British SAS & US Marines Vs. Taliban

I recently sent out a member survey and one of the things you said you wanted to see more of was footage from Afghanistan & IRAQ. Funker530 just uploaded a new video of British SAS & US Marines involved in a fire fight with Taliban from 2011.

This video is not something you're going to see on the news and puts you right into the action with our soldiers on the frontlines of Afghanistan. If you like it please click the "Like" button, add it to your favorites and share on your Facebook & Twitter.

Funker also has early video access for people that join his Facebook Page.

Follow @FUNKER530

2011 Biker Build Off Europe, December in Germany

The International Custombike Championships, December 2 to 4, 2011 in Bad Salzuflen, Germany will spotlight 500 radical custom bikes, the Biker Build Off Europe with live customizing, as well as Wall of Death thrill shows, tattoo and piercing contests, and miss custom bike contest.

One drop of water in the ocean

In March 2009 I joined Twitter after many years of running Support Our Troops efforts on Facebook someone had sent me a YouTube link of the cast of “Red Eye” on Fox News making fun of Canadian soldiers after it was announced that in 2001 our Combat mission would be ending. I had received messages about this from families of fallen soldiers as this happened on the day when we had lost soldiers in Afghanistan .

I found the guys from the show and posted on my blog about what they had said and they made their “Forced” public apologies on air.

I started to search around twitter and found there was a huge military community on there and met some amazing people doing amazing things such as @OpGratitude, @HeroFund and others. Searching hashtags such as #RedFriday #SOT and #MilitaryMon I decided to stick around on there.

I never really paid attention to “Trending Topics” on Twitter as they are usually about games, celebrities and things that don’t really interest me however today on October 29^th, 2011 I heard the news that thirteen soldiers had been killed in Afghanistan one of which was Canadian. Instantly my heart came up in my throat as I have a lot of very close friends serving in Afghanistan at the moment and my heart was racing as I was waiting to hear the name specifically of the Canadian Soldier who had been killed.

I then logged in to Twitter and had a look at the Trending Topics list and although I am not going to repost what they were I posted the following :

13 soldiers were killed in Afghanistan today & all trending topics are about pop stars & idols - my heroes wear camo #Thankasoldier

I then noticed a lot of people began to share this and send out the post as a tribute to the thirteen soldiers that had been killed and I started to see my Twitter light up with replies and people sending along their condolences from all over the world.

About a hour later the name of the Canadian soldier was released MCpl Byron Greff from the PPCLI so I posted a photo of him and send out a condolence to his friends and family.

I noticed the retweets of this started to fly in which took me off guard as this was our 158^th soldier killed in Afghanistan and every one since I joined twitter I would send out a memorial tweet in their name but had never seen anything like this.

You see, I’ve noticed a lot of trends on twitter and mostly its “lets see if we can get this trending” kind of things or a celebrity will post a funny word and within a hour its on that list, well tonight not only for MCpl Greff but for all our fallen from all countries of the coalition in Afghanistan a difference was made.

Yesterday a friend of mine in the US ARMY posted on my Facebook wall calling me a battle buddy and said “Dave I don't know if you know this but U.S. Army soldiers always have a battle buddy someone that always stands by your side no matter what. We call them "BATTLE BUDDIES". Your every soldiers Battle Buddy. Thank You for what you do.”

These words will stick with me forever and although I may not be able to physically go to battle with our men and women in uniform I will always stand along side of them. Thank You to everyone that reposted this tonight my faith in Twitter was restored and will continue to Support Our Troops no matter what.

Although sometimes you might feel like one drop of water in the ocean you never know how one post or tweet can affect or reach people all over the world.

Thank You

The Brave Ones

This poem was written by Dallas Loeffler the thirteen year old son of a soldiers wife. He wrote the poem for Remembrance Day at his school and with the news of thirteen NATO soldiers being killed today in Afghanistan I thought it would be appropriate to share with everyone.

Thank You Dallas for this amazing tribute.

The ones who fight for us.

