First was Mayonaize, next up is Shige, soon it’ll be Carlos Torres - three world-renowned tattoo artists are giving the Indian Chief their own unique twist in a series of art-bike designs, alongside the Indian Motorcycle ‘win your dream tattoo’ competition.
Hailing from Yokohama, Japan, tattoo artist Shige has been refining his craft since the mid-nineties for over 24 years from his tattoo studio ‘Yellow Blaze’, giving traditional Japanese body art his own personal flair.
This Indian Chief has been given a stunning design dedicated to the Japanese Oni Demon with a storm of falling cherry blossoms. The renders are really eye-catching, when it’s made into reality it’ll be jaw-dropping.
Shige has a history with American motorcycles, working as a motorcycle mechanic by day and tattooing by night, fuelling a passion that has now been translated into a CGI render for the Indian Chief that’ll be brought to life on a real Chief later this year.
Custom Indian Motorcycle with stunning tattoo design from Shige
Speaking to Ola Stenegärd about the story of the design, Shige said:
“I picked the ‘Oni demon with storm of falling cherry blossoms’ design. My understanding of tattooing is different from what the majority thinks – who understand it mainly as decoration. The reason for the placement of an Oni-demon tattooed on the belly means you have Oni-demon in the center of the body and heart, this translates to the motorcycle fuel tank.
The Oni-demon stands for strong will and protection; Oni is a demon, but its meaning is not evil. It wards off bad luck and protects you from evil. Having Oni-demon tattooed on the belly shows one’s determination to live in this harsh world with a strong heart. The Japanese language is full of mystery, and it is believed that the stomach contains the entire human heart”
“A tattoo has to be beautiful as the body moves. The cherry blossoms have to be perfectly composed as they are there to balance the Oni-demon, together with the deep meaning of the flower. Cherry Blossoms means ‘the pathos of things’. This image of ‘a sensitivity to ephemera’ can also be related to the motorbike – or even one’s life.
That’s the reason why I chose this image. Showing the Indian Motorcycle Chief and the dramatic depth of life itself. It is not just about looks. I desire to put emotional drama into the design of this motorbike. And the Oni-demon does create this drama”
All three Indian Chief tattoo bikes will be revealed in Spring 2022 at a VIP event in London, with 40 more tattoo artists competing to have their own design made into steel & paint reality later this Autumn by public vote.
