Floating West: Antique Japanese Tattoo Flash
from the Collection of Nick York
Floating West is a gorgeous, full-scale reproduction of a rare early 20th-century Japanese tattoo flash book—faithfully presented in its entirety for the first time. Originally painted around 1900, this small handmade volume features dozens of extraordinary designs rendered on silk pages by an anonymous Japanese tattoo artist.
🐉 Inside are powerful, timeless images:
Writhing, bearded dragons • Elegant geishas • Eagles and snakes locked mid-air • Cranes in flight • A spider poised in its web
Within a decade of its creation, this enigmatic book found its way into the hands of an Arkansas farmer and amateur tattooer—despite his travels never extending beyond the South Central United States. How it arrived there remains a mystery, adding to the book’s singular place in tattoo history.
📖 Book Details:
• 64 pages
• Softcover
• 8” x 10”
• 0.65 lbs
• Tattoo history, rare photos, and flash imagery
• Artwork by various artists
• Written and curated by Nick York
Accompanied by a lushly illustrated essay exploring the book’s origins and strange journey west, Floating West bridges Japanese tattoo tradition and American tattoo history in a way few books ever have.
💥 Original Price: $40
🔥 Book of the Month Price: $25
