Junior

ジュニオール

Born in Apucarana, in the state of Paraná, Brazil, he had a peaceful childhood. He always had the support of his parents while growing up with his two older siblings. He would often see his older brother drawing during his teenage years, and his sister tattooing herself. Artistic influence has always been present in his life—his brother, father, uncles, and cousins were always involved in some form of art. Today, his older brother is no longer with us, but he was definitely one of his greatest inspirations.

He has enjoyed drawing since he was very young. He doesn’t remember exactly when it started, but by the age of six he was already trying to sketch. At 15 years old, in 2005, he moved to Japan, where he started working in factories. A year later, he came into contact with tattoo equipment and bought his first kit.

Since then, he has never stopped tattooing, learning year after year. He has had many hobbies throughout his life, but only tattooing and cars have remained. Perhaps because of the difficulties and challenges involved, his desire to keep going has stayed strong. A lot of his influence also came from his passion for cars—especially lowriders, a culture where tattooing plays a big role. That’s why his favorite style is black and grey/Chicano.

He has been tattooing for 19 years now and has worked in several studios along the way. One of them was Boobies in Nagoya, where he met Yoshi around 2016. Yoshi became a great friend, and a few years later they started working together at Sacred Cartel in Okinawa—in 2024, to be exact—the same studio where he is today, surrounded by a team that feels like family.

For him, tattooing is a way to express himself and show who he truly is. It’s not just a profession—it’s his escape, and his way of life. Through his art, he hopes to share stories, identities, and a little piece of who he is with everyone who sits in his chair.

Some of Juniors lattest work