To have this life that we have

I thank you. No, we all thank you.

For protecting and helping us

Going to school and having a family

And no having our lives be wasted.

We give you all the thanks, gratitude

And hope we can provide.

But sometimes we get a lovely body filled

With generosity lying there in Flanders Field.

We thank you in all your hard work and bravery

To go out there and protect our country as well as you can.

Thank you for your hard work.

Jody Mitic Inspiring Others

So recently I posted a blog called "Who Inspires You" for The Ellen show to which the response to has been amazing. I received an email from a Veteran who wanted to share his story anonymously about how Jody Mitic has inspired him.

Re: Jody Mitic

I was involved in a motor vehicle collision in 1999. I was diagnosed as having suffered a mild traumatic brain injury and mild traumatic brain stem injury, along with other physical problems. Unknown to me at the time, I gradually found that all the mental resources I had unconsciously accessed over the years to combat what was later diagnosed as PTSD (mildly started with my military service but had become full-blown during 17 years of serving as a Police Officer) were no longer available to me.

Years of several different prescription medications helped keep everything on a somewhat even keel until I began to suffer adverse physical symptoms from the continued use of the medications. Those symptoms departed after I stopped the medications on my own accord. When the mental problems increased, counseling helped with making me understand what PTSD is, along with all the other buzz words for conditions that accompany the problem and gave me new mental resources to combat all the demons.

However, over the past few years, those symptoms have increased to the point where it has become virtually unbearable to live with. Suicidal thoughts are a constant invasion of my sanity. By following what Jody Mitic is accomplishing after his severe physical disability brought on by his service to this country, I am able to control most of the emotional problems, particularly the suicidal thoughts. I draw upon Jody's strength, courage and resolve to continue to excel and succeed physically and attempt to apply those same attributes to my daily life. If it were not for his example, I wonder if I would still be here today let alone being as active as I am.

Follow @Thankasoldier

Follow @JodyMitic

New Movie at the Horimatsu Irezumi Family Youtube channel.

In order to view more of Micael Norbergs work please visit www.micaelnorberg.com.

The Thank A Soldier Member Survey

On December 8th 2011 "Thank A Soldier" Facebook will turn three years old and currently has 4,174,808 members which is amazing and I thank you all for being a part of it. Thank A Soldier Facebook is the largest military group in existence and has also won a Mashable Award for best of social media.

You will find the link to the survey below but I wanted to share with you some quick facts:

Thank A Soldier Members 4,174,808

YouTube Video Views : 271,416

Thank A Soldier Montly views : 150,000

Number of letters sent to soldiers as Pen Pals : over 8000

Countries represented on TAS Monthly traffic page : 47

Those are some pretty amazing numbers and please if you have any suggestions feel free to click the comment link below or email INFO@THANKAOLDIER.Net

Thank You

Follow @Thankasoldier

Please also check out our current Projects:

The Ellen Show - Who Inspires you

Just Say Thanks

Rare Combat Footage From Afghanistan

Sentinel

After a long break from the digital paintbrush I finally set aside an hour or two for a sketch in Photoshop. Hope to do it again one day!

Monju, Shishi and Kirin

This is the second Monju Bosatsu I did in jsut seven days. Such a coincidence that two clients, not related or aquainted, and both of asian decent, would pick this design within such a short space of time.
Kevin came up from Gothenburg to have this done in consecutive days. With this piece, and as my client wished so, I opted for a style more resembling buddhist esoteric paintings. Of course the concept went once or twice through my Irezumi heart. This is what we ended up with. Very happy with this.

I must point out the irregularity in myself deviating from my usual Irezumi style. This is something I will only try for Buddhist or perhaps Shinto content.

Marco "Sic" Simoncelli Killed in MotoGP Crash

MotoGP has lost a star: Marco Simoncelli

Friends all over the world are morning the death of Italian Superbike racer Marco Simoncelli, who died in a crash Sunday in the first lap of the MotoGP race in Sepang, Malaysian.

