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Since many people have asked: no, this is *not* a book about
Horiyoshi III from Yokohama.
Let me start by stating that I am not a big fan of Keibunsha, the
company that published this book. Well - I love their early stuff,
but I totally hate the way they deal with their customers, not to
mention their terms and conditions. (Update July 2004: they
have gotten even worse!)
I can in no way recommend their (order) services! If you decide
to buy from them over the net: be very careful!
This book was once available in a beautiful hardback edition -
with a cardboard slipcase. The pic they had up on their website
last time I checked was of this hardback, but what they send
out is a paperback. I have seen more than one paperback ver-
sion; the paper quality varies considerably, from quite good to
almost toilet paper poor. Confusing? Possibly yes...
According to my friend Alex, a tattoo artist who spends quite a
bit of his time in Japan, the hardback copies can seldom be
found in second hand stores - prices starting at $ 500...
Oops... almost forgot to comment on the book. For those of you
researching the history and development of Japanese Horimono,
definitely a valuable source.
If you are used to the work of Horiyoshi III and other Japanese
masters of today, some of the bodysuits presented here might
almost seem a little crude. Bear in mind that the change to exe-
cuting the outlines by machine, instead of tebori (by traditional
hand method) did have a considerable impact on the overall
impression of the traditional bodysuit.
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