Born in 1979 in Saitama, Japan, he left a certain domestic brand in 2020. After that, he launched a cult club "NISHIMOTO IS THE MOUTH" and mainly produces and sells goods.
I collected stamps quite a bit up until about high school .
. Today, I would like to talk about Mr. Nishimoto's birth to the present , and about "NISHIMOTO IS THE MOUTH".
Nishimoto:I was born and raised in Saitama, Japan, and got my first tattoo when I was 14 , and that's when things started to go a little off. I was doing things that I can't talk about here. I was enrolled in high school, but I didn't go to school much.
Where in Saitama Prefecture are you located?
Nishimoto:Nishi-Kawaguchi. There were a lot of bad people there , and it was pretty rough.
What did you do for fun in elementary school?
Nishimoto:. I was super into stamp collecting (laughs). I used to wear gloves and remove them neatly with tweezers so as not to get fingerprints on them. I would exchange them with my friends. I have a habit of collecting, and it definitely started back then. I collected Bikkuriman stickers and Zoids. I bought a lot of toys.
My mother, who has since passed away, loved horror movies so much that she forced me to watch them. She forced me to watch them. I was also influenced by that.
. Once upon a time, I saw some grotesque images on your Instagram.
Nishimoto:In the past, I used to lock up my site and do whatever I wanted, but there is a lot of criticism nowadays. I don't upload my work because I don't want to be bothered with that, but even now I would like to do something like that.
What did you do after you graduated from high school?
Nishimoto:. I went to a clothing college. . But all I did was go to TSUTAYA and watch movies. I was able to advance to the second grade, but I quit halfway through.
After that, I kept working part-time. I was working at a boutique, and at the time, I liked "Supreme" so much that I wore the whole outfit to the store. But the manager noticed me and I quit. After that, I continued working in the apparel industry, but I was fired because of my bad behavior... (wry smile).
Did you like fashion?
Nishimoto:. I liked it. . but when I actually started working, there was a gap between the ideal and the reality. I still like music, and I love hardcore music such as STRUGGLE FOR PRIDE, Abraham Cross, Electrohumangel, etc. I also like DJs such as DJ Nobu and CMT. I also like DJs such as DJ Nobu and CMT, and I just go to the scene and play. LOS APSON?" in Koenji was also a big influence. Keiji Yamabe introduced me to a lot of music, and I bought Masaya Nakahara's mix CDs.
It is the music of the deepest part of Japan.
Nishimoto:Yes, I used to go to chaotic events like RAW LIFE, Chaos Park, FLOWER OF LIFE in Osaka, etc. . There were a lot of strange people there. I didn't meet them at the time, but it seems that Joji Nakamura, who is now supporting our brand with us, was also at such events. I think the music scene back then was very interesting.
Also, there was a record shop called "Electroviolence," which really influenced Nishijima-san. I especially like breakcore and speedcore, and it was a store that sold only those kinds of records. Nishijima-san is now running a curry shop somewhere in Japan.
So, music was your spiritual center.
Nishimoto:And women (laughs). I watched pornographic films in the early grades of elementary school, and thinking back on it now, I think that is how I got awakened to the world of pornography. That got me interested in the underground world, and I started to think that the major stuff was lame.
However, I continued to collect stamps until I was in high school. My parents lived next door to a post office, and when they released commemorative sheets and such, they would reserve them all for me. There were probably some very rare ones.
The engraver also stopped me a couple of times for face tattoos .
. You are also known to have worked as a staff member of "VISVIM", aren't you?
Nishimoto:I joined the company when I was 25 years old . From there I started working diligently. I was taking sales quite well, selling about 200 million yen a year. Individual sales.
Did you enjoy your job?
Nishimoto:It wasn't fun, but I think it was thanks to my previous job that I was able to meet many people. I was able to be friends with people such as Skeesin and Keita Ishiguro of "ILLDOZER" . . I went to parties with them and had fun with them.
When you were working at "VISVIM," did you start getting more tattoos?
Nishimoto:I put it in for the first time when I was 14, and that was also out of curiosity, "How much does it hurt?" I just didn't know where to put it in. But I didn't know where to get it done. I went to a store in Harajuku and had it done. I went to a shop in Harajuku and had it done, and I thought, "I can bear this much pain.