The 24-year-old Honda rider, affectionately known as "Sic" lost control and veered across the track into the path of riders Colin Edwards and Simoncelli's compatriot Valentino Rossi. His helmet was knocked off in the collision that left him face-down and motionless on the asphalt track.

The race at Sepang International Circuit was immediately red-flagged and later cancelled.

Marco died of head, neck and chest injuries, and cardiac arrest at 4:56pm, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011. With only one remaining race in Spain left in the MotoGP Championship, he was in fierce competition for the top position with Casey Stoner, who is now the undisputed 2011 world champion.

Ironically, his career ended at the same track that was the scene of his 250cc world championship victory in 2008.

American Honda team racer, Colin Edwards reportedly suffered a separated shoulder as a result of the crash, when he fell on the track Sunday. Rossi, who rides for Ducati, made only brief contact with the bikes on the track. He was uninjured but emotionally devastated by the loss. 

"Sic for me was like a youngest brother. So strong on track and so sweet in the normal life. I will miss him a lot," - Valentino Rossi said in the early hours of Monday morning, Malaysian time via his official Twitter account @ValeYellow46.

The last fatal crash in the world motorcycling championship was last year when Japan's Shoya Tomizawa was killed. MotoGP is the world´s premier motorcycling championship, with a season of 18 Grands Prix in 13 countries bringing together the world´s top motorcycle manufacturers.

Ryu in the Works (by Horimatsu)

A full Irezumi backpiece depicting a Ryu (dragon) that I am creating. It features some cover up elements and that's usually tricky but never difficult really. I have found hiding (actually I am not to found of the term "cover up") has more to do with being creative rather than actually blasting old work over.

As usual, I am working from a partial stencil (the xalligraphy on the skull in the Ryu's claws required this) and then I draw the rest on the skin with markers. Hopefully we'll get some more sessions in on this one soon.

Meet London Tattoo Artist Kamil Terczynski

Meet Kamil Terczynski of Kamil Tattoo in London UK,
who designed this full back as well as this snake tat.

"I did my apprenceship with Robert Lypik in Krakow, and after a year moved to London and started working at Evil from the needle. I stayed there for 4 years and then went on to open Kamil Tattoos."












The studio is located at Unit 208A, Belgravia Workshops, 159-163 Marlborough Road, London, N19 4NF. You can reach Kamil via email: mocet666@gmail.com .

Or visit his website: KamilTattoos.com.

Episode 2: Madako

A new episode from the Horimatsu Irezumi Family's YouTube channel. This time featuring Madako at work. Enjoy!

The most inspirational person I know - MCpl Jody Mitic

As I embark on my new mission to get health I want to share with you the story of the most inspirational person I know, MCpl Jody Mitic - A member of The Canadian Forces who is a TRUE HERO and more of an inspiration to me than I could ever attempt to put in to words but I shall try.

"I realized I must have stepped on something. I freaked out ... I was screaming at the top of my lungs. I was calling (for the others) but they were already working on me to stop the bleeding." Sweating due to shock, he started to shiver. Despite the bone sticking out of his left leg, he kept talking to his guys to keep his mind off the injuries. "My job was to let them help me, stay focused, to control my breathing."

One of the medics who assisted in nursing Jody back to health is his now girlfriend Allanah and they also have a child together. Jody also does work with the Soldier On program and is one of the most inspiring people I know.

In 1994 I was involved in a mugging and attacked by three guys in Ottawa, Ontario and stabbed 13 times. Two of these wounds cut the muscle in my leg and if it wasn't for two off duty fire fighters who jumped out of their car when they saw me lying on the sidewalk I would have lost my left leg. To this day I still have no nerves in my upper left leg and for years I used it as an excuse to be lazy. Watching a YouTube video about how Jody Mitic was to run a half marathon on prosthetic legs was the kick in the ass I needed to get me going.

You see for years If I walked over 1km I would have severe leg cramps, If I went to the movies I'd have to get up and walk around to not have pains in my leg. That was until I read about Jody.

