Private Project

HORIYOSHI THE THIRD

The prefix “Hori” in Japanese means “to carve.” The suffix “Yoshi” is derived from the town from which one of the most prominent tattoo masters lived. When we combine these two parts into “Horiyoshi,” it becomes a word widely known in Japan to mean someone who earned the rare title of Ink Master. Yoshihito Nakano, third in line of the succession to the Horiyoshi title — and subject of this documentary film — provided unfettered access to his life over the past ten years. From the point of view of a cultural renegade who once said: “I could do anything, even kill others, for Horiyoshi the First,” we get an inside look into Horiyoshi the Third’s philosophies on life, love, aging, and death. Obsessed with finishing a dragon tattoo that’s years in the making, the ink master befriends an American he chose as his canvas, and worries about the progress of his son in his quest to succeed him as Horiyoshi the Fourth. Because of the current taboo against tattoos in Japan, this documentary film might not be shown in the Land of the Rising Sun, but the legend whose clientele used to be predominantly yakuza, has learned to accept this and face life’s challenges head on.

  • Yusuke Uchijima
    Director
  • Kohei Kawabata
    Director
    DEAREST VIET: Director, ROPE: Producer
  • Kohei Kawabata
    Producer
  • Kotaro Yamane
    Producer
  • Hiroko Matsumoto
    Producer
  • Horiyoshi the Third
    Key Cast
  • Toshiyuki Matsumura
    Cinematographer
  • Yumi Kaneko
    Executive Producer
  • Racheal Seymour
    Executive Producer
  • Stewart Cavanagh
    Executive Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Art, Culture, Tradition, Human Interest
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 42 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 27, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    150,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Japan
  • Country of Filming:
    Japan
  • Language:
    Japanese
  • Shooting Format:
    HD 1080p
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Yusuke Uchijima, Kohei Kawabata

As an up-an-coming director in Japan, Yusuke Uchijima imbues his documentary projects with insights and opinions gleaned from extensive experience traveling the world. With insatiable curiously, strong desire to engage in debate, and fearlessness in questioning that’s rare among Japanese college students, Yusuke (you-sue-kay) set off with $5000 in his pocket to explore the American continent. Not content to travel as a tourist, Yusuke took busses and immersed himself in the local cultures of Argentina, Mexico, and the US, experienced transformative moments, strangers’ kindnesses, and even muggings. The intrepid young Yusuke also explored China, India, and Southeast Asia.
Thanks to his unique experiences around the world, Yusuke gravitates towards documentary filmmaking that pushes social and political boundaries, and shows the vulnerable people in society. Starting with a passion for Raku, traditional Japanese comic storytelling, Yusuke documented a Raku artist teaching the tradition to young victims of the catastrophic Tohoku earthquake of 2011. Yusuke wanted to highlight the struggle and joy of the younger generation as they faced adversity and created their own unique version of Raku to express themselves.
Beyond documenting the earthquake victim’s mental heath challenges as they delt with the loss of family and a sense of isolation, Yusuke also turned to the pandemic as a focus for capturing raw human experiences. To that end, the talented director followed a husband and wife for three months, even living with them, as the couple fought to keep their home in the face of job losses coupled with a lack of federal pandemic aid. This documentary received high praise in Japan.
Most recently Yusuke turned to the documentary film HORIYOSHI THE THIRD, a decade long undertaking based on a subject still taboo in Japan: Tattoos. This project will be shown in the global market as it is banned in Yusuke’s home country. The recently married father of two babies lives in Tokyo, Japan with this wife, and hopes to have six children.

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Director Statement

I first learned of Horiyoshi III through a brief introduction from a fellow tattoo artist. When I finally encountered his work, it far exceeded my expectations. The scale, discipline, and beauty of his tattoos convinced me immediately that this was not merely craft, but art that deserved to be preserved on film.

In Japan, tattoos have long been pushed to the margins of society, largely because of their association with the yakuza. Yet tattooing has a much deeper history. More than a century ago, King George V was tattooed in Japan, and three hundred years ago, Japanese firefighters wore tattoos as symbols of protection and resolve. These histories reveal tattooing not as something criminal, but as a form of cultural expression rooted in belief, labor, and identity.

At the center of this film is Isaac, an American client who repeatedly travels to Japan, devoting years of his life to receiving a full-back tattoo from Horiyoshi III. His commitment is not casual, nor is it merely for aesthetics. It is driven by respect, endurance, and a profound trust in the artist. Through Isaac’s journey, the film explores what it means to surrender one’s body to another person’s lifetime of skill and philosophy.

As Horiyoshi III approaches the end of his career, the film also observes the quiet transmission of knowledge to his son, Kazuyoshi. This is not simply a story about tattoos, but about legacy: how a way of seeing, of working, and of living is passed from one generation to the next.

This documentary is intended not only for art audiences, but for fathers and sons, and for anyone interested in how tradition survives in a changing society. While tattoo culture remains taboo in Japan, this film seeks to honor its beauty, its history, and the human relationships that sustain it.