和彫りを大別する際に、関東彫りと関西彫りに分けることがある。大まかに言えば、関東彫りは見切りの一本一本が細くヒカエが乳首の上で弧を描くのに対し、関西彫りは見切りが太くヒカエは乳首の下まで達するのが一般的だ。なお大正時代以前の彫り物を今に伝える古典派においてはこの限りではないので留意されたし。
When classifying Japanese irezumi, it is divided into Kanto-bori and Kansai-bori. Roughly explaining, generally in Kanto-bori, the mikiri (band of gaku) is thin and the hikae (chest part of gaku) finishes above the nipple, while in Kansai-bori, the mikiri is thicker and the hikae reaches below the nipple. Please note that this does not apply to the classical school which has protected the traditional style made before the Taisho Era.
Machida Horiken is an accomplished tattooer of Kanto-bori. Although the width of the mikiri is as delicate as the width of a finger, the dynamic way it is drawn gives it imposing strength. His nuki-bori without gaku by utilizing his drawing ability, which he learned from ukiyo-e and Buddhist paintings, has a neat charm, however the gaku-bori is the true appeal of Horiken.
In East Asia, the tiger reigns as the king of all beasts, and in some regions it is worshiped as the god of mountains. Since ancient times, it has been believed to be on a par with the dragon in China, and the composition of a dragon creating clouds and a tiger generating winds facing each other has been said to express yang and yin, or heaven and earth. In Japan, their majestic appearances were favored by warlords and Zen monks, and many paintings were created especially by the Kano and Rimpa schools.