Two years ago in June, I did the Loops for troops 5km walk and had no pains at all, as I was feeling tired during the walk I thought about Jody and it kept me going. This past June I cut 20 minutes off my time and now walk 5km a day with no problem or pain.

I have said this many times before but THANK YOU JODY as without your inspiration to get going I am not sure what I would be doing right now and I will make you proud!

You can read more about our new project on the Original Post HERE and click below to join our Facebook page

Follow mine & Chris`s mission on FACEBOOK

Canadian country singer talks about her trip to Afghanistan

My dream of performing for our Troops began many years ago. Being born in a military town (Gander, NL), it was instilled in me as a child to always appreciate those who are in the Canadian Forces and as a proud Canadian, I give thanks to those people everyday in my prayers.

I had been constantly asking my label to send me overseas so that I could at least say thank you to those men and women that sacrifice so much for our beautiful country. This dream came true Oct 6, 2011 as we left Canada and flew to Kandahar, Afghanistan.

We stayed in KAF and were given many tours around the base. We shot guns, we shook hands and we made friends.

Every night, I found myself in bed sleepless, thinking of the many battles and hardships that my new friends had gone through and still are going through. Being face to face with death, having lost friends and loved ones and many that will never be able to have the memories of death & fear leave their minds. I would lay there and ask myself, "why am I so lucky?" Answer = Our Soldiers.

I visited a place called Role 3, which is a state of the art hospital located on the base. There we saw injured soldiers and Afghan children. I wanted to crawl in the corner and cry myself into another world. My life was forever changed from that moment. We as Canadians sometimes complain about the stupidest shit. Our food doesn't come out perfectly at a restaurant, the weather is too hot or too cold, being stuck in traffic..blah blah blah.

We are spoiled. When something isn't going right during your day, think about the soldier who is face to face with gunfire. The Soldier who had to leave his new born baby and wife to fight for you to live so free in Canada and the Soldier who didn't come home because he was a target of the Taliban.

My favourite saying is "If you don't stand behind our Troops, try standing in front of them". Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the courageous & brave men and women of the Canadian Military who give their all for us. We are so blessed to be Canadian. God Bless you & your families.

Tara Oram Gander, NL

For more information about Tara you can visit here her Facebook page "Tara Oram - The Music and Me" and TaraOram.com

Monju Bosatsu and Shishi (by Horimatsu)

Thomas chose an image of Monju Bosatsu seated on a Shishi. The tattoo was completed within a week in three sessions. Thomas arm is quite wide and I am shure I could have filled my own thigh with this design. Monju Bosatsu is quite uncommon as a tattoo here in the west, and I thought I never would get this request. Funny enough, I ended up doing another Monju Bosatsu the following week. Images of that coming soon. This Irezumi piece was created entirely with the use of rotary machines, which have been my favored tool for some time now.
I nevertheless feel the urge for getting back to working with the tebori (traditional hand tattooing tool) and will do so in the near future,

B&Bs Open Their Doors to Veterans on Nov 10 in a Large Scale Effort to Thank the Troops

Thousands of active military and veterans will awake refreshed on Veteran’s Day to a gourmet breakfast at B&BS in the U.S. and Canada

Inns and B&Bs throughout the U.S. and Canada will honor active military and veterans by opening their doors with complimentary stays on November 10, 2011, in observance of Veteran’s Day. To date more than 450 inns and B&Bs have signed up to participate in the B&Bs for Vets program in the U.S. with an additional 210 offers from Canadian innkeepers, and more are being added each day. Organizers expect to surpass the 900 participating inns that joined in the program in 2010, expecting innkeepers to offer free stays to thousands of vets on the eve of Veteran’s Day so they can awake refreshed on 11-11-11 for a gourmet breakfast and Veteran’s Day events. For a complete list of participating inns and B&Bs, visitwww.bnbsforvets.org for participating inns in the United States and www.bbcanada.com/bbforvets for a list of participating Canadian B&Bs.

