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Tokyo Hiro / Courtesy Sapporo
2024 is the “Year of the Dragon” and Sapporo USA is celebrating with a special artist collaboration six-pack, featuring the art by Tokyo Hiro, a legend in the tattoo world.
Hiro is a tattoo phenomenon who has designed album covers, merch and more for professional athletes, bands and brands like Bad Religion, The Offspring, Mötley Crüe, Motörhead, Fender, Adidas, Hurley and others.
Sapporo and Tokyo Hiro are joined by their Japanese heritage, passion for artistry and pioneering spirits. In fact, Hiro’s story mirrors that of Sapporo’s first Brewmaster, Seibei Nakagawa, who left Japan at the age of 17 at a time when leaving was strictly forbidden. He learned the craft of brewing in Germany and went on to become Japan’s first German-trained brewmaster.
Hiro’s journey is similar. He was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan and began spending time in the US in high school. He walked away from his prospects as a professional baseball player for his infatuation with American culture, punk rock, metal and tattoo artistry.
Courtesy Sapporo
Hiro’s “Year of the Dragon” artwork features two dragons flowing around the package and the Sapporo can. The open mouth on one dragon wards off evil spirits while the closed mouth of the other keeps good spirits in. The two together are representative of the end and beginning of the New Year. Red accents harken good luck, as is traditional in Japan this time of year.
“When I was learning to tattoo under Bob Roberts of Spotlight Tattoo, he would always tell me, ‘east meets west, that’s your style,’ explained Hiro. “I feel so lucky to work with Sapporo on this project because we both understand what this means. Sapporo adopted German brewing in Japan in the same way I’ve combined my Japanese and U.S. experiences.”
A limited quantity of signed and numbered Tokyo Hiro artist screen prints will be available via a text-to-win sweepstakes in early 2024. The 18”x24” prints feature Hiro’s Sapporo Premium dragon wrapping around the iconic Sapporo bottle in celebration of the collaboration.
Sapporo is the oldest beer of Japan and the number one selling Japanese beer in the US. And a limited quantity of signed and numbered Tokyo Hiro artist screen prints will be available via a text-to-win sweepstakes in early 2024.
The 18”x24” prints feature Hiro’s Sapporo Premium dragon wrapping around the iconic Sapporo bottle in celebration of the collaboration.
