A tattoo artist in Nagoya was arrested today for tattooing a 15-year old boy. The boy provided a fake ID in the form of a health care certificate and the artist claims to have been unaware of the boy’s real age. The 45 year old tattoo artist is pleading innocent to violating a local ordinance which protects minors. If found guilty he could face time in jail.

The tattoo, which was two sessions deep, is the beginning of a traditional Japanese backpiece of a dragon and phoenix. Most tattoos are outlined with a machine and then shaded by hand-poking, also known as ‘tebori’. Since the tattoo only went two sessions I suspect the outline isn’t finished yet. But some tattoo artists work faster than others so it’s hard to determine the progress without knowing the artist’s normal pace and the boy’s tolerance for pain.

The boy, who is no stranger to the authorities, told the police he is a fan of yakuza movies. Police say the boy was arrested in January for stealing a car…and other charges. The police discovered the tattoo during routine questioning for an unrelated incident. The boy was being watched by police since his January arrest and he is a suspect in another case involving stolen merchandise.