“I can’t think of anything more important than honoring veterans with a complimentary stay, “ told Teresa Jacobson, co-owner of Azalea Inn in Savannah, GA to WTOC in an interview last year.

“The B&Bs for Vets program is such a great way to honor not only the military, but their wives and families as well. My wife served too; supporting me while on multiple deployments,” told Michael Dawson, Army Chaplin to Amy Dolan, innkeeper at Inn Above Onion Creek in Austin, TX.

The B&Bs for Vets program started in 2008 when Kathleen Panek, co-owner of the Gillum House and a handful of other innkeepers in West Virginia opened their doors to veterans in honor of Veteran’s Day. This year, the Professional Association of Innkeepers International will coordinate the B&Bs for Vets program in conjunction with BBCanada.com to thank veterans and introduce them to today’s B&B experience.

Veterans interested in reserving a room on November 10 are asked to contact the inn/B&B where they wish to stay. Proof of military service will be requested, and all policies of the inn will be enforced for free stays. To see a complete list of participating inns and B&Bs in the U.S. and Canada, visitwww.bnbsforvets.org or www.bbcanada.com/bbforvets While some have already filled, new inns and B&Bs are being added daily. An easy sort offers by state or province makes finding the right place to stay easy.

READ MORE STORIES AT UBIQUITOUS ONLINE MAGAZINE

Bike Builder Joe Palermo Wins Big At Biketoberfest 2011

Tweet This!

Florida bike builder Joe Palermo's newest custom bike, "Rocket Ship" is making a clean sweep of bike shows. Congrats on "Best of Show" wins at the  Biketoberfest 2011 Boardwalk Show and Rat's Hole Show, this weekend in Daytona Beach.

"Rocket Ship" is Joe Palermo's streamlined tribute to BMX bikes. A 3.5 gallon gas tank is tucked away under the seat. An electric pump moves gasoline through the arched double rail frame. Oil is fed to the 120” Merch Engine via the down tubes of the frame. The bike has a modified Harley Springer front end and 21" wheels. Details: World Class Customs.

Earlier this year, Rocket Ship took 1st place at the Daytona Bike Week Boardwalk Show and 1st place radical at DeLand Bike Rally, along with 2nd place over 1000cc radical in the Daytona Bike Week Rat's Hole Show.

Here's a list of trophy winners at the 21st Annual Boardwalk Classic Bike Show
Friday, Oct. 13, 2011 at the boardwalk in Daytona Beach.

Best of Show:  Joe Palermo, Edgewater, FL; 2009 Custom "Rocket Bike"
The Judge's Trophy went to Will Robertson, St. Petersburg, Florida for his 2001 Yamaha Custom "Star of the Orient"

First Place Winners:
People's Choice:  T.D. Ward, Chesterfield, MO;  2012 Rods & Rides Custom
Special Custom:  Tony Chrome, Canton, MI;  2003 Harley Davidson FLHTI
Evo/V-Twin:  Pam Miller, FL;  2005 Ridley Autoglide (the pink bike)
Radical Evo:  Shane Phillips, Pataskala, OH;  2011 Custom Bagger
Radical Softail:  Enno Gogolin, Alpharetta, GA;  2005 Daytec Chopper
Shovelhead:  Shawn Hart, Altoona, PA;  2011 Custom/' 73 H-D
Panhead:  Scott Fox, Shelbyville, IN;  Capone's 2011 Bobber
Sportster:  Mel Moore, Webster, FL;  H-D Sporty
Radical Sportster:  Beth Roberts, Highmore, SD;  '93 Sportster
Dresser:  James Bradwell, Sanford, FL;  2001 Roadglide
Paint:  Will Robertson, St. Petersburg, FL;  2001 Yamaha Custom
Sport Bike:  Stan Nitkowski, Boynton Beach, FL;  '95 Sporty
Vintage:  Shawn Hart, Altoona, PA;  '73 H-D
Chopper:  Kim Brandell, Key Largo, FL;  Custom Trike
Trike:  Roy Maxwell, Daytona Beach, FL;  '10 Gateway Custom
Metric:  Lee Cara, Brandon, FL;  2001 Yamaha Road Star
Radical Metric:  JBA Custom Cycles, Cape Coral, FL;  '09 Hayabusa
Rat:  Larry Mason, Yulee, FL;  '94 Sportster H-D