. but I didn't have any money, so the number increased when I was working at " VISVIM". I met an engraver named Yasu-san, who was based in Sendai at the time, and there was a 2- to 3-year wait for an appointment. But when he came to Tokyo on a business trip, I was lucky enough to get in. As a result, I have been based in a hotel in Shinjuku for about 15 years now, and the number of my customers has been increasing rapidly.
There's nowhere else to put it, is there?
Nishimoto:. about the soles of my feet and my penis. . and the top of my head and the front of my head. . I'm 42 now, and I'm supposed to finish when I'm 50 or so, but I didn't get it done this year. I'm 42 now, and I plan to finish when I'm 50 or so, but I didn't get it done this year.
Many people ask me, "What does that tattoo mean?" But I don't have any meaning. I don't even know why I have it. I just wanted to see the finished product. I was stopped from putting the tattoo on my face at " VISVIM", but I decided I was done with it. But I decided it was okay, so I put it in.
Some people stop at the wrist, you know . I don't like that kind of conservative thinking. Yas-san, the engraver, stopped me a couple of times. He said, "If you put it on your face, your life will be ruined. But I still wanted to do it. On the contrary, I am glad I did. It was like a business card. I couldn't do anything bad anymore (laughs).
. partly because I don't want to lose. If I am about to pass someone who is more experienced than me on the street, I try to avoid that person and take a different path. . But now I am invincible, so I walk with dignity.
Did it have any real impact on your life?
Nishimoto:I saw my father for the first time in about 10 years the other day, and he said, "What's wrong with you?" (laughs). But when I told him that my life is my own and that I would wipe my own ass, he said, "Yeah, that's right. . It's not like I'm doing anything wrong. But it's a little awkward to meet my relatives....
What is your father like?
Nishimoto:I am the eldest of three siblings, and my younger brother was even worse. My younger brother was even worse. He is married now and has become a very good husband. So I feel like I am the only one left behind.
When did you quit "visvim"?
Nishimoto:Last July. I got caught doing side work. That was "NISHIMOTO IS THE MOUTH.
I'm now in a position where I have to be a prophet.
How did "NISHIMOTO IS THE MOUTH" start?
Nishimoto:I think it was around 2017, when I was having a drink in Nakameguro with Joji Nakamura, whom I mentioned earlier, and another friend, A, who is a designer for a certain brand, we decided to make T-shirts to hand out to our friends, and that's how we started.
You didn't have a tattoo on your face back then?
Nishimoto:It was just the nose and so on. The designer made a graphic using my photo. I printed it on a T-shirt. Drake happened to wear it. If I had sold them then, I could have made a lot of money, but I was still at " VISVIM" at the time, so I couldn't do it. I'm sure Joji didn't think it would come to this at the time.
. Now you have already launched your own brand, haven't you?
Nishimoto:When I left VISVIM, I wasn't thinking of starting my own brand. I was just thinking, "Maybe I'll do some night work. I was just thinking about doing night work. But fortunately, there was someone who wanted to work with me, and that's when things really started to take off.
One of my friends is an artist named Kosuke Kawamura, and the company that directed the collaboration between him and Bikkuriman is called Common Base, and I was approached by someone named Sugaya who works there. I was approached by Mr. Sugaya, who works there. He seemed to respond to the fact that Drake, Tom Sachs, and Virgil were wearing the clothes. He said he would invest in the company, and I thought, "Well, now I don't have to work. That was the naive idea that got us started.
You have quite a few clients, don't you?
Nishimoto:Last time, I participated in an exhibition of street brands in LA called "ComplexCon", and the number of stores increased at once there. We now have about 20 stores, including overseas. I wanted to do business overseas, so I was very happy. Eventually, I would like to move my base overseas. Japan is fun, but there are many ties that make it troublesome.
But I can't set long-term goals. I can only look about six months into the future. People ask me, "What do you think you will be doing in 10 years? But I don't think I will be around in 10 years.
Do you want to go abroad in the future?
Nishimoto:. yes, I want to make a living until I am about 50 years old, and then I want to retire. I want to lead a quiet, normal life. I think I will gradually lose the power to play.
When you first had a drink in Nakameguro, did you decide on the name "NISHIMOTO IS THE MOUTH"?
