Tattoos of the Floating World: Japan art, Kitamura, Hiroyoshi, Hotei

by Takahiro Kitamura, Katie Kitamura

$78 · Offered by eBay

This unique book by tattoo artist Takahiro Kitamura (Horitaka, an apprentice of Horiyoshi III) discusses the art of the Japanese tattoo in the context of Ukiyo-e, concentrating on the parallel histories of the woodblock print and the tattoo. A wonderful book from Hotei Publishing, printed in 2003. Out of all the books I have from Hotei, everyone looks at this one first. The book is 11 inches tall, 9 inches wide, and one-quarter inch thick. 120 pages of epic tattoo photos and ukiyo-e artworks. Has some age tanning around the edges of the pages, which is pretty normal for a book this old. The very bottom near the spine is slightly scuffed from being taken on and off a bookshelf. A great book for anyone’s collection. Its value will continue to increase over the years.

• Publisher: Brill
• Year: 2003
• Binding: Paperback
• ISBN: 9789074822459
• Condition: Very Good

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.