Second Place Winners:
People's Choice:  T.D. Ward, Chesterfield, MO;  2012 Rods & Rides  (different bike)
Special Custom:  John Shipley, Bloomfield, IN;  2011 Custom Bobber
Evo/V-Twin:  Michael Sweeney, Edgewater, FL;  '06 Streetglide
Radical Evo:  Cory Edwards, Oak Hill, OH;  1985 Harley Davidson
Radical Softail:  Bill Gastovich, Port Orange, FL;  '06 Rucker Predator
Shovelhead:  Donald Laird, Pt. St. Lucie, FL;  2011 Shovelhead
Panhead:  David Machesny, Pompano, FL;  '52 H-D
Sportster:  Karen Robey, Daytona Beach, FL;  '97 Sporty
Radical Sportster:  Bernie "The Warrior" Tatro, Edgewater, FL;  '74 Sporty
Dresser:  Bad Dad Adam Robinson, Ft. Wayne, IN;  '07 Harley
Paint:  Jeri Exner, Clearwater, FL;  '07 Custom
Vintage:  Jason Grimes, Windham, ME;  '82 Sporty Custom
Chopper:  Enno Gogolin, Alpharetta, GA;  '05 Daytec Chopper
Trike:  Leona Jones, Ocala, FL;  '04 Suzuki
Metric:  Jim Harvey, Summefield, FL;  '07 Honda Trike
Radical Metric:  Will Robertson, St. Pete, FL;  '01 Yamaha

Third Place Winners:
People's Choice:  Sandy O'Connell, Deland, FL;  '97 Softail
Special Custom:  Tom Winter, Dyersburg, TN;  '02 Boss Hoss
Evo/V-Twin:  Tinker, Arcadia, FL;  '97 Electraglide Classic
Radical Evo:  Carol George, McKeesport, PA;  '07 Ironhead
Radical Softail:  Mario Masse, Quebec, Quebec;  '89 Softail
Sportster:  John Shipley, Bloomfield, IN;  '08 Custom Bobber
Dresser:  Bad Dad Jacob Hinsey, Fort Wayne, IN;  '03 Road King
Paint:  Jeri Exner, Clearwater, FL;  '06 Custom Chopper
Vintage:  Rex Fox, Williamsburg, OH;  '59 Cushman Super Eagle
Chopper:  Streamline Design, Stuart, FL;  2012 Streamline Design
Trike:  Jim Harvey, Summerfield, FL;  2007 Honda Trike
Metric:  Moe Roberts, Tampa, FL;  1969 Honda CB750

Sponsored by Full Throttle Magazine, Pepsi-Cola, and the Daytona Beach Boardwalk Merchants - Trophies sponsored by the Vasilaros Law Firm
Promotors:  Dino Paspalakis and Bill Chaffin
Emcee:  Bill Chaffin
Trophy Girl:  "Crystal", Bloomfield, IN
Special Thanks to the judging team from Springfield, VA

New! the Horimatsu Irezumi Family Youtube channel. Enjoy!

Peony and Butterflies (Madako)

Madako (Ingela Sedholm) working on Jenny at outdoor cultural expo in Umeå May 2011

Kirin, Shishi, Masks and Botan (Horimatsu)

These sleeves were completed just at the start of summer. Hopefully Alexander will return in order to start on his back soon so that he may become a completed whole.

Thankasoldier.net is very happy to announce a new project called "Just Say Thanks"

I was approached online a few weeks ago by someone that was wondering what they could do more on Remembrance Day to say thank you to veterans and soldiers. One thing I've also seen in the past five years of running this website is that sometimes people want to say thank you but aren't sure how to or just not that comfortable with the situation.

