Finally traditional Japanese long sleeve of Watanabe no Tsuna’s Ogress at the Ichijo-Modoribashi Bridge finished.
This client had been traveling back and forth between the US and Tokyo, sometimes Calgary for several years.
The title of this sleeve is “Ogress at the Ichijo-Modoribashi Bridge”.
The summary
The samurai Watanabe no Tsuna who is a retainer of Minamoto no Yorimitsu was about to cross the Ichijo-Modoribashi Bridge in Kyoto late at night when he was asked by a beautiful woman for a ride. He reluctantly complied suddenly she transformed into an ogress and lunged at the Tsuna’s topknot.
Tsuna swiftly drew his treasured sword, Higekiri, and severed the ogress’s arm. The ogress fled immediately.
Tsuna consulted with the Ommyōji Seimei.
“That ogress must be Ibaraki Dōji. She will surely come to reclaim the arm. For seven days, stay locked inside your house and observe purification rites. During that time, do not let anyone enter the house” said Seimei.
While the severed arm was kept in Tsuna’s estate the ogress had tried to take it back. However, the power of the Ninno Sutra chanted by Tsuna and the talismans posted throughout the house prevented her from entering.
On the seventh night, his mother came to visit. Tsuna explained the reason through the door and refused her entry, but his aged mother cried out,
“How can you treat your old mother this way? I have walked here from far away! You ungrateful wretch!”
He had no choice but to let her in.
“Tsuna, I hear you cut a demon’s arm off? Let me see it.”
His mother took the arm and was examining it closely for a while. Suddenly she transformed into the ogress,
“I am Ibaraki-doji. Indeed, I have my arm back.”
and fled through the window, grabbing the arm.
No stencils are used at all. I drew the design on the skin directly with brush while considering the skin texture and curves.
Incidentally, the other sleeve is Minamoto no Yorimitsu (Raiko), Watanabe no Tsuna’s lord, defeating the demon Shuten-dōji.
Shuten-dōji is the big bro of Ibaraki-dōji. Some tales even suggest he was her husband, but regardless, he was a don of demons who made their lair in Ooeyama Kyoto, abducting men and women from the capital to devour them.
The tattoo depicts the moment severed head of the demon Shuten-dōji bites into Yorimitsu’s helmet.
It’s truly heartening to see more people overseas becoming well-versed in Japanese classics these days.
There’s no need to rush. If you don’t give up, even little by little, you will definitely finish it.
TEBORI Tattooist Ryugen