A trained Harley-Davidson mechanic, Shige taught himself tattooing around 1995 and founded his private studio Yellow Blaze tattoo studio in Yokohama, Japan together with his wife, Chisato around 2000.

Years of hard work followed: Tattooiing, traveling and receiving a body suit by Swiss master Filip Leu, slowly shaped Shige into a master himself. Nowadays, he is widely regarded as the most influential modern Japanese tattoo artist; a virtuoso of the color palette, shaping Asian imagery into perfect harmony with the human body.

His elegant, detailed and vivid compositions, tailor-made for each client, have influenced the views of the world of what an artistically and technically perfect tattoo should look like.

“It is my deep wish that my clients will be happy about their tattoo during their whole lives and can find peace when they take their last breath.”