【古典と挑戦を行き来し、培った雄勁な表現力】
大阪市の中心部に位置しながら奇跡的に戦火を逃れ、昭和初期の佇まいを今に残す空堀商店街。昨今ではそのレトロな雰囲気を活かした小洒落たカフェやショップも増え、懐かしさと新鮮さの入り混じる街として老若男女問わず人気を博している。
しかし散策を楽しむ人たちは知る由もないだろう。そこから一歩離れた狭い路地の奥、表札も看板もない長屋のようなアパートの一室で、伝統刺青に取り組むひとりの男がいることを。
Although located in the center of Osaka city, the Karahori shopping street miraculously wasn’t damaged by fire during World War II, and still retains the atmosphere of the early Showa period. Nowadays, there’re more and more stylish cafes and stores that make the most of this retro mood, and the area is gaining popularity among people of all ages as a place where nostalgia and freshness mix.
Interestingly, those who enjoy strolling this area’s streets would have no way of knowing that just a short distance away, in an apartment with no signboard at the end of a narrow alleyway, there is a man who works on Japanese traditional tattooing.
その男の名は五代目彫重、関西を代表する一門を守る現当主である。こう聞くと無口で厳格な職人気質な人物像を思い描くかも知れないが、彫重氏は冗談好きで弟子やクライアントとの間にも笑いが絶えない豪快な人柄だ。
普段は柔和な笑顔で場を和ませるが、いざノミを握るとその表情は一変する。その鋭い眼差しは、傍らから声を掛けることさえ躊躇わせるほどだ。
His name is Horishige the 5th, the current head of Kansai’s leading tattoo family. While this may conjure up an image of a quiet and stern craftsman, Horishige is a jokester with an openhearted personality who is always laughing with his students and clients.
He usually puts the place at ease by smiling softly, but when he grabs a nomi (hand poking tool), his expression changes completely. His keen gaze makes anyone hesitate to dare speak to him during tattooing.
彫重氏の経歴は20代前半、自身が客として通っていた大阪のとあるタトゥースタジオから始まる。駆け出しの頃には和彫りのみならずあらゆるスタイルを手掛け、寝る間も惜しんで様々な絵柄の模写やデッサンに明け暮れた。こうした経験はけして無駄にはなっておらず、氏は「今でも整合の取れた構図を描くのに活きている」と振り返る。
多種多様な下絵を描く中で北斎や国芳といった浮世絵の魅力に取り憑かれ、和彫りを志すようになるまでそう長くは掛からなかった。
Horishige’s tattooing career began in his early twenties at a tattoo studio in Osaka, where he used to be a customer. When he was just starting out, he worked on all kinds of styles including Japanese, and spent all his spare time copying and sketching various designs. These experiences were not in vain, and he recalls, “It still helps me to draw a balanced composition.”
It wasn’t long before he became fascinated with ukiyo-e by artists such as Hokusai and Kuniyoshi, and began to aspire to become an irezumi artist.
He was self-taught and learned hand poking by practicing on his own legs and his friends’ bodies, and was active as an artist using the name Magoshibori. Then in his mid-thirties, he met an irezumi master, a member of Kansai Horishige the 1st’s family, Horikyo the 1st. He became charmed by his personality and skills and found it fitting to become a student of the Horikyo family.
After many years of studying under Horikyo, he was appointed by his master to revive the lineage of Horishige which had, up until then, been discontinued, and he assumed the name of Horishige the 5th in 2015.
While Horishige’s style is traditional, he adds his own interpretation to the composition and gaku (background) of his works. “There was a time when I was bound by the classics, but now I try to be more flexible in my approach,” he says. Sometimes a scene that comes to his mind while reading a book that has nothing to do with tattooing is used as a rough sketch for his work. However, he never makes arrangements that disparage the story or meaning of the subject matter.
主題と額の調和はもとより、額そのものの本ボカシと薄ボカシの絶妙なバランスにも着目されたし。重厚感を与えつつ、さりとてべったりと黒で潰しているわけではなく、薄ボカシにより動的な奥行きを生んでいる。
その描き方を取っても、ただ漫然と引かれた意味のないスジは一本もないことが分かるだろう。強弱に重きを置いた躍動感に満ちた額が、主題を一層際立たせる。
In addition to the harmony between the subject and gaku, we should also pay attention to the exquisite balance between hon-bokashi (dark shade) and usu-bokashi (light shade) of gaku itself. While it gives a sense of massiveness, it is not all dark black, and the light shade creates a dynamic depth.
With the way it is drawn, you can see that there is not a single meaningless line adopted randomly. The lively gaku with its emphasis on strength and weakness makes the subject stand out even more.
He strives to follow the path he believes in at any given time. At one point in his career, he was a staunch defender of the classics, and in another, he took on the challenge of new expressions. It’s like going down a winding road. As he says, if he can see the goal, he can head for it in a straight line. However, the journey of repeated detours is not in vain. His works are imbued with a power that could not have been created without the strength he has cultivated through continuously moving forward.
Kansai HORISHIGE the 5th
住所: 大阪府大阪市中央区（谷町六丁目駅から徒歩約5分）
営業時間: 10:00〜21:00（不定休）
電話: 06-4305-3013
Eメール: magoshi1020@gmail.com
※完全予約制につき、まずは問い合わせを。
Address: Chuo-ku, Osaka city, Osaka（5 mins walk from Tanimachi-rokuchome station）
Business hour: 10:00〜21:00（Irregular Holidays）
Phone: (+81)6-4305-3013
Email: magoshi1020@gmail.com
※Appointment only.