Shisei: The Tattooer (2006)

Directed by Hisayasu Satō

Seizou, a tattoo artist, dreams of creating lasting works of art that exist long after he passes. One day, he sees the perfect canvas: the unblemished back of a female grad student. A genius in color theory, the young woman studies and experiments with block printing. Seizou kidnaps her, holding her captive in order to carve his artwork into her skin. But the allure of her prints and his enchanting ink-work slowly transform her. She begins to long for his touch. Wanting to surpass the work of his father, Seizou imprints the image of an ancient Japanese princess on her bare skin. But as the tattoo transforms their relationship, their dynamic is reversed, and they become intertwined in an shared destiny.