Kanae started tattooing in 2002 as the apprentice for Makoto Hasegawa’s Hocus Pocus Studio (Shizuoka, Japan). After studying from great Japanese artists, Kanae found that she was naturally drawn to the area of traditional Japanese tattoos. Each design that she makes is rooted in the stories and traditions of this artform.
Since relocating to the UK in 2007, Kanae has worked at Camden’s Evil From the Needle, Mo Coppoletta’s The Family Business and then, opened her own studio, Nine Tails, in September 2011.
Ben
Ben started tattooing in 2012 having completed his apprenticeship in Covent Garden’s Extreme Needle. Ben has since tattooed in various countries around the world.
Having travelled and worked in Japan, Ben immersed himself in the craft of traditional Japanese tattooing and pursued this further before joining the team at Nine Tails.
Although traditional Japanese tattooing is Ben’s passion, over the years he has developed a strong portfolio which covers; hand-drawn script, black and grey realism, and neo-traditional styles.
Damien
Hailing from Philadelphia, Damien began his journey into tattooing in 2002 at A1 Tattoo in New Jersey. Relocating a few years later to New York City and working at the legendary Invisible NYC, he was able to further his passion for Japanese style tattooing.
Over the next decade and more, Damien would travel the States often, and spend extensive amounts of time in both Japan and Europe before finally settling in London in late 2019 and Joining the Nine Tails Tattoo team full time.
Constantly striving to outdo himself along with a tireless work ethic, he aims to make each tattoo better than the last. His love of Far Eastern folklore influence his tattooing heavily, as seen in his predominantly Japanese styled work.
Ant
Ant began tattooing in 2005 in Scotland; Working at Lab Monkey Tattoo in Stirling and Custom Inc in Glasgow. He was originally introduced to tattooing through skateboarding and punk and from there, his dedication to tattooing and the search for inspiration led Ant to London.
Confident and accomplished in most styles; Ant has crafted a strong, dynamic and energetic style and draws from Japanese iconography and motifs with a solid basis in western traditional tattooing and a nod to the punk scene that first introduced him to tattooing. Striving for a balance between beauty and power, Ant’s tattooing is an amalgamation of inspiration from various places, capturing the spirit that he feels connects them to tattooing.
Valerie
Coming from Reunion Island, Valerie joined Nine Tails Team as a receptionist in 2017. Inspired by the great resident tattooers and amazing guest artists, she started her apprenticeship under Kanae in 2018 and became resident tattooer at Nine Tails in 2022.
