As Featured On
VICE TV
VICE traveled to San Jose's Japantown to document the world of Japanese tattooing in America — and found its center at State of Grace. The film follows founder Taki Kitamura and master tattoer Horitomo, tracing the lineage, philosophy, and quiet perseverance behind the work.
The Shop
Rooted in Japantown
since 2002
State of Grace opened in 2002 with a single mandate from Taki's master in Japan: build a shop dedicated to Japanese tattooing. Over two decades, it has grown into something larger — a collective of artists working across Japanese, Polynesian, black & gray, and traditional American styles, all under one roof in the heart of San Jose's Japantown.
The shop doesn't advertise. Clients find it by seeking it out. That intentionality runs through everything — from the open, communal layout to the conversations that happen between sessions. Getting tattooed here isn't a transaction. It's a relationship.
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