In 1970 Martha Cooper lived in Japan and she was fascinated by Irezumi, the art of Japanese tattooing following the visit of a festival dedicated to this traditional art. At the time, insisting at length, she was able to recognize the artist Horibun I and follow him at work. At the time she imagined she was offering a report to a magazine, but none gave continuation judging Irezumi too sulfurous. And it was in 2011 that the publisher Dokument offered to publish these photos through the work that is offered to you here.