Profile

 

Biography

After graduating from design college, Horiren the First started out working for a computer game company. While she later moved onto becoming a muralist the irezumi (traditional tattoo) captivated her, and at 30 years of age, after years of self-study, she began her career as a irezumi-shi (tattoo artist). As the first in line of irezumi-shi to take the name Horiren the First, she is constantly pursuing greater heights in the industry.

初代彫蓮の画像

1998

Commenced her career as Irezumi-shi (Tattooist / Tattoo Artist)

2004

Apr

Organized a photographic exhibition at Le Deco Gallery, Shibuya Ward, Tokyo

May

Participated in the Amsterdam Tattoo Convention, Netherlands

2005

Jun

Awarded the following awards at the Amsterdam Tattoo Convention:

 

BEST OF JAPANESE TATTOO

 

BEST OF SHOW

 

BEST TRADITIONAL TATTOO

2006

May

Established Lotus Co., Ltd.

Jun

Awarded the following awards again (as per 2005)at the Amsterdam Tattoo Convention:

 

BEST of JAPANESE TATTOO

 

BEST of SHOW

 

BEST TRADITIONAL TATTOO

2007

Oct

Awarded 3rd place for BEST COLOR TATTOO at the London Tattoo Convention, England

2008

Jan

Participated in the production of music video, “Deai no Kakera” by Ketsumeishi

Oct

Live painting performance at SWATCH Ginza

Nov

Organized “Dai-ren-sai”ー10th Anniversary as Irezumi-shi celebration event, with 350 attendees, at Urawa Royal Pines Hotel

Dec

Live tattoo demonstration and lectured on Irezumi at Kawanabe Kyosai Memorial Museum

2009

Aug

Participated in Tattoo Jam, Doncaster, UK

2010

Jan

Live body painting collaboration with Kaname Ozuma at Bangkok International Tattoo Convention, Thailand

Aug

Awarded BEST OF SHOW at the Tattoo Hollywood Convention, LA, USA

2011

May

Volunteered in Fukushima relief efforts after the Great East Japan Earthquake & Tsunami hit Japan

Aug

Directed tattoo supervision and design for the movie “Dreams for Sale”, starring Shoufukutei Tsurube

Oct

Awarded  FIRST PLACE at the Osaka Tattoo Convention, “Straight Life”, Osaka

Dec

Organized “Kechigan” (a festival for requests and expression of thanks to the gods), in relief efforts for the Great East Japan Earthquake Recovery, including live painting performance of a tiger to introduce the “Tora-mai”(Iwate prefectural traditional tiger dance) to people of Aoyama, Tokyo

2012

Feb

Production of the banner for the “Tora-mai (traditional tiger dance)” of Otsuchi, Iwate’s London performance

May-Jun

Organized a photographic and painting exhibition titled “JAPAN?” in collaboration with photographer, Hiroyuki Hara in Brisbane, Australia

Jun

Lectured on the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami and nuclear power at a photographic & painting exhibition “JAPAN?”, Australia

Aug

Guest appearance at Amsterdam Tattoo Museum, Netherlands

Sep

Participated in Osaka Tattoo Convention, “Tattoo Syndrome” in Osaka

Nov

Live tattoo at  “OSAKA蛍FIREFLY” music event, Osaka

2013

Apr

Participated in Osaka Tattoo Convention “Straight Life”, Osaka

Nov

Organized “Word Gallery”, an exhibition on Facebook of over 100 of her friends around the world with photographs of HorirenⅠ’s artwork in honor of her 15th anniversary as a tattoo artist

2014

Mar

Held joint exhibition in London with photographer Mayumi Hirata, “Dance tiger, dance”, featuring Mayumi Hirata’s photographs, videos and installations together with HorirenⅠ’s scroll paintings, England

Jun

“Heaven, Earth, and People” exhibition in collaboration with photographer Mayumi Hirata, 3D artist Serge Tucker, including HorirenⅠ’s Scroll paintings of Buddhas and Gods, Luxembourg

Sep

Featured in “Tattoo Electric” exhibition in New York

2015

May

Performed live body painting in an exhibition held at Shinjuku-Za, Tokyo

Nov

Live tattoo demonstration and presented an essay on history of Japanese irezumi at “Japan Festival” , Lithuania

Held exhibition showcasing 30 artworks, inspired by the work of famous 19th century Japanese painter Kawanabe Kyosai Memorial Museum, Saitama

2016

May

Organized a live tattoo show at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada

