A great Japanese traditional tattoo doesn’t just look powerful, it’s engineered to fit your body and your future plans. We’re shining a light on Yoichi Tanaka, a Japanese tattoo artist known for custom irezumi, bold linework, and large-scale bodysuit projects that feel cohesive from the first session to the last. Yoichi tattoos out of OG Studio in Japan and also works in the United States, including at Carlo Torres’s shop The Raven and the Wolves, giving collectors real options if they’re deciding between Japan or California.

We talk through what separates “big imagery” from true bodysuit design: placement that respects anatomy, clear pathways to expand into a full suit, and compositions that stay readable as you add panels. One of our favorite examples is an Ashikoratengu piece, described as a mountain protector and skilled martial artist, placed on the shoulder and built to flow under the chest. It’s a strong standalone tattoo, but it also keeps the door open for future chest and side coverage, which is exactly what many clients want from a custom Japanese traditional tattoo plan.

Technique matters too. Yoichi isn’t locked into one approach, we’ve seen fully traditional work done with a standard machine and with stick and poke methods that echo the hand-crafted feel many people love in irezumi. We also geek out over a samurai back piece that drips into the thighs and ties together a tiger below through smooth shading and confident color transitions, turning the whole bodysuit into a visual storybook.

If you’re into Japanese traditional tattoos, bodysuits, back pieces, or simply want to understand what “good placement” actually means, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s planning a big piece, leave a review, and tell us what motif you’d build a full suit around.