Cookie! (くっきー！, also romanized "Kukki!"), one half of the Japanese comedy duo Yasei Bakudan, has tattoos on his chest, shoulders, upper arms and both wrists. On Japanese TV he usually hides the stars on his wrists under skin-colored tape. Here is what each tattoo shows, based on photos, his own Instagram posts and TV appearances, and what we know about why he covers them.
Key points
- A dragon-like design on his right chest, a pistol on his left chest and a star (★) on each wrist
- On TV and at photo shoots, he often covers his wrists with skin-colored tape
- A 2024 look-back at the duo's early TV show recalls that he didn't hide his tattoos at all back then
- We found no record of him explaining what the designs mean or when he got them
Looking for similar motifs? Browse dragon tattoo designs and star tattoo designs on Tattoo Japan.
Who Is Cookie! of Yasei Bakudan?
- Stage name
- Cookie! (くっきー！). He used to perform under his real name.
- Real name
- Kunihiro Kawashima (川島邦裕)
- Born
- March 12, 1976
- Hometown
- Moriyama, Shiga Prefecture
- Height
- 180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
- Agency
- Yoshimoto Kogyo
- Comedy duo
- Yasei Bakudan (野性爆弾), with Rossy
- @nikuguso_taro
Cookie is the boke, the one who plays the fool, in Yasei Bakudan, a duo signed to the Japanese entertainment company Yoshimoto Kogyo. He entered Yoshimoto's NSC comedy school in Osaka in 1994 and formed the duo with his classmate Rossy. (Source: Japanese Wikipedia)
He is best known for his "white-face impressions," painting a celebrity's face over white face paint. (Source: ABEMA TIMES, January 7, 2020)
He also plays in bands such as Genie High, and has said in interviews that he got hooked on punk music in high school. (Sources: Fender News, January 22, 2021; FASHIONSNAP)
The duo's name, Yasei Bakudan, roughly means "Wild Bomb," which is why you will also see him called "Wild Bomb Cookie." His own YouTube channel uses the handle @wildbombcookie.
Cookie!'s Tattoos: Designs and Meanings
These are the tattoos you can make out in photos:
| Placement | Design |
|---|---|
| Right chest | Dragon-like figure |
| Left chest | Pistol |
| Shoulders, upper arms | Hard to make out |
| Both wrists | Star (★) |
We found no record of Cookie explaining what any of these designs mean or why he chose them. The meanings below are what these motifs commonly stand for in tattooing, not his own explanation.
Right Chest: A Dragon-Like Design
His right chest carries a horned, dragon-like figure.
Dragons are popular in both Japanese and Western tattooing and usually stand for strength, protection and success.
Left Chest: A Pistol
His left chest has a pistol. In some photos you can see blue ink in the gun.
Guns are a common motif in Western tattooing, usually chosen to suggest toughness, defiance or self-protection.
Both Wrists: Stars (★)
He has a star (★) on each wrist. The two photos above show one on his left wrist and one on his right.
Stars are often chosen to stand for hope, wishes or finding your way.
These wrist stars are the tattoos he usually covers with tape on TV. More on that below.
Shoulders and Upper Arms
He also has tattoos from his shoulders down to his upper arms, and you can see them in the chest photos above. The photos are too small to tell what they show.
Why Cookie! Covers His Wrist Tattoos on TV
On TV and at photo shoots, Cookie often wears skin-colored tape around his wrists. The tape appears to be there to hide his star tattoos.
Taped Wrists on TV and at Photo Shoots
His own Instagram posts show the tape:
- October 2, 2017: photos from a shoot for his exhibition "Super Cookie Land." See the post on Instagram (@nikuguso_taro)
- January 5, 2018: his impression of the singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu on Fuji TV's comedy show "Zenryoku! Datsuryoku Times." See the post on Instagram (@nikuguso_taro)
He also had his wrist taped when he appeared on TBS's variety show "Suiyobi no Downtown" on December 27, 2017, in a segment built around a famous hamburger-shop skit by the duo Sandwichman. (Episode details: setsu.jp)
He Didn't Hide Them Before He Was Famous
In July 2024, the official BS Yoshimoto YouTube channel posted a retrospective on "Yabaku TV," Yasei Bakudan's first show of their own, which aired on the satellite (CS) channel Yoshimoto Fandango TV. In that talk, it is recalled that back then, with no thought of becoming famous, he didn't hide his tattoos at all and filmed with the stars showing. (Source: BS Yoshimoto official channel, around 9:05, in Japanese)
That suggests he started covering his wrists once he was appearing on national TV more often.
What Yoshimoto Has Said
We found no public comment from his agency, Yoshimoto Kogyo, about his tattoos, and no detailed explanation from Cookie himself about why he covers them.
For background on why tattoos are so often covered up in Japan, see our article on the history of tattoo bans at Japanese facilities.
Covering a Small Tattoo in Japan
If you are visiting Japan with a small tattoo, a skin-colored cover sticker or tape is the simplest way to hide it, the same way Cookie does on TV. It can help at hot springs, pools and gyms, and some facilities accept tattoos that are covered. The links below go to Amazon Japan (amazon.co.jp).
* Some links include affiliate advertisements (PR).
Foundation Tape — Standard
Tattoo cover tape, 7.5 × 9.5 cm. Compare five shades with one sheet of each.
View on Amazon
CLASSE Tattoo Concealer Stickers
A four-color trial set of concealer stickers designed to cover tattoos.
View on Amazon
Hadakakushi Arm Covers — 1 Pair
Long arm covers for covering tattoos. The linked option is a black pair.
View on AmazonFrequently Asked Questions About Cookie!'s Tattoos
Are Cookie!'s tattoos real?
Yes. The 2024 BS Yoshimoto retrospective recalls that he didn't hide his tattoos in his early TV days, and he is often seen covering his wrists with tape on TV and at shoots.
When did Cookie! get his tattoos?
We found no record of him saying exactly when. The 2024 retrospective recalls that the wrist stars were already showing when "Yabaku TV" was filmed in the 2000s.
He has talked about loving punk since high school, but not about how that relates to his tattoos.
For a look at him when he was young, in June 2022 he shared a street snap of himself in his early twenties from the fashion magazine "Kajikaji." His wrists are hidden by his sleeves in that photo, so it doesn't show any tattoos. See the post on Instagram (@nikuguso_taro)
Has Cookie! removed his tattoos?
We found no statement from him and no news report saying he has had them removed. When you can't see the wrist stars on TV, they are usually under tape.
Does Cookie! have tattoos on his legs?
We couldn't find any. A photo he posted on December 30, 2017 shows his legs, and no tattoos are visible. See the post on Instagram (@nikuguso_taro)
Summary: Cookie!'s Tattoos at a Glance
Cookie has a dragon-like design on his right chest, a pistol on his left chest, tattoos across his shoulders and upper arms, and a star on each wrist. On TV he usually hides the wrist stars under skin-colored tape, and a 2024 retrospective recalls that he didn't cover them at all before he was famous.
He hasn't explained the meanings, but dragons and stars are popular motifs. If you are thinking of a similar piece, compare designs first, then talk it through with a studio.
*Based on publicly available information as of October 2026.
