[Narrator] This is Horiyoshi III,
one of the world's most legendary full-body-tattoo artists.
His given name is Yoshihito Nakano,
but he inherited the title Horiyoshi,
which is derived from the word "hori,"
meaning "to carve or engrave."
This is his studio, hidden away
in an anonymous-looking building in the city of Yokohama,
a 30-minute train ride from Tokyo.
The controversial history of Japanese tattooing, or irezumi,
can be traced back to around 10,000 BC, in the Jomon period.
The Japanese government banned tattoos in 1872,
as while the practice had risen as an art form,
tattooed marks were still used as a punishment.
The ban wasn't lifted until 1948,
but the practice has retained its image of criminality.
For many years, traditional Japanese tattoos
were associated with the yakuza, Japan's Mafia,
and some businesses in Japan and public baths
still ban tattooed customers.
Yoshihito's most devoted clientele
are covered in full-body designs.
These stop sharply at the wrist and ankle,
where skin would show when wearing a traditional kimono.
There's also the hikae, a chest panel to sleeve,
nagasode, a full sleeve to the wrist,
and shorter sleeves, shichibu and gobu.
Donburi soshinbori is a full-body tattoo
without the line down the center of the chest.
Until 30 years ago,
Yoshihito did his tattoos entirely by hand
using the tebori technique,
where a needle-tipped wooden or metal stick
inserts ink into the skin.
Nowadays, due to health and time constraints,
he completes them freehand using an electric needle.
Yoshihito wants to keep the traditional
generational structure of the Horiyoshi.
The majority of Yoshihito's clients
are now foreign visitors,
and he has a large international following on Instagram.
A tattoo in Japan costs up to 15,000 yen per hour,
or $140,
but Yoshihito's designs are more expensive.