Beyond ink: Tokyo tattoo artist goes digital due to pandemic, selling his designs as NFTs

'It's great for artists to have a new market, it opens a lot of possibilities, ' says Japanese tattoo artist Ichi Hatano, who is selling his designs as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), virtual objects that have taken the art world by storm. Photo: AFP

Tokyo tattoo artist Ichi Hatano's usual business has dwindled during the pandemic, but now he's keen to mine a new stream of income at Japan's first crypto art exhibition.

Hatano's ink featuring Japanese folk creatures was especially popular with foreign visitors until Japan closed its borders to tourists due to Covid-19. Hatano has now gone digital, selling his designs as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), virtual objects that have taken the art world by storm.