First All Girl Tattoo Convention

A while back I went to an all girl tattoo convention for Skin Deep, which featured 11 female artists from all over Japan, showing off their talent and prowess in a world usually dominated by men.

The line up was (Sezuki from NS7 Dept, dolce 13, Akatsuki from Red Bunny Tattoos, Ryoki from Al-Haut, Reiko from Jackpot tattoos, Horinami, Horishio from Daruma- Goya, Kanae from Hocus Pocus, Muscat's Asao, Maikai and Takako (Katwoman) in a 6 hour show of their artistic dexterity, as well as their own personal flair and ability to work under pressure in a public environment.

The event organizer, Kambada, has been in the scene for 5 years. This was his second such event.

"The first basis of the event is that I thought it'd be cool to do a close up on females. Girls have a huge presence in this scene- like the editors of a lot of tattoo magazines are usually female. Firstly, they have survived in a difficult industry, so while the idea of putting on an all girl event seems accessible and soft, but really there is a real concept to the show, to look at the potential of females artists in this man's world."

"This event isn't for money it's about communication and opportunities to meet people first. You can't deny that money goes through this industry and that's ok, but my style is to make good friends and to do a good job. "

This was a rare chance for the artists to network with each other, and because a lot of the artists work in their own autonomous little bubbles, they were surprised by the number of women who work in this industry.

Kanae suggested that it’s often difficult to reach out among women and said, "Normally I can't meet female artists, so its a good opportunity to meet people you normally wouldn't have a chance to. Its also good stimulation and I'm enjoying it a lot."

In a society as traditionally male dominated as Japan, it is surprising that most of the artists mentioned that they never felt discriminated against by other artists, and many felt that it wasn't a general disadvantage to be a female in this world.

Muscat's Asao said, "Yes, I felt a bit uncomfortable at times, but more than other industries I think if your work is good, it's relatively equal. But when you think of numbers, there is an undeniably huge majority of guys, and sometimes you feel like you have to go on the vibe of a bunch of blokes. But it's a technique-based job, so when I compare to other industries in Japan I think it's fairly equal. But people who started before me, they probably felt more of a gap."

Speaking to tattoo magazine "Burst" editor Kawasaki, she suggests that many female clients prefer a woman tattooist because they don't want to show their skin to a man, the process is softer, and there are some words and concepts that women can understand easier like "cute."

Artist Kanae says, "Rather than people in the community or other artists judging you, it's the clients that can see you in a different light. I wouldn't say it’s discrimination--but they expect a certain kind of thing because you are female. My coworkers don't treat me differently because I am a girl."

Here are some of the pix from the event:











MAQI is a freelance writer who covers topics usually relating to the arts, culture and travel. She has contributed to about 20 publications, from fashion, travel and inflight magazines to Japanese newspapers. She also does Tokyo correspondence for UK's Bizarre magazine and Skin Deep Tattoo magazine. She likes sushi and cake.