Episode 13: The Incarcerated Michelangelo

Fujita visits a remote old prison to view a fresco painted on a vaulted ceiling. He recalls many years ago when he was hired to assist the prisoner and tattooist Shimoda Tappei to paint a fresco on the ceiling. Known as Tatsu the Michelangelo, Shimoda immediately gives Fujita the unpleasant job of removing the old plaster in the oppressive heat of summer. Shimoda had studied in Italy and he shows Fujita the complex steps in creating a fresco. During the painting of his design, Shimoda takes ill, but insists on finishing the work. Back in the present, Mitamura arrives with the intention of saving the fresco prior to demolition of the building, however Fujita is now the owner, and agrees to it being destroyed according to the wishes of Shimoda who has passed away. Shimoda believed that art like a tattoo has a limited life and a finite period of existence.