Tenkamaru is the name of this truck, one of Japan’s transport vehicles embellished with colored lights and other ornaments. In describing his showy subjects, the artist has explained that “decotora means ‘trucks decorated with illuminations’ and, really, there’s not...a lot more to say about them with just words.” The truckers continue Japan’s historic practice of showing respect and regard for the tools of one’s trade. In summer 1998, Tatsuki attended a rally of decorated trucks that inspired this series. He then spent ten years with the decotora subculture in order to fully know his subjects. As Tatsuki has observed, “it simply takes time to really understand something.”