INTERVIEW: MIMI SAMA
Today, I’ll share an extended discussion with Tebori tattooer MimiSama, currently based in San Francisco. All views expressed belong to her.
For people unfamiliar with Tebori, can you please share a bit about the technique itself and how you came to practice it?
Tebori means to ‘’hand carve’’ in Japanese. It’s a method of hand tattooing using a slender bamboo or metal tool with a group of needles attached to the tip. The tattoo is made by repeatedly and rhythmically working ink into the skin, using a gentle poking technique, depending on whether line, color or shading is being performed.
In my experience, it doesn’t hurt as much as a machine tattoo, but it takes longer. So it could feel more painful after some hours. It’s definitely worth the experience of getting one, though.
Your work involves using both a machine and hand carving. Why do you prefer to mix techniques?
As my personal experience, I prefer to line by machine, to keep clean work and be more detailed. Then I do the filling with Tebori, to bring colors out much brighter. Also, a line machine is better for my art inspired by Japanese pop culture. Manga, for example. has many fine lines. I can also use whip shading to bring different texture that cannot be done with Tebori.
But more importantly, I like the idea to work with tradition and modernity, as our art and society seems to always seek for one or another. Real art is timeless. Tattoo is a complementarity between machine and human, and I try to bring more human touch in the process.
Your newest flash has a lot of vibrant color and geometric pattern overlays. Are you wanting to shift your portfolio more in that direction?
My portfolio has always been infused by pattern. Years ago, I created the Mangala style, between mandala and manga. I had been interested in Tebori for a while. I had the chance to see sessions while I was in Japan and the Taiwan Tattoo convention and it stunned me.
I take time to process influences, to digest them, to understand how I can create from them. It became clear at some point that I would probably never leave my machine. The lifework I do is very demanding and the machine is the perfect tools for it. In my opinion, the machine is more precise, clean and that's how I want my lines. So I came up with this idea of complementarity between the use of the modern tool and the traditional techniques.
So I offer color in my tattoo flashes because it's done in hand carved techniques. The design is made to respect the particularities of each tool. But I really want to keep my style attached to my inspiration from the Japanese pop culture and folklore. It is my true passion, even outside of tattoo.
Most of your subject matter is inspired by manga, with clients wanting iconic moments and beloved characters. Do you ever get a chance to world-build something new and design your own characters?
Yes I do! In May of this year, I participated and won an award at the Empire State Tattoo Expo in New York with a tattoo I designed from the start. It is a piece inspired by the Japanese tale of the Jorōgumo, the spider woman. It's a classic Japanese monster from folklore, a yokai.
I also have many requests for custom pieces, related or not to manga. I created a style that I named Mangala, made of patterns and pop culture references. I love twisting the references, and bringing something more ornamental to it. But what I really like about the tattoo process is that you work hand-in-hand with your customer. You are here to translate on their skin their inspiration. So it makes every piece unique to build.
What is your own favorite manga at the moment?
Lately I am quite fond of Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura. It is about the Viking history and their discovery of the North American continent. The art is amazing, and it offers a great display of interesting and deep characters. It is considered a Seinen, a manga for young adults (up to 30 years old).
I also started to read Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku. We follow a group of ten death row convicts in the Edo period of Japan. They are sent to a mysterious island believed to be paradise, with their assigned executioners, to find a rumored elixir of immortality in exchange for a criminal pardon.
As someone raised in Europe, what attracts you to Japanese culture? And what was your experience like tattooing in Japan?
I was born in Portugal, but raised in France. The 90’s in France were a period when manga was making its debut on TV and in the bookstores with Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, Akira, … Gunnm (also called Battle Angel Alita in English) was really a manga that moved me as a kid, with its cyberpunk world! So, it was my first and will remain my most important contact with Japanese culture. Of course, I have interests in other aspects of their pop culture such as video games, movies, music, fashion, food. I am really happy to live in a city, San Francisco, with a very active Japanese community. We have so many shops, restaurants, events.
In 2019, I had the opportunity to work for a year in one of the best tattoo shops in Tokyo. My experience has been very rewarding. Tattooing manga pieces while living and working in Japan was an amazing feeling, for sure! My boss, Ichi Hatano, is truly a master of his art, and I felt a lot of pressure to work for him. Knowing that my work and technique has been praised by someone like him, has been a real source of confidence for the following steps of my career. For my craft and my inspiration, living, working, and tattooing in Tokyo ignited a fire that I still can feel today.
How does travel influence your work?
Since I closed my shop in 2015 in Paris, I worked in more than 15 countries (Australia, New Zealand, Caledonia, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Nepal, Portugal, France, Germany, Canada, USA, etc...) and probably visited twice as much, most of them with my husband and kids. Early in my career, I considered that the best way to learn as much as possible, to see many people from different backgrounds working. So I worked in Europe, Asia, Oceania and North America so far! Discussing with Japanese masters, learning Polynesian tribal tattoo, participating in many conventions all over the world from Nepal to Australia or Germany. I recommend to every young artist able to travel, to do so.
Of course, Japan is my favorite destination. I just love everything when I visit there. The food, the kindness of people, the entertainment, the art, the history, the architecture. But being today in north California is really a blessing. I now have two kids and the nature around us is amazing, the food is good and they can access so many things. My eldest is in a Japanese cultural and bilingual program in kindergarten. Where else on earth can a kid access that? It's so cool!
What are you looking forward to or excited about for your career?
I was very excited about my participation at the Empire State Tattoo Expo in New York this past May. For the first time, I really participated in a contest. I had a request for a full leg project by a customer of mine. So I designed it and tattooed it for the 3 days of the event to enter the contest. I won the 2nd best in Asian Influences. I still have some room for improvement, it's only the beginning!
About the future, I don't really know. I have been in San Francisco for one year and a half now (which is a long time for me), and I feel really great here. My family is happy, and I have great customers! But I'd like to see more of the US, so depending on my schedule and family life, I'd like to participate in more conventions or guests. It's always an occasion to discover new places and meet new people!