Nishimoto:A designer I was drinking with had a baby, and he named me "NISHIMOTO IS THE MOUTH" because he said that children are God, and he is someone who can understand the voice of children. . but I didn't really understand it myself until recently (laughs).
I have a storyline in mind, like a prophet of a fictional cult club, and I have a setup to do it. For example, Joji and the designers were seriously discussing whether or not I should take a cab, whether or not convenience stores were OK, and so on.
So now I am in a position where I have to be a prophet, and I usually wear only white sweatshirts, and when I take pictures, I pose with a qigong cannon.
(laughs).
Nishimoto:The next season is about creating bitcoins and converting them to NFT to make money, and I plan to become more and more of a money man and fall to the dark side because of it. . I need to grow my hair longer and gain weight, which I am doing now. I am trying to make my life into that story. Well, it's not a normal brand, so I think it's interesting (laughs).
- What is your own state of mind when you are putting your life on the line for a brand?
Nishimoto:. I think it's OK because it's fun. Also, I can pay the rent for the room I live in now, and I can buy my favorite sneakers and records (laughs).
. The amount of sneakers you have is amazing.
Nishimoto:I try to restrain myself from buying them, but I'm in a situation where I can buy them , and I do. . It's just like tattoos, but it doesn't mean anything in particular. . I'm a bit flustered, and I don't really know what I'm doing.
. I'm also interested in the figures in your room.
Nishimoto:I like the weird ones. I also buy cheap ones on Mercury. I like Atsushi Onita , and I have a figure of him. I would like to photograph Onita as a model someday.
You are able to do what you like to do.
Nishimoto:Yes . I collaborate with people I like, and sales are gradually increasing. As for the "NISHIMOTO IS THE MOUTH" items, I sometimes express myself too strongly and Sugaya sometimes tells me that I am overdoing it (laughs). (Laughs.) He acts as a stopper for me, and I think we make a good team.
So you don't want to get into a battle there.
Nishimoto:I was not going to be. When I went to Los Angeles for ComplexCon, Sugaya-san was always there to watch over me no matter how much I played. He is a very good person. However, I think that now is the time for me to do a little more PR or sell myself. I want people to know about my brand a little more. I don't want to be a one-hit wonder. I don't want to end up being a one-hit wonder, so I hope to continue the brand as if I am climbing the stairs one by one. . I'm thinking seriously about that.
What was ComplexCon like?
Nishimoto:It was the best. I don't have any other comments. At any rate, I played so much that my memory is a little foggy (laughs). I do remember that someone took down the altar I had set up in my booth at the exhibition. I was happy that many rappers and skaters came to the show.
I want to do something fun because I don't know when I'm going to die.
Do you have any plans for the future?
Nishimoto:. There will be one next year. I am planning various collaborations with people and brands that I find interesting, so please stay tuned.
Nishimoto:. From now on, I want to work with people from different industries. However, I don't think it's good to go too far underground, and I want to make sure that I have a place in major places as well. I think it is cool to be able to go either way.
I think the name will remain if it is done underground, but it will only resonate with a small number of people. On the other hand, if you want to reach a large number of people in the major music industry, there will be restrictions, and I think it will be a great challenge. My current goal is to compete there.
But I haven't thought of any means to do it there (laughs).
I think you had a rough life once upon a time, and in a sense, you lived freely, but you seem to be having more fun now.
Nishimoto:I am definitely having more fun now. I think I was never suited for a corporate job. I wonder why I have to be told what to wear, why I can't have tattoos, why I can't have a haircut, and why I have to be told what to do in my own life. That's why I'm having more fun now. I am living on the edge, but I have the help of various friends, seniors, and juniors, and I am truly grateful for that.
Nishimoto:Well, but looking back, it was a strange life. . I hope that when I die, I will think that it was a good life. . Since I will finally get out of this year's second year of bad luck, I am hoping that next year will bring me good things.
I'm over 40 years old and I'm also preparing for death, so I want to do something fun because I don't know when I'm going to die. Recently, I saw Tachikawa Danshi in "Nonfiction," and he was really cool. He said, "You can't beat old age," and I want to do what I can before that happens.
I feel as if I have finally begun the second chapter of my life, so I think I will really do a lot of things from now on. . while thinking of more interesting things, though I don't know if they will sell or not (laughs).
