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“Engraving Hope Amid the World’s End”
Tattoo Artist I‑hori of LOYAL TATTOO — Yokohama Studio
Interview & Photos: Shino Uemura (at Loyal Tattoo studio)
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The tattoo I need to carve now is hope
A rebellion of “I will belong to no one.”
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Rough, direct designs stem from a rebellion
…against the nihilism and populism engulfing the world.
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In a world sinking into darkness,
if there’s a faint glimmer,
it might be someone’s rebellion.
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Standing in Yokohama, LOYAL TATTOO’s I‑hori crafts tattoos that are far from faddish or ornamental—
heavy, raw, angular, sharp.
Each stroke bears the dissonance and prayer he feels in this era.
Yet, now he speaks of “hope”—a word so straightforward, so real.
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“Against the world’s collapse, I carve hope”
—Your tattoos feel both rebellious and prayerful. Why use the word “hope” now?
I‑hori:
Until 2025, humanity believed in endless progress and prosperity.
But reality isn’t so. I sense a quiet decline—like dinosaurs at their end.
Scroll through social media—the norm is slander, schadenfreude, toxic air.
It’s pathological and wrong. Yet, no one stops it.
This could be Japan’s unending societal disease, like America’s racial strife.
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Tattoos as positive rebellion
—What do you aim to convey through tattoos now?
I‑hori:
For me, tattoos are positive rebellion—not just anger or denial, but affirmations of “living” and “being.”
That’s why now is the time to carve hope.
Paradoxically, “hope” is the most rebellious word in this age.
So that’s exactly why it must be tattooed.
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Resisting the “Boy Who Cried Wolf” paradox
—Carving hope becomes rebellion—very evocative.
I‑hori:
Consider the “Boy Who Cried Wolf” paradox:
at first, it’s a warning—then some begin wanting the wolf to come, hoping for destruction.
That’s akin to today’s age.
I go the opposite.
If no one will believe—fine. Let destruction come.
I understand that feeling deeply.
But I want to resist.
I want to bet on hope, not destruction.
To engrave “never‑fading light” on skin, so despair doesn’t swallow us.
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Affirming “belonging to none”
—LOYAL TATTOO’s worldview affirms being alone.
I‑hori:
Yes. Society demands alignment: α = alpha, or β = beta.
But there’s always Σ = sigma—the ones who belong to neither.
Tattoos exist for those people.
Not to lend a hand, but to say: “It’s okay as you are.”
—So not unity or solidarity, but solitude—an independent affirmation through tattoos?
I‑hori:
Exactly.
Tattoos are a way to scream unspoken feelings on skin—not for connection, but to affirm oneself.
Carving hope isn’t simple.
Believing in the future or yourself is, in itself, an act of rebellion these days.
LOYAL TATTOO engraves the aesthetic of being alone—an independent individual—on skin.
Belong to none. Bow to none.
But stand nonetheless.
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Rising after falls
He’s taken a long detour, fallen hard, bled—
yet, he always stands up.
“I’m fine now—and whatever happens next, I’ll be okay.”
He wants to show that stance, through actions and art.
If that sparks someone else’s “Alright, I’ll do it, too,” that’s enough.
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Quiet rebellion through hope
Solitude is the gateway to self‑exaltation—not shame.
Rebellion is not a howl, but a prayer.
Carving hope is one of the most beautiful acts.
—This ink isn’t mere design.
It’s your stance, not chasing external beauty or approval, but listening to your own sense.
With your tattoo, you light a lifelong beacon.
LOYAL TATTOO is not just a place to get inked—it’s a place to reaffirm yourself.
A tattoo that proves you are authentically you.
When you’re ready to quietly, yet surely, change something—
come.
Meet the self you’ve yet to encounter.
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✒︎ Interview & Story / Photos by Shino Uemura
LOYAL TATTOO + LT MACHINES
Yokohama Station Tattoo Studio & Tattoo Machine Factory
Access:
3 min walk from Yokohama Station West Exit (Kitaguchi More’s side)
From Shibuya: via Tokyu Toyoko Line — ~25 min
From Shinjuku: via JR Shonan‑Shinjuku Line — ~30 min
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🖋 Artist Profile: I‑hori
[Artist bio would go here]
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LOYAL TATTOO + LT MACHINES
Yokohama Station Tattoo Studio + Tattoo Machine Factory
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