That being said we are launching "Just Say Thanks" a series of cards online (FREE of charge) that can be printed off and given out to veterans and soldiers all year round. You can also save the files to your computer and email if you have friends or loved ones serving overseas.

Our only request is that if you do that please include the link to this blog Tasmonthly.blogspot.com so that people can share their stories via the comments section and see how many are sent.

We are encouraging people to print these off and if you're at a Remembrance Day Ceremony or Veterans Day in the States put one in an envelope and hand it to a soldier or veteran when you see them in public.

To Print the cards:

Step 1 : Click on the below photos

Step 2: right click and select Save Image As.... (Save the file to your desktop)

Step 3 : Open the file on your computer and print it

Step 4: Write a Message on the back and please include "Tasmonthly.blogspot.com" at the bottom

"Remembrance Day (Canada) & Veterans Day Card (USA) Card"

- Thanks to S. Blanch for designing the card you can see more of her work here

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"Thank A Soldier - Year round card" with space to write a note

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If you have a design that you would like to create and have featured on our webpage you can send to SUBMISSIONS@Thankasoldier.net

Hannya, Koi and Botan (Horimatsu)

Taira Tomomori completed (Horimatsu)

This is a piece that I finnished in the beginning of summer but for various reasons I haven't gotten around to posting it here yet. This piece required a lot of work because of all the detail, but was nevertheless completed within a single month. Ludwig was determined to have it done as fast as possible, so we aimed for long sessions, sometimes two days in a row.

The story of Taira Tomomori is an itriguing one, and a favourite theme for myself as well as the Ukiyo-e designers of Edo period (1600-1868) Japan. The image of general Tomomori himself is adapted from an early Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861). I have posted an image of here below.

Print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Phoenix Coyotes Goalie pays tribute to fallen hero

Phoenix Coyotes’ goaltender Jason LaBarbera chose to pay homage to stalwart Pat Tillman with his 2011-2012 goalie mask.



LaBarbera wanted a mask that honored both the U.S. and Canadian Armed Forces serving overseas. More specifically, he wanted one side of the mask to honor the late Pat Tillman; the defensive back for theArizona Cardinals who left the NFL to enlist in the U.S. Army with his brother after 9/11, and who was killed by friendly fire on April 22, 2004 in Afghanistan.



"With all circumstances leading up to the passing of Pat Tillman aside, I felt that he put a face to the everyday soldier," said Arrigo.


The mask depicts Tillman and his brother in military gear, along with an image of Pat Tillman as a member of the Cardinals, who like LaBarbera's Coyotes play in Glendale.










The opposite side of the mask features a single, faceless solider with helicopters above his head. Throughout the mask is a red-and-sand-colored camouflage that matches the Coyotes' team colors.

Part of the design: Multiples stars and maple leafs that serve as a tribute to "both Canadian and American forces serving in their respective theaters," said Arrigo.

On the front of the mask is a yellow ribbon, an acknowledgement that those serving overseas are in the thoughts of those back home.Arrigo said the mask was a perfect way to honor Tillman and the rest of the men and women still serving around the world.

"Personally, whether or not you agree with the actions overseas, I feel we need to support, to no end, our brave forces," he said.

For information about the Pat Tillman Foundation, visit its official site. Visit Arrigo on Facebook for more goalie designs.

Kintaro - not quite completed (Horimatsu)

This piece is in fact finnished, but I have not photographed it properly yet. Here some of the colours are still missing. I was really fun and interesting to work with a Kintaro design that did not depict him in water wrestling the koi. There are so much more to choose from when it comes to Kintaro designs. All one has to do is do proper research into Ukiyo-e.

I can not stress this enough - if you want to be able to create proper Irezumi there is no way you can get around studying. This means reading book upon book on japanese culture and history, until the lines of evidence converge in such a way that you can be shure of what you are doing in your Irezumi.

Irezumi demands total dedication. Always keep that in mind. For the westerner that do not have the opportunity to learn from a Japanese master, all that remains is study, study, study. And to never give up, of course.