2017

Mar

Interviewed and appeared on VICE TV, UK

Jun

Live body painting at “Yoko Ozuma Nanakaiki (6th anniversary of a death) Original Painting Exhibition”, Tokyo

2018

Apr

Exhibited work at “TUA ARONUI – BEYOND THE LINE -” at the Embassy of New Zealand in Shibuya, Tokyo

May

Helped organize a cultural exchange event with the Maori people, where the Haka performance by the Maori dancers, dedicated to Warabi Shrine, and was picked up by major Japanese media, Saitama

Nov

Exhibited original artworks in “Kawanabe Kyosai ni Miserarete Pt.II”, Kawanabe Kyosai Memorial Museum, Saitama

Dec

Published “Ichiren Takusho”, a photographic anthology book (limited to 1,000 copies)

“Ichiren Takusho”, HorirenⅠ the First’s 20th anniversary photo exhibition, Black Box, Osaka

“Ichiren Takusho”, HorirenⅠ the First’s , 20th anniversary photo exhibition, LeDeco, Tokyo

2019

Jan

Discharged from hospital after mastectomy (removal) surgery due to breast cancer

Mar

HorirenⅠ’s client and martial arts fighter, Sarah modeled her tattoos for LUSH

May

Created a votive painting mural at Warabi Shrine as an offering for the new Reiwa era, Saitama

Featured in “Huck” digital magazine, photography and text by Michael Magers

Accompanied photographer, Isabel Muñoz, to Amami Oshima, Kagoshima

Jun

HorirenⅠ’s tattoo work, worn by LUSH model, was featured in LUSH Shinjuku in-store video promotion materials, Tokyo

Aug

Produced a Reiwa Mikoshi (Japanese portable shrine for the Reiwa era) for the ​Toda Furasato Festival, Saitama

Sep

Live painting performance at the Independent Festival, Tokyo

Exhibited body painting at Yoko Ozuma’s Memorial exhibition, Tokyo

Featured on New Zealand news program, “Te Karere”

Oct

Featured  on NHK television program [Ohayo Nippon] “Good Morning Japan”, Rugby World Cup intercultural discussion

Nov

Held a gathering of “Renyukai” (clients of HorirenⅠ), Saitama

Dec

Dedication of Ema (votive tablet painting) created by HorirenⅠ as an offering to Warabi Shrine, Saitama

2020

Mar

Suspended activities due to Government Declaration of State of Emergency in response to Covid-19

Jul

Resumed activities upon the State of Emergency Declaration Cancellation

Dec

Dedication of Ema (votive tablet painting) created by HorirenⅠ as an offering to Warabi Shrine, Saitama

Featured in a documentary which aired in Singapore

Featured in a GQ Japan video

Featured in Reuters news articles and videos

2021

Feb

Directed tattoo supervision and design for the movie “Under the Open Sky”, directed by Miwa Nishikawa

Apr

Exhibition of “Kyosai Plus 1, Series 35” – Coloring Kyosai’s Uchiwa Woodblock Prints, held at Kawanabe Kyosai Memorial Museum, Saitama

Jul

Ordained as a monk in the Shingon Buddhist Priesthood

Dec

Dedication of Ema (votive tablet painting) created by Horiren as an offering to Warabi Shrine, Saitama

2022

May

Exhibition of photographs of Horiren, the First’s tattoo work at London’s Coronet Theatre, UK

Jun

Exhibition of Horiren, the First’s client, as photographed by Chloe Jafe, featured as the main visual representation for the Fotografia Europea exhibition, entitled AN INVINCIBLE SUMMER, Italy

Featured in Irwin Wong’s book, “THE OBSESSED: OTAKU, TRIBES, AND SUBCULTURES OF JAPAN”

Aug

Presented a series of online lectures at “Dialogues for Peace” / “Dialogos para la paz” (Japan-Colombia peace conference) about the culture, history, and discrimination of tattoos and tattooing in Japan

Painted a mural for “Freedom@Oz” martial arts gym, Saitama

Sep

Collaborated in a body painting event with Ranki Kazami, original drawing by Horiren, the First, coloring by ACE COLOR Takuya Ogawa, MK Studio, Shinjuku

Body art event, “Tattooed Beauties”, exhibition of original paintings in commemoration of Ozuma, the painter, Osaka

Nov

Started sales of NFTs, 10 years of soul put into original sketches sold as NFTs

Dec

Dedication of Ema (votive tablet painting) created by Horiren as an offering to Warabi Shrine, Saitama

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