Horimatsu Bunshin, our resident Tebori artist.

Horimatsu Bunshin has taken Sunset by storm since moving here in late 2019. We are super ecstatic to have him here, he is an absolute master at Traditional Japanese tattooing, and has raised the bar of our studio to an even higher level. Horimatsu has started lots of sleeves since here, including this rad dragon sleeve which is only a session away from finishing!

Japanese Dragon Sleeve by Horimatsu Bunshin - all shading done by Tebori.

When you get tattooed by Horimatsu, all shading is done using traditional Japanese methods, aka “Tebori”. Tebori translates to “hand carving” which sounds like your experience will be way slower and more painful than modern electric tattooing, however most people find it the exact opposite. Tebori generally is a lot less traumatic on the skin, causing less bleeding and scabbing during the healing process. Tattoos can also increase in brightness and look better with age!

Japanese Fu Dog Tattoo by Horimatsu Bunshin - all shading done by Tebori.

If you’re keen to for a different tattoo experience than the electric tattoo machines we all know and love, contact the studio to organise a consultation time with Horimatsu Bunshin. From full Irezumi style body suits, to gorgeous one shot Japanese tattoos, Horimatsu welcomes all those wanting to experience Japanese tattooing at it’s most authentic!

Japanese Kingyo (goldfish) by Horimatsu Bunshin - all shading done by Tebori.

CONTACT:

www.sunsettattoo.co.nz
info@sunsettattoo.co.nz
+(649)3763423

Check out these 12 Chinese Calendar tattoos!

Happy Chinese New Year!

This year is the Year of the Rat, the first of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. The Rat tricked the Ox into giving him a ride. Then, just as they arrived at the finish line, Rat jumped down and landed ahead of Ox, becoming first.

The Rat is also associated with the Earthly Branch (地支—dì zhī) Zi (子) and the midnight hours. In the terms of yin and yang (阴阳—yīn yáng), the Rat is yang and represents the beginning of a new day.

In Chinese culture, rats were seen as a sign of wealth and surplus. Because of their reproduction rate, married couples also prayed to them for children.

Check out 12 of the best Chinese Zodiac tattoo we found on browsing the internet.

Rat years: 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020.

Years of the Ox: 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021

Years of the Tiger: 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022

Years of the Rabbit: 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023

Years of the Dragon: 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024

Snake years: 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025

Horse Years: 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026

Years of the Ram: 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027

Monkey years: 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016,

Rooster years: 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017

Year of the dog: 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018

Year of the Pig: 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019

Check out the Sunset Studio merch!

If you’re a fan of the studio, our artists, or just tattoos in general, then check out some of our kick-ass merchandise available now through our website and in the studio.

We’ve got some really sweet prints for you to frame, or unique shirts and hoodies to wear and let everyone know you’re cooler than they are. If you’re buying for someone else and are not sure what to get, then grab a Sunset Gift Certificate, redeemable on the merchandise or on a tattoo!

Check the shop out here and spoil yourself with some Sunset designs. They’re the next best thing to having a tattoo!

Guardian Angel tattoos: symbolism and meaning

Guardian Angel tattoos are some of the most popular forms of tattoo out there.

Loved by both men and women, they can look incredible if done right, with even a minimalist guardian angel in the right spot looking awesome.

The angel motif is very popular because it can have so many meanings, such as protection, strength, beauty, and of course religious symbolism.

Guardian Angels can represent God in your life, regardless of which religion you are. They are also a reminder that God is watching over you and protecting you.

Many Angel tattoos are shown praying, a reminder that peace comes from within.

Often people will have an angel with someone’s name who has passed, as a memorial to their lives and a way to remember them.

Even if you’re not religious, a well-done angel tattoo is worthwhile from a purely aesthetic point of view, like some of the ones below.

As usual, all credit goes to the original artists.

The restaurant that tattoos its employees!

Do you like your job? Love your boss? Truly believe you’re part of a team?

Well, for the employees of the Café Nova in Bozeman, Montana, their dedication goes above and beyond the call of duty.

More than 30 of the café’s current and former employees have gotten a tattoo of a bacon and eggs/skull and crossbones design.

Simple and unique

Each tattoo is quite unique. “We were in the kitchen working one day,” owner Serena Rundberg told ABC Fox Montana, “and two eggs and two pieces of bacon landed on a plate in the exact shape of a skull and crossbones. And we were thinking like, ‘Woah, that would make an amazing tattoo.’”

So amazing that Rundberg had an artist create a design and a number of employees decided to get one. The bacon and eggs/skull and crossbones design became the cafe’s logo, appearing on stickers and shirts worn by employees with the tagline “Killer Breakfast”. The image has become so familiar in the community that customers and children have been getting a temporary version of it to proudly show off to their friends.

But isn’t tattooing your employees asking for a bit too much loyalty? Not to some who work there. “When the tattoo idea came up,” one longtime employee says, “I wasn’t even at all ashamed to be like, ‘Yeah!’ I loved the owners. I didn’t even think twice about it.”

Employees choice

It’s not a pre-requisite to work there, the employees obviously don’t have to get tattooed, but many of them do. And if they choose to, the café will pay for it.

Each tattoo is designed specifically for the person who gets it, with one showing eggs and bacon “flying triumphantly on a pirate ship’s flag” while others include images of waffles, hats, cigarettes, roses and frying pans.

The restaurant owners and its employees have emphasized the team-building feeling and sense of community they get when they share the tattoo.

Whatever the case, everyone there seems to be having fun and entrepreneur Rundberg’s tattoo idea is even spreading to some of the other small businesses she owns. “I never thought that we would create something like that, but we’ve created something that is more than a job,” she says. “More than a career.”