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I once read about a tattoo artist from Osaka, Japan.
It was the most impressive work I'd ever seen. It was made by Horitsune II.
I wrote, we got acquainted, and now, five years later...
...I'm back in Japan for the fifth time to visit Horitsune.
This time not only to finish my backpiece...
...but also to work, travel and visit colleagues.
I'm Rob Admiraal, a tattooist from Amsterdam...
...with a special interest in the Japanese style.
The Dragon
I'm on my way to see Nori in Kyoto.
Nori is a Japanese youngster...
...who worked for me once and now regards himself as my pupil.
There he is.
Nori took us on a great tour through Kyoto.
Kyoto used to be the capital of Japan...
...so there's a very strong tradition.
This temple is called Tenryu-ji and that means Dragon Temple.
Dragons occur regularly in legends.
They punished bad people and they also helped people.
It's funny: I really used to hate dragons. I thought they were...
They meant absolutely nothing to me.
What I didn't know then but do know now...
...is that if you hate something so much you have something going with it.
It has a meaning for you. It releases something and it is a real entity.
And another thing I didn't know was the symbolism behind it.
The Japanese feeling, or maybe the Asian feeling...
...is that a dragon is like a god. Like a god of Nature.
Dragons make the rain come. Japan is an agricultural country.
When the farmers are in trouble dragons can help by making the rain fall.
It's a typically Japanese idea.
But foreigners see it as a scary thing.
Right now we're in Kyoto with Nori...
...and he just explained to me...
...that his real name is Nori, but his tattoo name is Sougetsu.
Nori came to Holland because he was interested in my work.
He wanted to make progress in it and it's hard to find a master in Japan.
The last day. How do you feel? - The eyes. He'll be doing the last bit.
Is that on your mind? - Yes, it is.
I want to be on time, whatever happens.